Death by Lightning

...period dramas about politics face as difficult a fight to “cut through” to a wider audience as politicians themselves.

...an interesting and engaging watch for history buffs who want to learn something new.

This superb drama about US President James Garfield is propulsive and commendably succinct.

...opens with a brain in a jar on the floor while Sly and the Family Stone’s “Everyday People” is playing on the radio. If that’s not a grabber, I don’t know what is.

...absolutely nobody plays losers like Matthew Macfadyen.

Tight plotting also helps maintain interest in a show that telegraphs its end from the start, surprising us instead with unexpected developments before and beyond that key turning point.