Matt Ross Made Two Miniseries About the American Psyche. He Won't Do It Again.

"In Death by Lightning, the American experiment is in turmoil, even before Charles Guiteau (Matthew Macfadyen) assassinates President James A. Garfield (Michael Shannon). It's 1880, and swaggy dunces control the Republican Party, made powerful through their control of New York's ports. Black soldiers who helped win the Civil War still don't have the full rights they were promised, while labor disputes simmer and a general uncertainty about what America stands for fills the air."

"Death by Lightning positions Garfield and Guiteau as two possible paths forward for the country: one a symbol of hard work and decency, and the other a figure who craves fame and adoration and will grasp onto more powerful men to get it. Somewhere in the space between Garfield and Guiteau is the average American, and the question of who gets to represent this country and decide its ideals is what drew director Matt Ross to Mike Makowsky's script."

""An American could be anyone. There's no one thing," says Ross, who also directed the similarly politically motivated miniseries about the Watergate scandal. (As an actor, Ross has appeared in a number of projects that attempt to address the American psyche, including Silicon Valley, Good Night, and Good Luck, and American Psycho.) "We are such an odd and enormous country, and I was very excited to have another opportunity to discuss what it is to be an American.""

Set in 1880, the series depicts an America in turmoil with corrupt Republican bosses, contested civil rights, and simmering labor unrest. James A. Garfield emerges as a war hero, Ohio congressman, family man, and unexpected president after one inspirational speech. Charles Guiteau appears as a failed lawyer and ambitious con man who pursues fame following Garfield's victory. The narrative frames Garfield and Guiteau as two divergent paths for the nation: hard work and decency versus fame-seeking and opportunism. Director Matt Ross emphasizes national identity, portraying Americans as varied and uncertain about who should represent the country's ideals. The tone alternates between sly humor and political drama.

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