Miniseries Franklin
Franklin is a biographical drama miniseries about the United States Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, based on Stacy Schiff's 2005 book A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America.
It was released on Apple TV+ on April 12, 2024. The series depicts the eight years Benjamin Franklin spent in France to convince King Louis XVI to support the burgeoning United States in the American Revolutionary War.
| Franklin | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) | |
| Genre | Biographical drama |
| Based on | A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America by Stacy Schiff |
| Written by | Kirk Ellis and Howard Korder |
| Directed by | Tim Van Patten |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 5 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Running time | 48–60 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Apple TV+ |
| Release | April 12, 2024 – present |
Cast
Main
- Michael Douglas as Benjamin Franklin
- Noah Jupe as William Temple Franklin
- Daniel Mays as Edward Bancroft
- Ludivine Sagnier as Anne Louise Brillon de Jouy
- Thibault de Montalembert as Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes
- Assaad Bouab as Pierre de Beaumarchais
- Théodore Pellerin as Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette
- Tom Hughes as Paul Wentworth
- Jeanne Balibar as Anne-Catherine de Ligniville, Madame Helvétius
- Eddie Marsan as John Adams
Recurring
- Olivier Claverie as Jacques-Donatien Le Ray de Chaumont
- Aïtor de Calvairac as Jacques "James" Le Ray de Chaumont
- Lily Dupont as Cunégonde Brillon
- Marc Duret as Monsieur Brillon
Guest
- Florence Darel as Therese Chaumont
- Olivier Rabourdin as Jean-Charles-Pierre Lenoir
- Tom Pezier as Louis XVI, King of France
- John Hollingworth as David Murray, Lord Stormont
- Romain Brau as Chevalier d'Éon
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Sauce for Prayers" | Tim Van Patten | Kirk Ellis and Howard Korder | April 12, 2024 | |
| As the fight for independence teeters on the brink of defeat, Benjamin Franklin and his grandson plunge into a world of intrigue and deception. | |||||
| 2 | "Welcome, Mischief" | Tim Van Patten | Kirk Ellis and Howard Korder | April 12, 2024 | |
| An arms operation is threatened by a ruthless opponent. The Paris police watch Franklin’s every move. Temple makes a confession. | |||||
| 3 | "Pride and Gout" | Tim Van Patten | Kirk Ellis and Howard Korder | April 12, 2024 | |
| Bad news arrives from America. Franklin finds himself ensnared in the traps of Versailles. Temple bows down before a star. | |||||
| 4 | "Small Revenge" | Tim Van Patten | Kirk Ellis and Howard Korder | April 19, 2024 | |
| Franklin pays back an insult and receives the favour of a king; a new lover catches Franklin's eye and an old rival turns up to thwart him. | |||||
| 5 | "The Natural State of Man" | Tim Van Patten | Kirk Ellis and Howard Korder | April 26, 2024 | |
| Tensions mount between Franklin and Adams. Madame Brillon asserts her power. Temple decides to fight his own war. | |||||
| 6 | TBA | TBA | Kirk Ellis and Howard Korder | May 3, 2024 | |
| 7 | TBA | TBA | Kirk Ellis and Howard Korder | May 10, 2024 | |
| 8 | TBA | TBA | Kirk Ellis and Howard Korder | May 17, 2024 | |
Production
It was announced in February 2022 that Michael Douglas would star in the series as Benjamin Franklin for Apple TV+, with Kirk Ellis writing the series and Tim Van Patten directing. In June 2022, it was announced that Howard Korder had joined the production as a writer and executive producer.
Filming began in June 2022 in Versailles, with Noah Jupe, Ludivine Sagnier, Daniel Mays, Assaad Bouab and Eddie Marsan amongst additional casting announced.
Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 64% of 28 critics gave the series a positive review, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The critical consensus reads, "Franklin's unhurried retelling of revolutionary history can be dry as parchment, but Michael Douglas' sly performance as the founding father gives it a compelling jolt." On Metacritic, the series holds a weighted average score of 57 out of 100 based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
See also
- List of films about the American Revolution
- List of television series and miniseries about the American Revolution
- Benjamin Franklin, 1974 miniseries
- Benjamin Franklin, 2002 TV series
- Benjamin Franklin, 2022 two-part documentary
References
External links
This article uses material from the Wikipedia English article Franklin (miniseries), which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license ("CC BY-SA 3.0"); additional terms may apply (view authors). Content is available under CC BY-SA 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
®Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wiki Foundation, Inc. Wiki English (DUHOCTRUNGQUOC.VN) is an independent company and has no affiliation with Wiki Foundation.