Franklin (miniseries)

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.

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 Beaumarchais
 * Théodore Pellerin as Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette
 * 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
 * Ed Stoppard as John Jay
 * Jack Archer as Thomas Grenville
 * Gary Lewis as Richard Oswald
 * Tom Pezier as Louis XVI, King of France
 * Patrick Kennedy as Strachey

Guest

 * Florence Darel as Therese Chaumont
 * Olivier Rabourdin as Jean-Charles-Pierre Lenoir
 * Maria Dragus as Marie Antoinette
 * John Hollingworth as David Murray, Lord Stormont
 * Romain Brau as Chevalier d'Éon

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, 71% of 35 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 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".