# Franklin (miniseries)

Franklin is a 2024 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.

## 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 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

## 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 (2024-04-12) |
| 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 (2024-04-12) |
| 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 (2024-04-12) |
| 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 (2024-04-19) |
| 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 (2024-04-26) |
| Tensions mount between Franklin and Adams. Madame Brillon asserts her power. Temple decides to fight his own war. |||||
| 6 | "Beauty and Folly" | Tim Van Patten | Kirk Ellis and Howard Korder | May 3, 2024 (2024-05-03) |
| Franklin suspects traitors are everywhere. Vergennes makes a final offer. Jacques introduces Temple to the thrill of the hunt. |||||
| 7 | "Begin by Creeping" | Tim Van Patten | Kirk Ellis and Howard Korder | May 10, 2024 (2024-05-10) |
| After victory at Yorktown, the Americans and the French plot against each other for the upper hand. Franklin is laid low at a crucial moment. |||||
| 8 | "Think of Three Things" | Tim Van Patten | Kirk Ellis and Howard Korder | May 17, 2024 (2024-05-17) |
| The future of the United States is decided by six men in a room. Franklin and Temple face a changed world. |||||

## 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".