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'Death By Lightning' Creator Mike Makowsky
🕑 Added 2025-12-03 17:43:02 +0000 UTCThis past week (actually, the week before Thanksgiving, if we want to get technical) I got to interview Mike Makowsky, creator of Netflix’s Death By Lightning, for GQ. You can check out that GQ piece here.
I was a big fan of the show, and it seems like I’m not alone in this (it is the beau ideal of a “dad show”). When I read the book a few years back (Candice Millard’s Destiny of the Republic) it seemed like the kind I’d love to see as a movie or show, even though those kinds of adaptations often don’t turn out that well. To my surprise, Makowsky’s adaptation seemed to capture most of what I loved about the book, without trying to cover everything in it. It had a take on the book, which is what any great adaptation needs. And then, of course, the cast brought a little something special and surprising to every role. In fact, I this bluesky post by Klungar kind of sums it up.
Anyway, check out the GQ piece (in which I go into much greater detail about the historical background of the show and its parallels), listen to the interview here, and stay tuned for your regularly-scheduled Frotcast.
Comments
Tyler
Millard's books about Teddy Roosevelt in South America and Winston Churchill's experiences in the Boer War would make great followups. She writes cinematically.
ImGonnaCuomoAllOverYourFredo
sweet, new book rec..just bought and downloaded the audiobook on audible..looking forward to listening to it at work
