‘Franklin’ Apple Series Review: Michael Douglas Shines in a Historical Retelling That Lacks Emotion
Michael Douglas in “Franklin,” now streaming on Apple TV Plus.
The United States may have signed its independence on July 4, 1776, but that wasn’t nearly the end of the story. Benjamin Franklin embarked on a secret mission to France later that year to try to salvage the American rebellion against the British, following several losses and an impending sense that the revolution may come to a prompt ending. This years-long diplomatic assignment is thoroughly documented in the new Apple series Franklin, starring Michael Douglas as the title historic character, and Noah Jupe as his grandson, Temple.
Throughout eight episodes, directed by TV legend Tim Van Patten, we get to watch pretty much every step of the way, whether it was necessary or not, giving us a sense of what Franklin was thinking at all times — yet it’s also an excruciating look at the 18th-century French high class, with people wearing out-of-date wigs and over-the-top makeup, which can get a bit tiring, especially when binging (the series is airing on a weekly basis on Apple TV Plus, with the first three episodes now available).
When it works, Franklin can act as an education on how different countries can collaborate to reach a common goal, and that old alliances may seem dead, but they don’t have to be. How this informs the current news cycle is up to each viewer, but there’s much to learn about how Franklin is portrayed in the series (kind and understanding, optimistic and decisive, but with a small mischievous edge too that he doesn’t even attempt to hide; whether this is historically accurate is semi-irrelevant) and how diplomacy should work.
However, the clear-cut message of the series and the actual point of the story is not always clear. Instead, the series tries a documentary-esque approach where it follows Franklin, and especially his grandson, during their years in France. It was too long and, much like being there must have been for him, felt like it was going nowhere. Despite that, perhaps the biggest sins of the series are the missed opportunities it glossed over.
Michael Douglas and Ludivine Sagnier in “Franklin,” now streaming on Apple TV Plus.
Franklin’s son, for instance, sided with the British, a much sensitive topic to the old polymath, but one he wished to ignore for the most part so that it wouldn’t interfere with his goal: to guarantee the independence of the United States. But the series gains a lot of heart whenever it weighs into this territory, allowing the audience into Franklin’s mind. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen more than two or three times and sort of justifies it by implying that it also didn’t cross Franklin’s mind more than that.
Franklin is also populated by a vast cast of French characters (so large that it’s hard at times to keep track of who is who — and in the elitist 18th-century French society, who is who is everything), but few are more interesting than one of Temple’s closest friends, Marquis de Lafayette (Théodore Pellerin), who decided on his own accord, and despite his country’s recommendation, to go overseas and fight the British in the American Revolutionary War. That’s a pretty unique perspective that we didn’t get to explore nearly enough, and his character is lost in the shuffle in the latter half of the series.
John Adams also makes an appearance later on, just when the narrative was getting a little stale — unfortunately, and despite Eddie Marsan’s best efforts, he didn’t spice it up enough. His role in the narrative is some sort of ticking clock on Franklin’s playing the long game. The war is a bit unpredictable and could go either way — although the odds are more on the British side. But France’s aid could be enough to tip the scale, so why is Benjamin Franklin taking so long to convince them? Perhaps John Adams will have better luck there.
Michael Douglas and Noah Jupe in “Franklin,” now streaming on Apple TV Plus.
Another absolute win for the series is, naturally, Michael Douglas’ performance. The Wall Street and Fatal Attraction star absolutely disappears in the role. It’s hard for me to know how accurate his portrayal is, of course, but when it comes to selling the character that is on the page, I can say that the actor fully became him. Engaging and always likable at the beginning, but slowly deteriorating in health without losing his spirit, Franklin is the star of the show, and not just because of the title. Michael Douglas certainly did his best to make sure we forgot about all of the aspects of Benjamin Franklin’s life we are not seeing.
Noah Jupe, as Temple Franklin, gets the co-lead role in the series. Though we’ve been seeing this kid for a few years now, in HBO’s The Undoing and A Quiet Place, and so on, this might be his biggest role yet, and he did great with it. I may have some reservations about how much screen time his character gets, but the truth is that Jupe makes the best case possible for deserving even more. He comes across as a young kid who could aspire to become a very capable man one day, when he acts as his grandfather’s aide towards the beginning, but slowly matures into the role as the series progresses. The actor, 19, gets to play a slightly older version of his character, who has also seen a lot and learned a lot in his adventures through France — and was able to sell it very well.
Masters of the Air may have been the most expensive series in the (short) history of Apple TV Plus, but Franklin must certainly give it a run for its money. The production value is as high as you’d expect from a service that so firmly wants to become the new HBO, and I couldn’t help but marvel at the detail of most of the sets and costumes that brought 18th-century France back to life. Dan Weil and Olivier Bériot are credited as the production and costume designers, respectively. Unfortunately, their work was not enough for me to recommend the series.
The first three episodes of Franklin are now available to stream on Apple TV Plus.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as authors like Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
