The Big Picture

Michael Douglas and Noah Jupe’s on-screen chemistry anchors
Franklin
‘s narrative amid a historical backdrop.
Director Tim Van Patten’s creative vision is evident in each episode, maintaining the miniseries’ cohesive narrative flow.

Franklin
‘s narrative falters as the focus shifts away from the title character, losing its inherent charm when Douglas is absent from the screen.

Somehow, revisiting lesser-known pockets of American history has become a trend on streaming television again, alongside shows featuring battling dragonriders or young adults forced into a position of saving the world. Yet Apple TV+ seems to be leading the charge especially, with its latest batch of period dramas featuring an impressive wealth of A-listers as well as a level of production and costume design that succeeds in capturing these very specific eras. Its latest addition, Franklin, isn’t quite the sweeping war drama like Masters of the Air, nor is it a gripping cat-and-mouse thriller like Manhunt, but it makes for a respectable contribution to the streamer’s growing library.

This is in large part due to the compelling presence who leads it all. Despite his long and impressive filmography, Michael Douglas had, by his own admission, never starred in a period piece until stepping into the role of Benjamin Franklin. That said, his first foray into the genre, based on Stacy Schiff’s book A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America, proves a fascinating look at what may be a lesser-known point in the Founding Father’s life for those who aren’t self-professed history buffs. Douglas’ performance anchors the entire viewing experience of Franklin, even when other aspects of the miniseries from writers Kirk Ellis (John Adams) and Howard Korder (Boardwalk Empire) prove less riveting by comparison.

Franklin (2024) Explores the story of one of the greatest gambles of Franklin’s career. At age 70, Franklin outmaneuvered British spies and French informers while engineering the Franco-American alliance of 1778.Release Date April 12, 2024 Seasons 1 Creator(s) Kirk Ellis Writers Kirk Ellis , Howard Korder

Apple TV+’s ‘Franklin’ Immerses You in France
It only helps that, from a creative standpoint, Franklin doesn’t hesitate to drop us into its environment alongside its lead characters — which creates a sink-or-swim mentality that persists throughout the story. The fact that the Apple TV+ miniseries was largely filmed on location makes all the difference once Benjamin Franklin (Douglas) and his grandson, Temple (Noah Jupe), find themselves having to navigate a foreign court, with the younger man floundering a bit more at the start compared to his older and much savvier grandpère. However, this isn’t a vacation; Congress has tasked Franklin with the mission of garnering French support for their side in the ongoing Revolutionary War, hoping to appeal to the country’s known dislike of England to turn the tide of the battle in America’s favor.

But, as Franklin asserts during the first of many dinners he’ll be invited to throughout his eight-year tenure in France, true diplomacy is a seduction, and that imagery serves as the backbone on which the miniseries’ plot plays out. While there are certainly moments played out as more intensely dramatic — in one episode, Temple goes missing after a late night out drinking and partying with his new French friends, leading to a frantic search when his horse returns riderless — this isn’t meant to be an action-packed story. Franklin isn’t relying on brute force to retain valuable (and wealthy) allies who could prove critical to America’s success. As he points out to Temple in one of the show’s best exchanges, words are the truest power he can wield, one that few authorities can suppress — especially once Franklin gets his hands on a printing press and those words start running rampant via pamphlet.

Related Michael Douglas to Star as Benjamin Franklin in Apple TV+ Limited Series The series comes from the creator of the record-breaking miniseries ‘John Adams’.

Tim Van Patten, who previously helmed episodes of some of the most iconic shows to date (The Sopranos, Deadwood, The Wire, Game of Thrones, and Black Mirror, just to name a few), steps behind the camera exclusively for Franklin, directing all of the miniseries’ eight episodes that were provided for review. The result is a strong, cohesive vision that, in tandem with the series’ impressive location shoots, production design by Dan Weil, and costume design by Olivier Bériot, carries through over the eight years that the story depicts. Even when the plot itself seems to slow or shifts focus to characters that are much less interesting than its leads, Van Patten’s eye for making each scene feel visually distinct leaves you looking for all the precise details. In one sequence, Franklin is pushing himself through the strenuous act of operating the aforementioned printing press with only the glow of a few candles to see by; in another, he’s squeezing through a crush of bodies in the daylight, as French citizens from far and wide cram in to get a better look at the famed statesman. No two moments feel precisely the same, which speaks just as much to the pedigree of talent behind the scenes as it does in front.

Michael Douglas and Noah Jupe Are the Heart of ‘Franklin’

While Franklin does significantly revolve around the diplomatic tightrope its lead must balance on, the miniseries’ greatest strength resides with its central duo. In real life, Benjamin Franklin’s grandson, William Temple (known as Temple) Franklin, did accompany him on his trip to France, serving as his grandfather’s secretary beginning from the age of 16. It’s an experience that, as depicted in the Apple TV+ miniseries, provides the young man with a different realm through which to truly mature, but this evolution doesn’t happen without some bumps and bruises (literal ones, in a few instances) along the way.

Jupe’s Temple is a wide-eyed novice when he first arrives in France, a state that is rendered even more obvious when Franklin can swan his way through a bustling crowd with ease and endearingly mispronounced French. He’s not accustomed to the more blatant attention he receives from young girls, many of whom consider him a fun little novelty to play with, and his distinctly American wardrobe makes him stick out like a thumb at court. But when Temple’s path coincidentally crosses with that of the Marquis de Lafayette (Théodore Pellerin) — yes, that Lafayette — it proves to be a defining friendship for both men. Lafayette provides Temple with a much-needed makeover, and, later on, Temple vouches for the marquis with his grandfather after Lafayette declares that he wants to venture across the pond and fight alongside his American allies. Romantically, Temple traverses even more complicated terrain, including a dalliance with a stage performer that forces him to grow up in more ways than one. Jupe has the task of depicting the same character through eight long, pivotal years, and rises to meet that challenge with seemingly little struggle. The Temple at the end of the series is a far cry from the one we’re first introduced to.

Meanwhile, Franklin’s nights aren’t made up of the same sort of drinking and carousing that Temple begins to embrace. One has the feeling that Franklin would be largely content to stay at home, writing and operating his printing press, rather than show his face at yet another party. However, Franklin is good at what he does, what he’s been sent to France to orchestrate, and even as Douglas portrays him with an increasing amount of exhaustion — the real Benjamin Franklin experienced some health issues later in life, including a painful case of gout — he always maintains a knowing twinkle in his eye that makes Franklin feel perpetually young despite his physical decline. It doesn’t hurt, either, that the series makes him out to be something of a wicked flirt, lavishing ladies with compliments but, thankfully, never devolving into lecherous territory. This Benjamin Franklin is a charmer first and foremost, but what he ultimately needs to set his sights on wooing is France herself.

Understandably, the series is at its best when Douglas and Jupe are on-screen. In the beginning, Franklin attempts to teach his grandson the art of playing chess or impart some words of wisdom, but, over time, their relationship starts to become more strained — partially as a result of that generational gap. There’s a built-in foundation of tension already, given that Temple’s father and Franklin’s son, William, is a widely-known Loyalist, something that the British try to use to drive a wedge between grandfather and grandson as the years go by. Although Franklin’s relationship with his son could only be categorized as strained and estranged, his love for Temple is never really in question, even if he’s sometimes befuddled by what his grandson has been gallivanting off to do in France. The evolution these two undergo as a pair is as crucial to the series as their own respective journeys, even as their shared scenes become more and more infrequent by series’ end.

‘Franklin’s Best Character Fades Into the Background

Franklin’s biggest snag is definitely related to the decreasing number of scenes between its best pair. The more the miniseries progresses, the more Franklin himself seems to become less important, or at least less of a prominent fixture in many moments. Some of this can be considered a consequence of the story itself; Congress, displeased with how long it’s taken Franklin to close any kind of deal with France, decides to send John Adams (Eddie Marsan) over to pursue a more direct approach. The only problem is that Adams’ bluntness leads to several French diplomats — including the most prominent of them all, the Comte de Vergennes (Thibault de Montalembert) — instantly forming a poor opinion of him. From that point onward, Franklin seems more tasked with cleaning up after Adams’ political messes, or acting as a go-between for the future president and those he’s forged strong professional relationships with, than pursuing what he was originally sent to this country to accomplish.

Franklin’s increased disappearances coincide not just with the character’s deteriorating health but a stronger focus afforded to Temple’s side of the story — and they only serve as a reminder of what an undeniable presence Douglas is, and what the series loses whenever he’s absent for long stretches. This leads to something of a genre identity crisis in the last several episodes, while Franklin himself visibly wrestles with whether his time in France has concluded alongside some firm reminders of his mortality. Franklin is too composed and unruffled in its storytelling to be a gripping spy thriller, but it also juggles too many plotlines at once to be considered a straightforward biopic. Yet every scene where Douglas inhabits this seemingly larger-than-life person humanizes an American hero — and reasserts that this may have just been the role he was meant to play at this stage in his career.

Franklin (2024) Starring Michael Douglas, Apple TV+’s Franklin is a fascinating if ultimately composed look at the Founding Father’s critical time in France.ProsMichael Douglas and Noah Jupe are always engaging to watch together, as Franklin and Temple’s relationship becomes the heart of the show.Director Tim Van Patten has a clear creative vision that carries through all eight episodes of the miniseries.The series’ ability to film on location in France only adds to the overall sense of immersion. ConsFranklin’s story takes a backseat in later episodes, and you keenly feel the absence of Douglas on-screen.

Franklin premieres with its first three episodes beginning Friday, April 12 on Apple TV+.

Watch on Apple TV+