# Franklin

**Franklin** is a 2024 historical drama miniseries on Apple TV+ starring [Michael Douglas](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-douglas) as [Benjamin Franklin](https://www.edgepedia.org/benjamin-franklin), dramatizing Franklin's diplomatic mission in France during the [American Revolution](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-revolution). It premiered globally on April 12, 2024, with the first three of its eight episodes, followed by one new episode each Friday through May 17, 2024.<sup>[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2024/02/franklin-a-new-limited-series-starring-and-executive-produced-by-michael-douglas-to-premiere-globally-friday-april-12-2024/)</sup> The series is based on Stacy Schiff's 2005 book *A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America*.<sup>[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2024/02/franklin-a-new-limited-series-starring-and-executive-produced-by-michael-douglas-to-premiere-globally-friday-april-12-2024/)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Network and run | Apple TV+; premiered April 12, 2024 with three episodes, one new episode weekly through May 17, 2024<sup>[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2024/02/franklin-a-new-limited-series-starring-and-executive-produced-by-michael-douglas-to-premiere-globally-friday-april-12-2024/)</sup> |
| Format | Eight-episode limited series, about 57 minutes per episode, rated TV-MA<sup>[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2024/02/franklin-a-new-limited-series-starring-and-executive-produced-by-michael-douglas-to-premiere-globally-friday-april-12-2024/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/franklin-2024)</sup> |
| Source book | *A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America* (2005) by Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff<sup>[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2024/02/franklin-a-new-limited-series-starring-and-executive-produced-by-michael-douglas-to-premiere-globally-friday-april-12-2024/)</sup> |
| Lead cast | Michael Douglas as Benjamin Franklin; Noah Jupe as Temple Franklin; Ludivine Sagnier as Madame Brillon; Eddie Marsan as John Adams; Thibault de Montalembert as Comte de Vergennes<sup>[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2024/02/franklin-a-new-limited-series-starring-and-executive-produced-by-michael-douglas-to-premiere-globally-friday-april-12-2024/)</sup> |
| Creative team | Director and executive producer Tim Van Patten; writers and executive producers Kirk Ellis (*John Adams*) and Howard Korder (*Boardwalk Empire*)<sup>[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2024/02/franklin-a-new-limited-series-starring-and-executive-produced-by-michael-douglas-to-premiere-globally-friday-april-12-2024/)</sup> |
| Historical span | Franklin's mission from December 1776 through the 1778 Treaty of Alliance and the 1783 Treaty of Paris<sup>[3](https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/television/franklin-michael-douglas-apple-tv-fact-check/?msockid=090b84fc542f62a43f06928755dc6342)</sup> |
| Reception | Rotten Tomatoes 71% Tomatometer (34 reviews); Metacritic metascore 57; IMDb 6.9/10 from about 5,600 users<sup>[4](https://static.rottentomatoes.com/tv/franklin_2024/s01)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/franklin-2024/critic-reviews/?season=season-1)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18351584/ratings/)</sup> |

## Spoilers

### Premise and production

The series opens in December 1776, when Franklin, already world famous for his electrical experiments, sails for France on a secret mission to enlist the French as allies against Britain, taking his teenage grandson Temple Franklin with him.<sup>[7](https://www.wusf.org/2024-04-10/michael-douglas-stars-as-a-flirty-ben-franklin-in-this-apple-tv-series)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[8](https://epguides.com/Franklin_2024/)</sup> Apple's press release frames the stakes plainly: at age 70, without diplomatic training, Franklin worked to convince an absolute monarchy to fund the American war, outmaneuvering British spies, French informers, and hostile colleagues to help engineer the Franco-American alliance of 1778 and the peace treaty with England in 1783.<sup>[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2024/02/franklin-a-new-limited-series-starring-and-executive-produced-by-michael-douglas-to-premiere-globally-friday-april-12-2024/)</sup>

**Production.** Kirk Ellis, a writer on HBO's *John Adams*, and Howard Korder wrote the series, with [Tim Van Patten](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-van-patten) directing; Richard Plepler (EDEN Productions), Tony Krantz (Flame Ventures), Philippe Maigret, and Mark Mostyn executive produced, and Schiff served as co-executive producer. It is a co-production of ITV Studios America and Apple Studios.<sup>[1](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2024/02/franklin-a-new-limited-series-starring-and-executive-produced-by-michael-douglas-to-premiere-globally-friday-april-12-2024/)</sup> About 90 percent of the show was shot in Paris, with lighting designed to replicate candlelight.<sup>[9](https://time.com/6966422/apple-tv-benjamin-franklin/)</sup> Van Patten described the series as a "slice of history" rather than a full-life biography, and said he drew on *12 Angry Men* while filming to convey the physical and mental toll of the years on Franklin.<sup>[9](https://time.com/6966422/apple-tv-benjamin-franklin/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[10](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-real-story-behind-apple-tvs-franklin-180984119/)</sup>

## The historical Franklin in Paris

The real Franklin served from 1776 to 1778 on a three-member commission to France charged with gaining French support for American independence, and his home in Passy, just outside Paris, became the center of American diplomacy in Europe.<sup>[11](https://history.state.gov/milestones/1776-1783/b-franklin)</sup> He soon emerged as America's sole commissioner before the French court.<sup>[12](https://thescholarship.ecu.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/b4e5e004-ce9f-46db-8bff-34b40aa923e3/content)</sup> The 1778 Treaty of Alliance brought France into the war; historians quoted in coverage of the series stress its weight, with the Bancroft Prize–winning historian Woody Holton summarizing that "The Americans couldn't win the war without France."<sup>[3](https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/television/franklin-michael-douglas-apple-tv-fact-check/?msockid=090b84fc542f62a43f06928755dc6342)</sup>

The series pays particular attention to Franklin's self-presentation. He consciously wore a plain brown suit and a fur cap to symbolize American republicanism against French extravagance, writing, "Think how this must appear among the powder'd heads of Paris," and the costume choice endeared him to the French.<sup>[9](https://time.com/6966422/apple-tv-benjamin-franklin/)</sup> His fame as a scientist functioned as a political conduit: his likeness appeared on busts, medallions, portraits, and even chamber pots.<sup>[9](https://time.com/6966422/apple-tv-benjamin-franklin/)</sup>

## Historical accuracy

Reviewers and historians have judged the series generally accurate in its broad outlines while noting specific inventions. The Time fact-check by historian Craig Bruce Smith calls it a "nuanced and generally accurate take" on the alliance and the 1783 Treaty of Paris.<sup>[9](https://time.com/6966422/apple-tv-benjamin-franklin/)</sup>

- The much-quoted line "Diplomacy must never be a siege but a seduction" was never said by Franklin; it appears to be adapted from a fictitious Franklin line in *John Adams*, "Diplomacy is seduction in another guise."<sup>[9](https://time.com/6966422/apple-tv-benjamin-franklin/)</sup>
- The series shows Franklin obtaining the Marquis de Lafayette's general's commission from Congress; in reality Silas Deane, the original envoy to France, did.<sup>[9](https://time.com/6966422/apple-tv-benjamin-franklin/)</sup>
- The composer Anne-Louise Brillon de Jouy is portrayed as pursuing Franklin romantically, but she maintained a non-romantic, father-daughter relationship with him.<sup>[9](https://time.com/6966422/apple-tv-benjamin-franklin/)</sup>

On the question of seduction more broadly, Ellen R. Cohn, Editor in Chief of *The Papers of Benjamin Franklin*, has stated that Franklin was no womanizer; the wining-and-dining of Paris elites is well documented, but the suggestion of affairs is a myth historians have tried to dispel.<sup>[13](https://time.com/5066646/lin-manuel-miranda-ben-franklin/)</sup>

## Reception

Critical response was mixed, with Douglas's performance the most consistently praised element. The Rotten Tomatoes critics 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."<sup>[4](https://static.rottentomatoes.com/tv/franklin_2024/s01)</sup> Metacritic assigned a metascore of 57, indicating mixed or average reviews, with 8 positive, 14 mixed, and no negative reviews among 22 counted.<sup>[5](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/franklin-2024/critic-reviews/?season=season-1)</sup> [The A.V. Club](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-a-v-club) scored it 83 and praised its narrative detours; the [Chicago Sun-Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-sun-times) (75) credited Douglas's layering of Franklin's personality; the Telegraph (60) wanted more of Franklin and less of the supporting cast.<sup>[5](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/franklin-2024/critic-reviews/?season=season-1)</sup> A more negative ABC News review by Peter Travers called the series "lifeless" and felt Douglas radiated a contemporary vibe at odds with the role.<sup>[14](https://abcnews.com/amp/GMA/Culture/review-franklin-proceeds-clunky-determination-falls-short/story?id=109093235)</sup> On IMDb the series holds a 6.9/10 rating from about 5,600 users, with individual episodes rated between 7.2 and 7.8.<sup>[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18351584/ratings/)</sup>

## Place among Franklin portrayals

The miniseries joins a small body of screen work centered on Franklin's French years. It differs from [Ken Burns](https://www.edgepedia.org/ken-burns)'s 2022 documentary *Benjamin Franklin* and HBO's *John Adams* by covering a single slice of Franklin's career rather than a whole life.<sup>[9](https://time.com/6966422/apple-tv-benjamin-franklin/)</sup> RogerEbert.com noted that the series feels like an extension of *John Adams*' third episode, which depicted a truncated version of the same events.<sup>[15](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/franklin-tv-review-2024)</sup> Douglas, who was 79 during release, had previously voiced Franklin in the 2003 documentary series *Freedom: A History of Us* and appeared in other Revolutionary-era projects, making him, as Time put it, the most prolific American Revolutionary actor.<sup>[9](https://time.com/6966422/apple-tv-benjamin-franklin/)</sup>

## References

1. ["Franklin," a new limited series starring and executive produced by Michael Douglas, to premiere globally on Friday, April 12, 2024, Apple TV Press](https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2024/02/franklin-a-new-limited-series-starring-and-executive-produced-by-michael-douglas-to-premiere-globally-friday-april-12-2024/)
2. [Franklin (2024), JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/franklin-2024)
3. ['Franklin': How Accurate Is Michael Douglas' Series?, AARP](https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/television/franklin-michael-douglas-apple-tv-fact-check/?msockid=090b84fc542f62a43f06928755dc6342)
4. [Franklin: Limited Series, Rotten Tomatoes](https://static.rottentomatoes.com/tv/franklin_2024/s01)
5. [Franklin (2024) critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/franklin-2024/critic-reviews/?season=season-1)
6. [Franklin (TV Mini Series 2024) – Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18351584/ratings/)
7. [Michael Douglas stars as a flirty Ben Franklin in this Apple TV+ series, WUSF](https://www.wusf.org/2024-04-10/michael-douglas-stars-as-a-flirty-ben-franklin-in-this-apple-tv-series)
8. [Franklin (2024), epguides Titles & Air Dates Guide](https://epguides.com/Franklin_2024/)
9. [Apple TV+'s Franklin Reveals a Different Side of the Founding Father, TIME](https://time.com/6966422/apple-tv-benjamin-franklin/)
10. [The Real Story Behind Apple TV+'s 'Franklin', Smithsonian Magazine](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-real-story-behind-apple-tvs-franklin-180984119/)
11. [Benjamin Franklin: First American Diplomat, 1776–1785, Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State](https://history.state.gov/milestones/1776-1783/b-franklin)
12. [Benjamin Franklin's Diplomacy and the 1783 Treaty of Paris, East Carolina University](https://thescholarship.ecu.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/b4e5e004-ce9f-46db-8bff-34b40aa923e3/content)
13. [Here's What Benjamin Franklin Scholars Think About Lin-Manuel Miranda's Ode to the Inventor, TIME](https://time.com/5066646/lin-manuel-miranda-ben-franklin/)
14. [Review: 'Franklin' proceeds with clunky determination and falls short, ABC News](https://abcnews.com/amp/GMA/Culture/review-franklin-proceeds-clunky-determination-falls-short/story?id=109093235)
15. [Franklin movie review & film summary, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/franklin-tv-review-2024)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Drama and prestige series (individual series) › Historical and period drama*

*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license