Title cards in angular serif typeface, soldiers trotting on horseback down cobblestone streets, American flags billowing in the wind—what starts off as your typical history class watch transforms into a fast-paced narrative with all the thrills and gasp-worthy revelations of a modern-day crime drama. Based on James L. Swanson’s best-selling book, Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer, Apple TV+’s Manhunt explores the malevolent conspiracy behind America’s first presidential assassination, the consequences of which we as a nation have not yet outrun.
Narrativization of historical events like these is tricky to pull off without either stretching the truth in favor of a more suspenseful story, or turning the whole thing into the kind of Civil War documentary your grandpa owns on VHS. Luckily for Manhunt creator Monica Beletsky, the events directly preceding and following the Lincoln assassination are stranger than fiction, extending far beyond the bullet points (pardon the pun) we learn in school: the president goes to a play, gets shot by failed actor John Wilkes Booth, and dies of his wounds shortly thereafter. This, all of which transpires in the first half-hour of this seven-part limited series, is just the beginning; the fugitive Booth proves more elusive, his plot more insidious, and his allies more powerful than thought possible.
A star-studded cast brings this story to life without any one individual hogging the spotlight. Hamish Linklater is nearly unrecognizable as an awkward and affable Abraham Lincoln, and Tobias Menzies and Anthony Boyle add impressive depth and humanity to the lead roles of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton and the (in)famous Booth, respectively. But while audiences tuning in for an authentic Lincoln or a devious and fame-hungry rendition of Booth will likely leave satisfied, they’ll stay for standout supporting performances like those of Lovie Simone, who portrays formerly enslaved woman Mary Simms, and Will Harrison, who plays Booth’s conflicted right-hand man.
Beyond being a genuine pleasure to watch, this series is likely to leave viewers grappling with hard yet important questions few of us are eager to ponder. How can a country divided by hate unite, or fragment itself further? How did we get here, and how far have we progressed in the last century and a half? From the Trumpian political leanings of Lincoln’s Reconstruction-stunting presidential successor to the racist sentiments we still recognize in all levels of American society today, it often feels as though Manhunt is holding up a mirror to our present instead of providing us a window into the past. The words Menzies’s Stanton utters at the end of the final episode linger long after the credits start running: “We finish the work now; we have to.” Seven hour-long episodes.
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