Television series

Franklin

A stylish, sexy reimagining of Benjamin Franklin's diplomatic mission to 18th-century France, where charm and cunning became America's secret weapons. Michael Douglas is magnetic as an older man learning to weaponize his wit in aristocratic salons. It's *Succession* meets *Marie Antoinette*—ambitious, sometimes messy, never boring. For anyone who loves character-driven historical drama with intrigue and edge.

TVMaze rating2.8

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy slow-burn period drama where diplomacy is a matter of flirtation, favours and quiet manoeuvring, and you like watching a clever old operator work a room.

Skip it if you want a brisk, plot-driven spy thriller, since this is talky and unhurried, with much of its tension in conversation rather than action.

What it asks of you: Eight episodes of roughly under an hour each, so it is a short commitment, but you need to keep track of who is playing whom and let scenes breathe.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Succession2018

Dynastic power plays among the impossibly wealthy, where every conversation is a negotiation and every relationship a transaction. Morally complex characters doing terrible things with perfect manners. Peak prestige television.

But Six seasons is a heavy lift, and the downbeat worldview can feel relentless. Not a show that lets you off easy.

Succession poster

The Crown2016

Royal intrigue, forbidden romances, and the machinery of diplomacy exposed. Examines power through personal relationships with visual splendour and narrative drive. Addictive historical storytelling.

But Liberties with facts will irritate historians. Season quality varies noticeably, and some arcs drag.

The Crown poster

John Adams2008

HBO's sweeping, intimate portrait of the founding era. Paul Giamatti is extraordinary, and it captures the idealism and messiness of revolution without pretending either was simple or clean.

But It's stately and contemplative—no plot fireworks. Requires patience with long takes and emotional nuance over spectacle.

John Adams poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Franklin

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Ridicule1996

Both centre on ambitious men using charm and rhetoric to wield influence in aristocratic courts where a single witty riposte can shift the balance of power.

A French courtier navigates Versailles by mastering the cruel art of witty insult. Intimate, intelligent, and genuinely funny—a film about language as power that feels completely alive. Patrice Leconte's masterpiece.

But Subtitled, and heavy on dialogue about 18th-century court politics. The humour is cerebral and culturally specific; it rewards attention but demands it.

Ridicule poster
More like this (8)

Homeland2011

Espionage thriller about deception, loyalty, and paranoia. Taut scripts, electric chemistry between leads, and plots that genuinely shock. The first three seasons are television at its sharpest.

But Loses its way badly in later seasons. The quality drop is steep enough that many fans stop watching.

Homeland poster

A Gentleman in Moscow2024

Ewan McGregor as a charming aristocrat navigating Russian revolution from inside a grand hotel. Witty, romantic, with genuine stakes underneath the elegance. Deeply pleasurable to watch.

But Adapted from Amor Towles' novel; some find the adaptation slight compared to the book's depth. Only one season, which leaves things unresolved.

A Gentleman in Moscow poster

Marie Antoinette2006

Sofia Coppola's lush, anachronistic fever dream of Versailles. Audacious costume design, rock music, and a sympathetic take on a misunderstood figure. Visual ecstasy that prioritizes mood over accuracy.

But Deliberately sacrifices historical detail for aesthetic experience. If you want a conventional history lesson, this isn't it.

Marie Antoinette poster

The Diplomat2023

Keri Russell as a U.S. ambassador navigating international crises with wit and cunning. Fast-moving, funny, with genuine tension beneath the charm. Excellent supporting cast and sharp dialogue.

But Lighter in tone than *Franklin*—more fun than complex. Some plots resolve too neatly for real drama.

The Diplomat poster

Catherine the Great2019

Helen Mirren as the Russian empress wielding power through intelligence and seduction. Sumptuous production design, genuine political stakes, and a fascinating portrait of ambition at the highest level.

But Liberties with history are significant. A limited series that ends exactly where it begins thematically.

Catherine the Great poster

The Serpent2021

True crime set across Southeast Asia in the 1970s, with Tahar Rahim as a charming sociopath. Visually stunning, methodically paced, and fascinatingly twisted. A police procedural with texture and dread.

But Deeply dark and occasionally exploitative of real suffering. The pacing is slow even for a mystery, which frustrates viewers expecting faster thrills.

The Serpent poster

The Night Circus

Where *Franklin* uses Enlightenment rhetoric and salon intrigue as a form of performance, *The Night Circus* makes magic itself the language of seduction and influence—both worlds where spectacle and illusion are currencies of power.

Miniseries adaptation of Erin Morgenstern's novel about two magicians in a mysterious circus competition. Visually sumptuous, deeply romantic, and genuinely magical. An antidote to cynicism that still respects intelligence.

But Deliberately paced and lyrical; plot-driven viewers find it slow. The fairy-tale register may feel thin to those wanting grit.

Slow West2015

Like Franklin navigating French aristocracy by understanding its rules before breaking them, both lead characters survive hostile environments through cunning and self-reinvention, learning to weaponize charm against systems designed to exploit weakness.

Michael Shannon and Ben Mendelsohn in a revisionist Western about greed, loyalty, and corruption on the American frontier. Darkly funny, gorgeously composed, and morally complicated. A small film with a massive heart.

But Westerns aren't for everyone. Low budget means scaled-down action, and the morality is deliberately murky—no clear heroes.

Slow West poster

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