Hardly anyone thinks about John Adams when talking about memorable or historical presidencies. The second United States president isn’t as revered as his predecessor, George Washington, or his successor, Thomas Jefferson, but still played an important role in securing and consolidating the country’s independence. This unsung legacy is the subject ofJohn Adams, one of HBO’s most successful miniseries, one that boasts a star-studded cast led byPaul GiamattiandLaura Linneyas John and Abigail Adams, and thatswept the Emmys and Golden Globesin 2008, but one that you probably don’t remember asit’s been more than a decade since then. Still, it’s one of HBO’s greatest works of the 2000s, and it’s high time we look at what makes it such a memorable one.
John Adams
The life of one of the USA’s Founding Fathers, its second President, and his role in the nation’s first 50 years.
‘John Adams’ Highlights an Often Overlooked Founding Father
The HBO series isn’t a loose adaptation of historical events — it’s based on historianDavid McCullough’s book, which earned him a Pulitzer Prize in 2002, so we knowthere’s a good degree of historical accuracybehind the story that’s shown on-screen. These credentials make the series a must for any history buff.John Adamsdoes take some artistic and creative liberties, but none of those impact the viewing experience.
As a historical figure, John Adams isn’t very celebrated. He is one of the Founding Fathers and was important in securing U.S. independence, but he isn’t usually regarded in the same group as George Washington (David Morse) and Thomas Jefferson (Stephen Dillane), who were both his predecessor and successor as presidents, respectively. As the second president of the United States, Adams was also the first not to be reelected for a second term, as both Washington and Jefferson were. Even Benjamin Franklin (Tom Wilkinson) and Alexander Hamilton (Rufus Sewell), who were never presidents, come to mind before Adams when talking about U.S. history.
As unremarkable as it may seem at first, John Adams still has a story that is worth telling because of his commitment to the cause of independence and the role he played in it. When people were blatant in their defense of ideologies, he acted as the voice of reason in favor of the rule of law and simply doing the right thing. This meantAdams often had to disagree with figures who held much more weight than him and often did it bluntly and without any regard for whom he was talking to, something that Benjamin Franklin constantly reminds him of in the series. Adams’s relations with Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were tense because of his short temper, being blunt and objective, while the other two were more diplomatic and inclined to the pleasantries of politics for those who come from power and riches. Adams came from a working background, meaning he found such things either pointless or simply a waste of time and resources, if not downright unfair to the people.When he travels to Franceto attend a meeting with King Louis XVI (Damien Jouillerot) with Benjamin Franklin and later hasan awkward meeting with King George III(Tom Hollander) in London, it becomes evident his penchant for politics and diplomacy would never be as sharp as his peers.
Even if he was a little clueless at times because of his temper and behavior, Adams’s pragmatic and objective approach to politics was something that set him apart from the other Founding Fathers. While many of them were important and influential people in American society back then,Adams’s background brought him closer to the figure of the “little man,” someone who had experienced life as one of the people and knew what their needs were. As such, he had a reverence and respect for power that didn’t allow him to revel in it. He was angry when he wasn’t elected the first president and when he wasn’t reelected after his term, and often relied on Abigail’s council to come to terms with this, but ultimately accepted his lot in history and even started the first American political dynasty, as his son John Quincy (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) went on to become the sixth U.S. President after witnessing firsthand his father’s political career.
Adams’s Feud With Thomas Jefferson Helped Shape Modern U.S. Politics
Thomas Jefferson is arguably the most remembered between him and John Adams. He wrote the Declaration of Independence, was the first Secretary of State, was President for two whole terms, and, in the end, his idea of giving power to the states prevailed over Adams’s principle of a strong central government.But their rollercoaster-like relationship also started to shape U.S. domestic policy in ways that still reverberate today.
John Adamsdepicts Adams and Jefferson’s rivalry interestingly, starting mostly in Episode 5, “Unite or Die,” as both Jefferson and Hamilton are brought into George Washington’s inner circle while Adams is left to deal with the Senate. As vice president, he feels his talents are wasted, and a rift begins to grow between him and Jefferson, who used to be friends and have mutual respect despite their ideological and political differences. Even after Adams narrowly beats Jefferson to become the second US President, his term is mostly overshadowed bya rift between Hamilton’s and Jefferson’s factions. The series portrays Hamilton as an almost greedy person, too concerned with power and authority despite his obvious competence, while Jefferson is a quiet but sharp genius who only speaks to deal finishing blows to the matter at hand. Both attempt to sway Adams over to their side on the matter of Napoleon’s government in France, but Adams is adamant on neutrality and feels that domestic politics are more important. When Jefferson beats Adams in the 1800 elections, the latter is so bitter that he retires from politics altogether.
Over the last episode, “Peacefield,” Adams and Jefferson, both now very old, trade letters and get over most of their rift. They died on the same day — July 4th, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the USA — only hours apart, and their deaths are shown as happening simultaneously in a gorgeous scene directed byTom Hooper(who directs the whole series). Jefferson dies first, and Adams’s last words are “Thomas Jefferson survives.“He was unaware of his rival’s death, but these words now sound ominous, as Jefferson’s legacy far outshines Adams’s.
‘John Adams’ Swept the Emmys in 2008
Back in 2008, streaming wasn’t even a dream, and cable TV was the way to go if you wanted to watch some quality content at home. HBO was already a household name in the field, but luring big artists to work on television for such short projects was still a challenge. It helped to have someone likeTom Hanksas executive producer, though, who already had an established partnership with the network.John Adamsmay not seem as attractive to the average viewer due to its lack of large-scale battle scenes, butit owes nothing to the other big HBO series, and it won the Emmy for Outstanding Miniseries that year.
Most of that is thanks to Kirk Ellis’s adaptation of David McCullough’s biography and Tom Hooper’s directing, both providing the series' ensemble cast with quality material to play with. Every actor inJohn Adamsis extremely talented and immediately recognizable in their roles, even for those who aren’t versed in U.S. history. Thissort of show about “history’s great men"requires artistic prowess so as not to feel like a school play, and none of the cast lets the ball drop, starting with Paul Giamatti’s John Adams, a role which got him an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in 2008. Although Adams is the protagonist of the series, his role in history is more of a supporting one, and Giamatti understands the assignment to the point of making us feel bad for Adams.George Washington’s oath of office sceneis heartbreaking, as we see him sidelined for greater men to get the spotlight, while it also leaves no question that that’s where he belongs — a lot of which is thanks to David Morse’s low voice and gravitas as Washington.No surprise, Morse was also nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor at the Emmys.
But Adams doesn’t settle for a supporting role, and his clashes with Jefferson, Hamilton, and Benjamin Franklin (whom the series depicts as a sort of inconsequential political genius, earning an Emmy for Tom Wilkinson, too) rival his relationship with his wife, Abigail. It’s sad to see such an intelligent and well-read person relegated to the role of “great man’s wife,” and she uses her political prowess to prevent Adams from melting down in the face of his problems and opponents. In that sense,Laura Linneyand Paul Giamatti are the definition of a power couple. Like Giamatti, Linney won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress.In total,John Adamsswept the 2008 Emmys with 13 wins, also winning four Golden Globes in 2009.
