I like period shows especially those who are based on actual history. So I really enjoyed this one. The production is without flaws, however I have one small issue. This beeing a mini series they make huge leaps in the timeline which for me being not American and therefore not well versed in Amercan History, made it at times a little tough to follow. And the last two episodes were a bit slow. Although Giamatti´s performance was without flaw the higlight for me was Laure Linney. Every second she was on screen was worth the time.

This miniseries is so absolutely perfectly done that I want to watch it again.

From HBO comes the 7-part miniseries _John Adams_, based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel. The series follows American Founding Father John Adams from his days as a lawyer in Boston to his work creating the Declaration of Independence and his eventual rise to become the second President of the United States. Starring Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney, Sarah Polley, David Morse, Danny Huston, and Tom Wilkinson, the cast is quite impressive; Giamatti in particular is outstanding (and would win a well-deserved Golden Globe). The writing is quite good too, making the political intrigue of America’s struggling for independence and to establish itself remarkably compelling. And the costumers and set designers do an extraordinary job at creative an authentic feel for the time period. It has a few weaknesses, but overall _John Adams_ is a powerful miniseries about one of the most influential men in founded and shaped America.

Pretty good - thumbs up for that one.

Overall, I liked the presentation as it was. The attention to detail with the period aesthetics imbued the historical drama with a visualized humanity that we can't _see_ when we read the direct accounts of the time from historical records. Often we forget that the men we regard as the "Founding Fathers" of the United States were not simply speech-giving blowhards, rather they were all human beings with flaws and families, which themselves had flaws that shaped the attitudes of the people trying to forge a new experiment of government. If I were try to articulate any criticism of _HBO's John Adams_ it would be that it may have benefited from a different lead to play John Adams. I don't mean to criticize Paul Giamatti's performance, because all of the actor's performances and physical transformation of aging over 50 years from beginning to end were all excellent and worthy of professional accolades. What I mean is, throughout the entire presentation, every single episode, I have to admit that I was taken out of the narrative by the fact that I was watching Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney _performing_ and was never once, absorbed so deeply in the story that I forgot that it wasn't Paul Giamatti. Again, I'm not saying he was bad, I'm just saying I didn't feel like I was watching John Adams reacting to events, I was always watching Paul Giamatti dressed up and acting like John Adams reacting to events. I understand how that can sound like a backhanded compliment, so...well....there it is.