Apple TV+’s Franklin Proves Michael Douglas, and the Founding Father He Portrays, Are Both Timeless American Icons
Photo Courtesy of Apple TV+
I want to have a beer with Ben Franklin and listen to him spout aphorisms worthy of Poor Richard’s Almanack. Allow me to clarify.
I want to have a beer with Michael Douglas in character as Ben Franklin and listen to him spout aphorisms from Franklin. I don’t personally know Michael Douglas any more than I personally know the Founding Father he portrays, but as the lead character in the new Apple TV+ historical drama, viewers will feel as if they truly know the real Ben Franklin.
One of the most well-known men in American history, most people think of Benjamin Franklin as a scientist, philosopher, author, and notorious flirt (or womanizer, depending on which historian you believe). However, 234 years after Franklin’s death, all the modern mind can typically conjure when hearing his name is the balding, pot-bellied, bespectacled statesman from drawings or paintings. So seeing the esteemed man brought properly to life by Academy Award winner Michael Douglas is an absolute delight.
The series follows what are arguably the most important years of Franklin’s distinguished career. Sent to France, he’s tasked with the impossible. With no authorization from Congress and without an official government title, Franklin has to use back channels to convince the French that the United States should be financially funded in its war for independence. If he fails, the United States falls. Asking a monarchy to support a burgeoning republic in its efforts to overthrow another monarchy, even against a common enemy, is a herculean task.
When we first meet Franklin, he’s not signing the Declaration of Independence or flying a kite to learn more about electricity. It’s December 3rd, 1776 and he’s just reached the coast of France with his 15-year-old grandson, Temple (Noah Jupe), who acts as his private secretary. While greeted with enthusiasm by the French citizens who revere the American for his scientific achievements and wit displayed through his popular Almanack, Franklin finds his mission to be even more difficult than anticipated.
Not wanting his people to get any ideas about their own independence, King Louis XVI initially scoffs at the idea of meeting with the famous visitor. But that’s not to say that there aren’t people willing to help. French Foreign Minister Vergennes (Thibault de Montalembert) has his own motivations to believe in the American cause, but has to move tactfully so as not to upset the king. And this is not the only obstacle Franklin faces.
Throughout the series, Franklin has to contend with British spies, an intimate betrayal, the distracting immaturity of his grandson (more on this later), and the complexities of the French political system. In France, there’s a lot of pretending not to care about things people care deeply about. There’s plenty of artful machinations in Franklin, and thankfully Michael Douglas—and Dr. Franklin himself, as he’s most commonly called in the series—are both up to the task.
Douglas absolutely sizzles as Franklin, creating a layered character that brings the historical figure to life. There’s many facets to the role and Douglas tackles each one brilliantly.