Nick Offerman Is Fantastic In Death By Lightning, And Parks And Rec Fans Are Going To Have Thoughts

Warning: SPOILERS for Death by Lightning are ahead!

If you’d told me at the beginning of the year that a miniseries about President James A. Garfield and Charles Guiteau, the man who assassinated him, would become one of my favorite programs on the 2025 TV schedule, I… well, I probably would have believed you. As much as I like my science fiction, superhero and other genre shows, I also like delving into a historical story every now and then. Clearly, I’m not the only Netflix subscription holder who’s enjoyed Death by Lightning, as it’s consistently ranked as one of the streamer’s Top 10 shows since premiering on November 6.

What I wasn’t expecting was that Nick Offerman’s performance as Chester A. Arthur would be my favorite aspect of the miniseries. Just to be clear, I’m not here to delve into how historically accurate Death by Lightning is in depicting Garfield’s vice president and the eventual 21st president of the United States. I just need to talk about how fantastically Offerman portrays Arthur, and Parks and Recreation fans in particular are in for a treat.

Nick Offerman Gets To Really Stretch His Acting Muscles In Death By Lightning

Let me just say it now: Chester A. Arthur is my favorite Nick Offerman role since he played Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation. That’s not to say any of his roles between then and now have been bad, but on Death by Lightning, he’s able to run the full performance gambit. One moment his Chester A. Arthur is drunkenly sticking up for Charles Guiteau in the middle of a women’s boxing novelty act at a sleazy bar, the next he’s politely, but firmly shutting down his longtime friend, Shea Whigham’s Roscoe Conkling.

It’s never a dull moment when Nick Offerman is playing Arthur on Death by Lightning. Although Michael Shannon’s portrayal of James Garfield exudes quiet respectability, Offerman playing the not-nearly-as-dignified Arthur is far more entertaining to watch. It reminded me of how when Ron wasn’t being his deadpan, government-hating outdoorsman self, there were moments on Parks and Recreation when Offerman got to shine in other ways, like when he got blackout drunk and married Tammy 2 again, or when he would get excited about solving riddles.

Nick Offerman’s Chester A. Arthur Has A Great Redemption Arc

Again, I’m not accounting for historical accuracy on Death by Lightning here, as I’m sure the miniseries took some creative liberties with its depiction of Chester A. Arthur. As far as Nick Offerman’s version goes, I was impressed by the redemptive journey he took over the course of four episodes. This was the kind of guy who makes a joke to Roscoe Conkling about beating people up with brass knuckles who don’t vote the way they want. He was steeped in corruption, was only chosen to be Garfield’s vice president as a strategic move, and worked against Garfield’s wishes during the early weeks of his presidency.

But Chester A. Arthur was also someone who once fought for the little guy when he was a lawyer, and James Garfield was convinced that he could push him to become that man again by keeping him around as vice president. Nick Offerman does a great job acting out Arthur’s frustration over what he perceives as Garfield’s misplaced faith in him, and then later his extreme reluctance to assume the presidency after Garfield is shot. But by the end of the miniseries, Offerman’s Arthur has risen to the occasion and cuts ties with Roscoe Conkling for good.

Chester A. Arthur only served out the rest of James Garfield’s term and is one of the United States’ least memorable presidents. But thanks to Death by Lightning, I have a new Nick Offerman role to appreciate and would welcome more opportunities for him to play more figures from U.S. political history.