The natural question about Apple TV+’s “Manhunt,” based on the book “Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer” by James L. Swanson, is going to be “Why now?” It does not seem coincidental that a story that’s essentially about one of the times our democracy was at its most fragile just happens to be coming out during one of the most contentious and divisive election years in U.S. history. It’s not hard to look at the conspirators who collaborated to bring down the government who had defeated their side in the Civil War and see the ancestors of those today who argue so loudly that power must be taken by force. To some, these parallels might even be a bit too blatantly drawn in the text of this seven-episode series, but the reason it’s such a dramatic success overall is not really because it will remind people of modern politics.
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It’s because of its rich character work, including one of the best dramatic performances of the last few years, an acting turn that grounds this show in such a believable manner that subtext about the tenuous state of this country then and now becomes backdrop instead of the dry history lesson “Manhunt” could have been. Some of the dialogue sounds a bit too modern, and the show sometimes struggles with the “making history” problem of dramas based on fact wherein characters are eloquent in a way that makes it sounds like they know they’re in a TV show in the future, but these are minor complaints for an undeniably effective drama.
The excellent premiere of “Manhunt” takes place largely in the hours before and after one of the most formative events in the history of the United States: When President Abraham Lincoln (Hamish Linklater) and his wife Mary Todd (Lili Taylor) went to see a show. From the very beginning, “Manhunt” is paced like a thriller, moving back and forth between different characters on that fateful night, focusing in on the two key players of the drama that will unfold: an actor named John Wilkes Booth (Anthony Boyle, king of the Apple mini-series of late with this and “Masters of the Air”) and one of Lincoln’s most essential advisors, Edwin Stanton (Tobias Menzies). Before the show has even really begun in earnest, Booth has shot Lincoln in the head, jumped from the balcony, shouted “Sic Semper Tyrannis,” and fled into the night.
Over the bulk of the seven-episode season, Booth will be on the run, assisted by co-conspirators like a doctor who treats him named Samuel Mudd (Matt Walsh) and a man named Lewis Powell (Spencer Treat Clark). Mudd has a former slave who he essentially still treats like one in Mary Simms (Lovie Simone), who the writers of “Manhunt” use not just a future witness but a reminder of what Lincoln and his allies were fighting for and what was nearly lost due to his assassination. The war had ended, but creator and writer Monica Beletsky (“Fargo,” “The Leftovers”) and her team make it clear that Lincoln, Stanton, and others like him knew that the reconstruction and reparation of the country was more important than the war victory. If people like Mary couldn’t be given the land and opportunity promised them, then every life lost may have been in vain.
The excellence of “Manhunt” lies in how deftly these kinds of micro and macro stakes are presented through dialogue and action. Yes, a criminal needs to be caught, but there’s more to it than that due to how recently the country had been fractured and how it could so simply break again. New President Andrew Johnson (Glenn Morshower) didn’t see eye to eye with Lincoln on a number of issues, but changing the course of the country might add fuel to the conspiracy theory that he had a lot to gain from the death of his predecessor. And he’s not the only one who may be happy with Lincoln’s demise, and eager to strike while the seat of power is empty. While Stanton leads the charge to find Booth, he also has to play constant political games to make sure Lincoln’s goals are accomplished without him. Carefully structured flashbacks fill in the personal and political relationship between Lincoln and Stanton that really gives the show its foundation.
All of this might sound like a dry history lesson, but the show becomes fully three-dimensional in its performances, particularly a stunning one from Menzie, an Emmy winner for “The Crown,” who does the best work of his career here. He finds the perfect register for Stanton, one that conveys his deep intelligence and steadfast beliefs while also adding in just the right amount of vulnerability in both the man’s increasingly poor health and growing concern that he may not be able to win every fight in front of him. What if they don’t catch Booth? What if they don’t try hard enough? If they let him get away, isn’t anything possible? It’s a moving, human portrayal in a genre that often lacks in relatable humanity.
Menzies is the standout, but he’s not alone. Boyle, Taylor, Simone, Morshower, Linklater, Patton Oswalt, Josh Stewart, and many more—they all work. It helps to have a voice as confident as Beletsky’s and direction from ace craftspeople like filmmaker Carl Franklin (“Devil in a Blue Dress”) and John Dahl (“The Last Seduction”). Again, there are times when it feels like one can see the strings of “Prestige TV” being pulled, but those few moments stand out because so much of the show doesn’t have that air of pretentious Emmy bait. At its common best, it recalls that always-timely and oft-misunderstood Faulkner quote: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” Whether it’s because of the current issues it brings to mind or merely the quality of its production, “Manhunt” feels wholly alive. [B+]