Matthew Macfadyen has found the perfect role to follow Succession

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Jesse Armstrong’s “Succession” is a very funny black comedy The film revolves around some of the worst people on Earth who repeatedly stab each other in the back as they plot to become the heir apparent to a massive media empire. That they are all family makes their cunning even more pathetic. The running joke of the show is that none of these people possess the steely cunning of the company’s aging Logan Roy (Brian Cox), and no one knows this better than Logan himself.

Among the potential successors, there was no more unfortunate figure than the dark horse, Tom Wambsgans, who was not really in the running. Matthew Macfadyen won two Primetime Emmy Awards for his portrayal Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) is a bumbling and obnoxious husbandwhose standing in the family improves when he becomes the acerbic mentor to Nicholas Braun’s Greg Hirsch (whose profound incompetence makes Tom seem like a business expert). However, Tom is an empty suit trapped in a mostly loveless marriage that seems forever on the verge of ending. When he was named head of the company’s theme parks and cruise division, there was every indication that his rise, such as it was, was over. This doesn’t stop Tom from acting clumsily and making amazing success of himself, but in the end, his loyalty to the brand and complete lack of shyness earns him the keys to Roy’s kingdom.

Macfadyen is a versatile actor, but the man plays a loser like Itzhak Perlman working on a Stradivarius. And based on the just-released trailer, he may be about to perform his masterpiece in the upcoming Netflix miniseries “Death by Lightning,” as Charles Guiteau, a lifelong con-joke of a man whose desire for some kind of fame drives him to shoot President James A. Garfield in 1881.

Based on a non-fiction book “The fate of the republic” Written by Candice Millard Death by Lightning is a four-part miniseries that delves into the lives of Garfield (Michael Shannon) and Gitto (McFadden) as their lives strangely coincide with a moment of violence that ultimately led to Garfield’s death (which, according to many historians, could have easily been prevented with healthy medical care). Like Tom, Gitto was obsessed with the importance of powerful people, but his life was thrown off track when he failed to gain admission to the University of Michigan, where he hoped to pursue a law degree.

Gitto’s father strongly encouraged him to join the Oneida Community in New York, a religious sect that promoted, among its many absurd principles, group marriage and male sexual continence (i.e., sexual intercourse without ejaculation). Desperate for approval, Guiteau worshiped Oneida’s founder, John Humphrey Noyes, but the majority of the community found him boring (dubbing him Charles Guiteau). When he turned on Noyes, his father lost confidence in him.

Gitto then moved to Chicago, where he poorly practiced law. After withholding money from clients, he fled to New York and became active in the Republican political scene. Around this time he developed a Christian complex. He believed he was following a godly path and amplified his contributions at pivotal moments in the United States. When Garfield was elected, he considered himself vital to the dark horse candidate’s victory and sought the position of consul in Paris.

As you can see from the trailer, there are many political players in this drama, including… Theatrical master Nick Offerman As Vice President Chester Arthur, a man of low character who ascends to the Oval Office after Garfield’s death. “Death by Lightning” promises plenty of acting fireworks, but Macfadyen playing Wambsgams doesn’t look particularly engaging.

“Death by Lightning” begins streaming November 6, 2025 on Netflix.