Apple TV+ has been betting big on historical dramas as of late with Masters of the Air and Manhunt, and now they did it again with Michael Douglas as the Founding Father Benjamin Franklin in Franklin, currently streaming. In this exclusive featurette provided by Apple TV+ first to Newsweek, Douglas can be seen talking about the importance of the project.
"Ben Franklin, he was a rock star around the world, but he was also successful at diplomacy," Douglas says in the featurette. "So here he was at 70-years-old being asked to go over to France with his grandson and get their help to develop our democracy."
The limited series, also executive produced by Douglas, follows Franklin on a secret mission to France to persuade the government to support American independence from England. Considered the first American Diplomat by the U.S. State Department, Franklin's efforts in France led to the government providing vital resources which ultimately helped the United States win the American Revolution.
"If Ben Franklin did not succeed, we would not have America. That's the bottom line," Douglas says.
The limited series is based on the biography A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America by Stacy Schiff and was shot partially on location in and around Versailles, France.
"The secret of a good period show is to make historical figures like real people," Douglas says.
And one of the ways we see a side of Franklin we've never seen before is in the portrayal of his relationship with his grandson, Temple Franklin (played by Noah Jupe). It's both real, genuine, and playful, qualities rarely seen in historical dramas.
"Benjamin Franklin stepped into that father figure role," Jupe says in the featurette, and that's apparent throughout the series.
Another aspect of Franklin that is different than other Revolutionary War-era historical dramas is the vibrancy of the surroundings, both in color and in scope. It shows France at the height of its power, with the costumes and set design depicting the opulence of the era.
Ultimately Douglas hopes Franklin will inspire viewers to be more patriotic about democracy at the heart of the American experience.
"You become very patriotic when you do a show like this. Hopefully it'll remind us how proud we are to be in a democracy...It's an ideal we have to support and desperately protect," Douglas says.
Franklin is currently streaming on Apple TV+.
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