John Adams (miniseries)

John Adams
Television promotional poster
Based on	John Adams by David McCullough
Written by	Kirk Ellis
Directed by	Tom Hooper
Starring	Paul Giamatti Laura Linney Stephen Dillane David Morse Tom Wilkinson Danny Huston Rufus Sewell Justin Theroux Guy Henry
Theme music composer	Robert Lane Joseph Vitarelli
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of episodes	7
Production
Producer(s)	Tom Hanks (executive) David Coatsworth Kirk Ellis Gary Goetzman (executive)
Running time	501 minutes
Budget	$100 million
Release
Original network	Home Box Office
Original release	March 16 (2008-03-16) – April 27, 2008 (2008-04-27)

John Adams is a 2008 American television miniseries chronicling most of U.S. President John Adams's political life and his role in the founding of the United States. Paul Giamatti portrays John Adams. The miniseries was directed by Tom Hooper. Kirk Ellis wrote the screenplay based on the book John Adams by David McCullough. The biopic of John Adams and the story of the first fifty years of the United States was broadcast in seven parts by HBO between March 16 and April 20, 2008. John Adams received widespread critical acclaim, and many prestigious awards. The show won four Golden Globe awards and thirteen Emmy awards, more than any other miniseries in history.

Episode 1 opens in Boston 1770 on the cold winter night of the Boston Massacre. It portrays John Adams arriving at the scene following the gunshots from British soldiers firing upon a mob of Boston citizens. Adams, a respected lawyer in his mid-30s known for his dedication to the law and justice, is sought as defense counsel for the accused Redcoats. Their commander, Captain Thomas Preston asks him to defend them in court. Reluctant at first, he agrees despite knowing this will antagonize his neighbors and friends. Adams is depicted to have taken the case because he believed everyone deserves a fair trial and he wanted to uphold the standard of justice. Adams' cousin Samuel Adams is one of the main colonists opposed to the actions of the British government. He is one of the executive members of the Sons of Liberty, an anti-British group of agitators. Adams is depicted as a studious man doing his best to defend his clients. The show also illustrates Adams' appreciation and respect for his wife, Abigail. In one scene, Adams is shown having his wife proofread his summation as he takes her suggestions. After many sessions of court, the jury returns verdicts of not guilty of murder for each defendant. The episode also illustrates the growing tensions over the Coercive Acts ("Intolerable Acts"), and Adams' election to the First Continental Congress.