Was the assassin who killed President James Garfield really unwell? Did Chester A. Arthur like drunk boxing? We fact-check "Death by Lightning."

Based on the novel Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard, Death by Lightning stars Michael Shannon as Garfield and Matthew Macfadyen as Guiteau. They are joined by an all-star ensemble playing some of the most powerful political figures from 19th-century America.

Over the course of the show’s four hour-long episodes, we learn about Guiteau’s time in a free love colony, Garfield’s bananas path to the Presidency, Alexander Graham Bell’s (Richard Rankin) early metal detector, among even more unbelievable details. “It seemed way too crazy to be true,” Death By Lightning creator Mike Makowsky told DECIDER.

Death by Lightning" dropped on the streamer, and it tells the true story of President James Garfield's election and his tragic assassination.

The Netflix limited series is both a timely exploration of political disillusionment and a frequently amusing character drama.

Nick Offerman tells PEOPLE that he gained about 20 lbs. for his role as former United States Vice President Chester Arthur in the Netflix historical drama 'Death by Lightning.'

Hiram College will host an on-campus screening of the first episode of the series Death by Lightning, a dramatization of President James A. Garfield.