John Adams is portrayed as a sort of everyman: an ordinary man thrust into extraordinary times. He is contrasted to an intellectual and brooding Thomas Jefferson (British actor Stephen Dillane is perfect in the role), a brilliant and condescending Benjamin Franklin (played another Brit, Tom Wilkinson), and a slow-of-speech, but effective George Washington (David Morse, who I last saw as Javert-like Michael Tritter last year on House. Adams was a lawyer and a farmer, and is portrayed more the latter than the former, and with a bit of an inferiority complex. His wife Abigail (Laura Linney), providing him with both emotional support — and policy advice — is an equal partner (as equal as women could be back then) in this marriage.

Paul Giamatti, an actor of substantial range, plays against type, presenting a frumpy and ill-at-ease man a bit out of his element. But his John Adams is filled with emotion burbling just below the surface. He is self-aware, knowing (maybe all too-knowing) of his shortcomings, but not without his own bit of arrogance (after all, he was President of the United States.)

As I watch John Adams unfold, I can’t help but think of our country now, 230 years removed from the historical events portrayed in it. Fears of the Founding Fathers about too much power concentrated in the Capitol (and in the presidency); fear of making the wrong alliances for either the wrong or right reasons resonate even in the 21st century. The resistance to back the French in their revolution (even though it was inspired by our own) because the new nation did not want to be seen by England as anti-monarchy, and the fear expressed by Adams and others that the United States would be wanting for the lack of a King’s strong hand, suggested a nation still struggling in its new skin.

I am enjoying this series, particularly as the other characters become more and more fleshed out. Being a Thomas Jefferson fan (hey, even though I didn’t pay attention in high school, I did take a Masters degree in political science) I would have liked to see his character even more fleshed out from the enigmatic, quietly intense persona portrayed on the small screen. The pace at times is too slow, and the accents a bit labored as the American actors attempt to emulate the transitional rhythms and shapes of early American speech (since we have no way of knowing exactly how it sounded). As with The Tudors, the musical score is gorgeous with its blend of the baroque classics and early American music.

The Tudors and John Adams portray two very different worlds of power and society, set nearly three hundred years apart. I can’t guarantee the historical accuracy of either series, but both are entertaining and enlightening each in their own way.