John Adams (miniseries) film notes
John Adams
Television promotional poster
Genre
Biographical miniseries
Directed by
Tom Hooper
Tom Hanks (executive)
Produced by
David Coatsworth
Kirk Ellis
Gary Goetzman (executive)
Written by
Based on
Kirk Ellis
John Adams by
David McCullough
Paul Giamatti
Laura Linney
Stephen Dillane
David Morse
Starring
Tom Wilkinson
Danny Huston
Rufus Sewell
Justin Theroux
Guy Henry
Music by
Robert Lane
Joseph Vitarelli
Budget
$100,000,000[1]
Country
United States
Language
English
Original run
March 16, 2008 – April 27, 2008
Running time
8 hours, 20 minutes
No. of episodes
7
John Adams is a 2008 American television miniseries
chronicling most of U.S. President John Adams' 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.
Plot summary
Part I: Join or Die (1770 A.D. - 1774 A.D.)
The first episode opens with a cold winter in Boston on the 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 mid30s known for his belief in law and justice, is therefore
summoned by 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.
Part II: Independence (1774 A.D. - 1776 A.D.)
The second episode covers the disputes among the members of
the Second Continental Congress towards declaring
independence from Great Britain as well as the final drafting of
the Declaration of Independence. At the continental congresses
Adams is depicted as the lead advocate for independence. He is
in the vanguard in establishing that there is no other option than
to break off and declare independence. He is also instrumental in
the selection of then-Colonel George Washington as the new
head of the Continental Army.
However, in his zeal for immediate action, he manages to
alienate many of the other founding fathers, going so far as to
insult a peace-loving Quaker member of the Continental
Congress, implying that the man suffers from a religiously based
moral cowardice, making him a "snake on his belly". Later,
Benjamin Franklin quietly chastens Adams, saying, "It is
perfectly acceptable to insult a man in private and he may even
thank you for it afterwards but when you do so publicly, it tends
to make them think you are serious." This points out Adams'
primary flaw: his bluntness and lack of gentility toward his
political opponents, one that would make him many enemies and
which would eventually plague his political career. It would
also, eventually, contribute to historians' disregard for his many
achievements. The episode also shows how Abigail innovatively
copes with issues at home as her husband was away much of the
time participating in the Continental Congress. She employs the
use of then pioneer efforts in the field of preventative medicine
and vaccination against smallpox for herself and the children.
Part III: Don't Tread on Me (1777 A.D. - 1781 A.D.)
In Episode 3, Adams travels to Europe with his young son John
Quincy during the war seeking alliances with foreign nations,
during which the ship transporting them battles a British frigate.
It first shows Adams' embassy with Benjamin Franklin in the
court of Louis XVI of France. The old French nobility, who are
in the last decade before being consumed by the French
Revolution, are portrayed as effete and decadent. They meet
cheerfully with Franklin, seeing him as a romantic figure, little
noting the democratic infection he brings with him. Adams, on
the other hand, is a plain spoken and faithful man, who finds
himself out of his depth surrounded by an entertainment- and
sex-driven culture among the French elite. Adams finds himself
at sharp odds with Benjamin Franklin, who has adapted himself
to the French, seeking to obtain by seduction what Adams would
gain through histrionics. Franklin sharply rebukes Adams for his
lack of diplomatic acumen, describing it as a "direct insult
followed by a petulant whine". Franklin soon has Adams
removed from any position of diplomatic authority in Paris. His
approach is ultimately successful and was to result in the
conclusive Franco-American victory at Yorktown.
Adams, chastened and dismayed but learning from his mistakes,
then travels to the Dutch Republic to obtain monetary support
for the Revolution. Although the Dutch agree with the American
cause, they do not consider the new union a reliable and
trustworthy client. Adams ends his time in the Netherlands in a
state of progressive illness, having sent his son away as a
diplomatic secretary to the Russian Empire.
Part IV: Reunion (1781 A.D. - 1789 A.D.)
The fourth episode shows John Adams being notified of the end
of the Revolutionary War and the defeat of the British. He is
then sent to Paris to negotiate the Treaty of Paris in 1783. While
overseas, he spends time with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas
Jefferson and Abigail visits him. Franklin informs John Adams
that he was appointed as the first United States Ambassador to
the United Kingdom and thus has to relocate to the British Court
of St. James's. John Adams is poorly received by the British
during this time—he is the representative for a recently hostile
power, and represents in his person what many British at the
time regarded as a disastrous end to its early Empire. He meets
with his former sovereign, King George III, and while the
meeting is not a disaster, he is excoriated in British newspapers.
In 1789, he returns to Massachusetts for the first Presidential
Election and he and Abigail are reunited with their children,
now grown. George Washington is elected the first President of
the United States and John Adams as the first Vice President.
Initially, Adams is disappointed and wishes to reject the post of
Vice President because he feels there is a disproportionate
number of electoral votes in favor of George Washington
(Adams number of votes pales in comparison to those garnered
by Washington). In addition, John feels the position of Vice
President is not a proper reflection of all the years of service he
has dedicated to his nation. However, Abigail successfully
influences him to accept the nomination.
Part V: Unite or Die (1788 A.D. - 1797 A.D.)
The fifth episode begins with John Adams presiding over the
Senate and the debate over what to call the new President. It
depicts Adams as frustrated in this role: His opinions are ignored
and he has no actual power, except in the case of a tied vote.
He's excluded from George Washington's inner circle of cabinet
members, and his relationships with Thomas Jefferson and
Alexander Hamilton are strained. Even Washington himself
gently rebukes him for his efforts to "royalize" the office of the
Presidency. A key event shown is the struggle to enact the Jay
Treaty with Britain, which Adams himself must ratify before a
deadlocked Senate (although historically his vote was not
required). The episode concludes with his inauguration as the
second president—and his subsequent arrival in a plundered
executive mansion.
Part VI: Unnecessary War (1798 A.D. - 1802 A.D.)
The sixth episode covers Adams's term as president and the rift
between the Hamilton-led Federalists and Jefferson-led
Republicans. Adams's neutrality pleases neither side and often
angers both. His shaky relationship with his vice president,
Thomas Jefferson, is intensified after taking defensive actions
against the French because of failed diplomatic attempts and the
signing of the Alien and Sedition Acts. However, Adams also
alienates himself from the anti-French Alexander Hamilton after
taking all actions possible to prevent a war with France. Adams
disowns his son Charles, who soon dies as an alcoholic vagrant.
Late in his Presidency, Adams sees success with his campaign
of preventing a war with France, but his success is clouded after
losing the presidential election of 1800. After receiving so much
bad publicity while in office, Adams lost the election against his
Vice-President, Thomas Jefferson, and runner-up Aaron Burr
(both from the same party). This election is now known as the
Revolution of 1800. Adams leaves the Presidential Palace (now
known as The White House), retiring to his personal life in
Massachusetts, in March 1801.
Part VII: Peacefield (1803 A.D. - 1826 A.D.)
The final episode covers Adams's retirement years. His home
life is full of pain and sorrow as his daughter, Nabby, dies of
breast cancer and Abigail succumbs to typhoid fever. Adams
does live to see the election of his son, John Quincy, as
president, but is too ill to attend the inauguration. Adams and
Jefferson are reconciled through correspondence in their last
years, and both die mere hours apart on the 50th anniversary of
the Declaration of Independence (July 4th); Jefferson was 83,
Adams was 90.
Cast
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Paul Giamatti as John Adams
Laura Linney as Abigail Adams
Stephen Dillane as Thomas Jefferson
David Morse as George Washington
Tom Wilkinson as Benjamin Franklin
Rufus Sewell as Alexander Hamilton
Justin Theroux as John Hancock
Danny Huston as Samuel Adams
Clancy O'Connor as Edward Rutledge
Željko Ivanek as John Dickinson
Ebon Moss-Bachrach as John Quincy Adams
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Sarah Polley as Abigail Adams Smith
Andrew Scott as William S. Smith
John Dossett as Benjamin Rush
Mamie Gummer as Sally Smith Adams
Caroline Corrie as Louisa Adams
Samuel Barnett as Thomas Adams
Kevin Trainor as Charles Adams
Tom Hollander as King George III
Damien Jouillerot as King Louis XVI
Guy Henry as Jonathan Sewall
Brennan Brown as Robert Treat Paine
Paul Fitzgerald as Richard Henry Lee
Tom Beckett as Elbridge Gerry
Del Pentecost as Henry Knox
Tim Parati as Caesar Rodney
John O'Creagh as Stephen Hopkins
John Keating as Timothy Pickering
Hugh O'Gorman as Thomas Pinckney
Timmy Sherrill as Charles Lee
Judith Magre as Madame Helvetius
Jean-Hugues Anglade as comte de Vergennes
Jean Brassard as Admiral d'Estaing
Pip Carter as Francis Dana
Sean McKenzie as Edward Bancroft
Derek Milman as Lieutenant James Barron
Patrice Valota as Jean-Antoine Houdon
Nicolas Vaude as Chevalier de la Luzerne
Bertie Carvel as Lord Carmarthen
Alex Draper as Robert Livingston
Julian Firth as Duke of Dorset
Cyril Descours as Edmund Charles Genet
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Alan Cox as William Maclay
Sean Mahan as Gen. Joseph Warren
Eric Zuckerman as Thomas McKean
Ed Jewett as James Duane
Vincent Renart as Andrew Holmes
Ritchie Coster as Captain Thomas Preston
Lizan Mitchell as Sally Hemmings
Pamela Stewart as Patsy Jefferson
Buzz Bovshow as John Trumbull
Shooting locations
The 110-day shoot took place in Colonial Williamsburg,
Virginia; Richmond, Virginia and Budapest, Hungary.[2][3] Some
European scenes were shot in Keszthely, Sóskút, Fertőd and
Kecskemét, Hungary.[4]
One location used in Colonial Williamsburg was the interior of
Bruton Parish Church which was the site for the town meeting
during which Adams gives a speech from the elevated pulpit.
The brick wall surrounding Bruton Parish church was the
backdrop for a separate outdoor scene.
Another scene shot at Colonial Williamsburg was the one in
which Adams first meets the British soldiers accused of murder
for their roles in the Boston Massacre which was shot at the
"public gaol", or jail where lawbreakers were held awaiting trial.
Greenhow store exterior was used in place of a Trenton, NJ
tavern that Adams frequented. The Wythe House stood in for the
president's house in Philadelphia, though it was modified by a
brick facade to mask the wooden fence.
The Palace Green was used for the scene showing a tent and 40
coffins to represent Philadelphia's 1793 yellow fever epidemic.
Sand scattered on the streets masked the modern pavement. The
Palace Green also was the backdrop for a public riot staged in
front of the George Wythe house, which represented the
president's residence in Philadelphia. Scores of extras were used
in this scene.
British officers ransacked an abandoned Continental Army war
room in a separate scene set in the Robert Carter house.
Williamsburg's Public Hospital was in the background of the
tent encampment of the Continental army which Adams visited
in the winter of 1776, which was replicated using specialeffects snow. The College of William and Mary's Wren Building
represented a Harvard interior. Scenes were also filmed at the
Governor's Palace.[5][6]
Richmond, Virginia was the site of the set, stage space, backlot
and production offices, in an old Mechanicsville AMF
warehouse. Sets which included cobblestone streets and colonial
storefronts were created for filming outdoor street scenes in
colonial cities of Washington D.C., Boston, and Philadelphia.
Countryside surrounding Richmond in Hanover County and
Powhatan County were chosen to represent areas surrounding
early Boston, New York, and Philadelphia.[7][8]
Soundtrack
The score for the miniseries was composed by Rob Lane and
Joseph Vitarelli. The two composers worked independently of
each other, with Lane writing and recording his segments in
London and Vitarelli in Los Angeles.[9] The soundtrack was
released on the Varèse Sarabande label.
The main theme heard during opening credits is also played
before Washington Nationals home games during the
presentation of the national colors. A shortened version was also
used as introductory music for coverage of the 2010
congressional elections and 2012 Presidential elections on
CNN.[citation needed]
Critical reception
The critical reception to the miniseries was predominantly
positive. Metacritic rates the critical response at 78 out of 100
based upon 27 national reviews.[10] Ken Tucker of Entertainment
Weekly rated the miniseries A-,[11] and Matt Roush of TV Guide
praised the lead performances of Paul Giamatti and Laura
Linney.[12]
David Hinckley of the New York Daily News felt John Adams
"is, quite simply, as good as TV gets . . . Best of all are two
extraordinary performances at the center: Paul Giamatti as
Adams and Laura Linney as his wife, Abigail . . . To the extent
that John Adams is a period piece, it isn't quite as lush as, say,
some BBC productions. But it looks fine, and it feels right, and
sometimes what's good for you can also be just plain good."[13]
Alessandra Stanley of the New York Times had mixed feelings.
She said the miniseries has "a Masterpiece Theatre gravity and
takes a more somber, detailed and sepia-tinted look at the dawn
of American democracy. It gives viewers a vivid sense of the
isolation and physical hardships of the period, as well as the
mores, but it does not offer significantly different or deeper
insights into the personalities of the men — and at least one
woman — who worked so hard for liberty . . . [It] is certainly
worthy and beautifully made, and it has many masterly touches
at the edges, especially Laura Linney as Abigail. But Paul
Giamatti is the wrong choice for the hero . . . And that leaves the
mini-series with a gaping hole at its center. What should be an
exhilarating, absorbing ride across history alongside one of the
least understood and most intriguing leaders of the American
Revolution is instead a struggle."[14]
Among those unimpressed with the miniseries were Mary
McNamara of the Los Angeles Times[15] and Tim Goodman of
the San Francisco Chronicle.[16] Both cited the miniseries for
poor casting and favoring style over storytelling.
Historical inaccuracies
According to Jeremy Stern, writing on History News Network,
the series deviates greatly from David McCullough's book,
creating serious historical errors throughout.[17]
Part I

John Hancock, after being confronted by a British customs
official, orders the crowd to "Teach him a lesson, tar the
bastard". Hancock and Samuel Adams then look on while
the official is tarred and feathered, to the disapproval of
John Adams. The scene is fictional and does not appear in
McCullough's book. According to Samuel Adams
biographer Ira Stoll, there's no evidence that Samuel
Adams and John Hancock, who were opposed to mob
violence, were ever present at a tarring and feathering, and
so the scene succeeds in "tarring the reputations of
Hancock and Samuel Adams".[18] Jeremy Stern writes that,
"Despite popular mythology, tarrings were never common
in Revolutionary Boston, and were not promoted by the
opposition leadership. The entire sequence is pure and
pernicious fiction."[17] According to Stern, the scene is used
to highlight a schism between Samuel and John Adams,
which is entirely fictional.[17]
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Captain Preston and the British soldiers involved in the
Boston Massacre are tried in a single trial in the seeming
dead of winter and declared not guilty of all charges. In
actuality, Captain Preston's trial took place on October 24
and ran through October 29, when he was found not guilty.
The eight soldiers were brought to trial weeks later in a
separate trial that concluded on November 29. Six of the
soldiers were found not guilty but two, Hugh Montgomery
and Hugh Killroy were convicted of manslaughter. They
both received brands on their right thumbs as
punishment.[19]
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In the tar and feather scene, a black, modern tar was used.
In reality, the liquid known as tar in the 18th century was
actually pine tar (a much clearer liquid). The tar we know
today is actually called petroleum tar or bitumen. Pine tar
also has a low melting point, and in the scene John Adams
was portraying this act as a "brutal" act of violence. In
reality, a tar and feathering was an act of humiliation, not
brutality.
Part II
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In the opening scene, the final meeting site of the First
Continental Congress is incorrectly shown as the
Pennsylvania State House (now known as Independence
Hall). In fact, the First Continental Congress was held in
Carpenters' Hall, located approximately 250 yards (230 m)
east of the state house, along Chestnut Street. Carpenters'
Hall, which was and still is privately owned by The
Carpenters' Company of the City and County of
Philadelphia, offered more privacy than the Pennsylvania
State House. The venue depicted for the Second
Continental Congress is, however, correctly depicted as the
Pennsylvania State House.[20]
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Benjamin Franklin is shown being brought to the
Continental Congress in a palanquin, but he did not use this
mode of transport in Philadelphia until the Constitutional
Convention, 11 years later.
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John Adams did not ride to Lexington and Concord while
the battle was still in progress; he visited on April 22,
several days later.[21]
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The first version of the Declaration of Independence read
by Adams’ family was depicted as a printed copy; in
reality, it was a copy in Adams’ own hand, which led Mrs.
Adams to believe that he had written it himself.[22]
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General Henry Knox's ox-driven caravan of cannon (taken
from Fort Ticonderoga) is depicted passing by the Adams'
house in Braintree, Massachusetts en route to Cambridge,
Massachusetts. In reality, General Knox's caravan almost
certainly did not pass through Braintree. Ft. Ticonderoga,
being in upstate New York, is northwest of Cambridge, and
Knox is assumed to have taken the most likely routes of the
day: from the New York border through western and
central Massachusetts via what are now Routes 23, 9, and
20; thus never entering Braintree, which is located
approximately 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Cambridge.[23]
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When the doctor questions Abigail Adams if she has asked
her husband regarding the family's smallpox inoculation
(variolation) of 1775, she knows he would approve without
asking him because he himself was inoculated in 1764, so
the doctor's question and her response were misleading.
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The illness of the daughter following the inoculation was
inaccurate. In fact it was their son, Charles, who developed
the pox and who was unconscious and delirious for 48
hours. The series also shows the children suffering from the
effects of the inoculation while Abigail and the daughter
read the newly drafted Declaration, which would have been
sometime in July of 1776.[24][25]
Part III
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Adams is shown departing for Europe without an upset
nine-year-old son Charles, leaving only with older son John
Quincy Adams. According to David McCullough's book,
young Charles accompanied his brother and father to Paris.
He later became ill in Holland, and traveled alone on the
troubled vessel South Carolina. After an extended journey
of five months, Charles returned to Braintree at 11 years of
age.
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During Adams's first voyage to France, his ship engages a
British ship in a fierce battle while Adams assists a surgeon
performing an amputation on a patient who dies. In reality,
Adams helped perform the amputation several days after
the capture of the British ship, following an unrelated
accident. The patient died a week after the amputation,
rather than during the operation as shown in the episode.[26]
Part IV
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Abigail Adams is depicted reprimanding Benjamin
Franklin for cheating on his wife in France, but his wife
died seven years earlier in 1774.
Multiple references are made in dialogue throughout the
episode to the impending "Constitutional Convention." In
reality, the Constitutional Convention was only referred to
as such after it disbanded, since the Philadelphia
convention was originally called only to revise the Articles
of Confederation. When the Convention met, strict secrecy
was imposed on its proceedings. It was only under this veil
of secrecy that the convention goers changed their mission
from one of revising the Articles to one of crafting a new
constitution.
Part V
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Then-Vice President John Adams is shown casting the
tiebreaker vote in favor of ratifying the Jay Treaty. In
reality, his vote was never required as the Senate passed the
resolution by 20-10.[27] Furthermore, the vice president
would never be required to cast a vote in a treaty
ratification because Article II of the Constitution requires
that treaties receive a two-thirds vote.
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Nabby Adams meets and marries Colonel William
Stephens Smith upon her parents' return to America from
London. John Adams is depicted as refusing to use his
influence to obtain political positions for his daughter's new
husband, though Colonel Smith requests his father-in-law's
assistance repeatedly with an almost grasping demeanor.
Mr. Adams upbraids his son-in-law each time for even
making the request, stating that Colonel Smith should find
himself an honest trade or career and not depend upon
speculation. In reality, Nabby met Colonel Smith abroad
while her father was serving as United States Ambassador
to France and Great Britain, and the couple married in
London prior to the end of John Adams' diplomatic posting
to the Court of St. James. Both John and Abigail used their
influence to assist Colonel Smith and obtain political
appointments for him, although this did not curb Colonel
Smith's tendency to invest unwisely.[citation needed]
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Following his election as President, John Adams is shown
delivering his inauguration speech in the Senate chamber,
on the 2nd floor of Congress Hall, to an audience of
Senators. The speech was actually given in the much larger
House of Representatives chamber on the first floor of
Congress Hall.[28] The room was filled to capacity with
members of both the House and Senate, justices of the
Supreme Court, heads of departments, the diplomatic corps,
and others.[29]
Part VII

After then-President Adams refuses to assist Colonel Smith
for the last time, Smith is depicted as leaving Nabby and
their children in the care of the Adams family at Peacefield;
according to the scene, his intention is to seek opportunities
to the west and either return or send for his family once he
can provide for them. Nabby is living with her family when
she discerns the lump in her right breast, has her
mastectomy, and dies two years later. Smith does not return
until after Nabby's death and it is implied that he has finally
established a stable form of income; whether he was
returning for his family as he had promised or was
summoned ahead of his own schedule by the Adams'
pursuant to Nabby's death is not specified. In reality, Smith
brought his family with him from one venture to the next,
and Nabby only returned to her father's home in
Massachusetts after it was determined that she would
undergo a mastectomy rather than continue with the potions
and poultices prescribed by other doctors at that time.
Smith was with her during and after the mastectomy, and
by all accounts had thrown himself into extensive research
in attempts to find any reputable alternative to treating his
wife's cancer via mastectomy. The mastectomy was not
depicted in the series as it is described in historical
documents. In fact, Nabby's tumor was in the left breast.
She returned to the Smith family home after her operation
and died in her father's home at Peacefield only because
she expressed a wish to die there, knowing that her cancer
had returned and would kill her, and her husband acceded
to her request. Dr. Benjamin Rush was also not the surgeon
who conducted the operation.[30]
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Adams is shown inspecting John Trumbull's painting
Declaration of Independence (1817) and stating that he and
Thomas Jefferson are the last surviving people depicted.
This is inaccurate since Charles Carroll of Carrollton, who
is also depicted in the painting, survived until 1832. In fact,
Adams never made such a remark. In reality, when he
inspected Trumbull's painting, Adams' only comment was
to point to a door in the background of the painting and
state, "When I nominated George Washington of Virginia
for Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, he took
his hat and rushed out that door."[31]
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Benjamin Rush is portrayed as encouraging Adams to start
a correspondence with Thomas Jefferson after the death of
Abigail Adams. Abigail's death occurred in 1818 but the
Adams-Jefferson correspondence started in 1812, and Rush
died in 1813.[17]
Awards and nominations
Primetime Emmy Awards
John Adams received twenty-three Emmy Award nominations,
and won thirteen, beating the previous record for wins by a
miniseries set by Angels in America. It also holds the record for
most Emmy wins by a program in a single year.[citation needed]
Year
2008
Category
Outstanding
Miniseries
Nominee(s)
Tom Hanks,
Gary
Goetzman,
Kirk Ellis,
Episode
Result
Won
Frank Doelger,
David
Coatsworth and
Steve
Shareshian
Outstanding
Writing for a
Miniseries or
Movie
Outstanding
Lead Actor in a
Miniseries or
Movie
Outstanding
Lead Actress in
a Miniseries or
Movie
Outstanding
Supporting
Actor in a
Miniseries or
Movie
Kirk Ellis
Episode 2,
Independence
Won
Paul Giamatti
Won
Laura Linney
Won
Tom Wilkinson
Won
Gemma
Jackson, David
Outstanding Art
Crank,
Direction for a
Christina
Miniseries or
Moore, Kathy
Movie
Lucas and
Sarah Whittle
Outstanding
Kathleen
Won
Won
Casting for a
Chopin, Nina
Miniseries,
Gold and Tracy
Movie or a
Kilpatrick
Special
Outstanding
Cinematography
Episode 2,
Tak Fujimoto
For A Miniseries
Independence
or Movie
Outstanding
Donna
Costumes for a Zakowska,
Episode 4,
Miniseries,
Amy Andrews
Reunion
Movie or a
and Clare
Special
Spragge
Outstanding
Trefor Proud,
Prosthetic
John R.
Makeup for a
Bayless, Chris
Series,
Burgoyne and
Miniseries,
Matthew W.
Movie or a
Mungle
Special
Stephen Hunter
Flick, Vanessa
Lapato, Curt
Outstanding
Schulkey,
Sound Editing
Episode 3,
Randy Kelley,
for a Miniseries,
Don't Tread
Kenneth L.
Movie or a
On Me
Johnson, Paul
Special
Berolzheimer,
Dean Beville,
Bryan Bowen,
Won
Won
Won
Won
Patricio A.
Libenson,
Solange S.
Schwalbe,
David Lee
Fein, Hilda
Hodges and
Alex Gibson
Outstanding
Jay Meagher,
Sound Mixing Marc Fishman
for a Miniseries and Tony
or a Movie
Lamberti
Erik Henry,
Jeff Goldman,
Paul Graff,
Outstanding
Steve
Special Visual
Kullback,
Effects for a
Christina
Miniseries,
Graff, David
Movie, or
Van Dyke,
Dramatic
Robert
Special
Stromberg, Ed
Mendez and
Ken Gorrell
Outstanding
Directing for a
Miniseries,
Tom Hooper
Movie or
Dramatic
Special
Episode 3,
Don't Tread
On Me
Won
Episode 1,
Join or Die
Won
Nominated
Outstanding
Supporting
Actor in a
Miniseries or
Movie
Outstanding
Supporting
Actor in a
Miniseries or
Movie
Outstanding
Cinematography
for a Miniseries
or Movie
Outstanding
Hairstyling for a
Miniseries or a
Movie
Outstanding
Makeup for a
Miniseries or a
Movie (Nonprosthetic)
Outstanding
Original
Dramatic Score
for a Miniseries,
Movie or a
Special
Outstanding
Stephen
Dillane
Nominated
David Morse
Nominated
Tak Fujimoto
and Danny
Cohen
Episode 3,
Don't Tread Nominated
On Me
Jan Archibald
and Loulia
Sheppard
Nominated
Trefor Proud
and John R.
Bayless
Nominated
Robert Lane
Episode 2,
Nominated
Independence
Melanie Oliver Episode 2,
Nominated
Single-camera
Picture Editing
for a Miniseries
or a Movie
Jon Johnson,
Bryan Bowen,
Kira Roessler,
Vanessa
Lapato, Eileen
Horta, Virginia
CookMcGowan,
Outstanding
Samuel C.
Sound Editing
Crutcher, Mark
for a Miniseries,
Messick,
Movie or a
Martin
Special
Maryska, Greg
Stacy, Patricio
A. Libenson,
Solange S.
Schwalbe,
Hilda Hodges
and Nicholas
Viterelli
Outstanding
Jay Meagher,
Sound Mixing Michael
for a Miniseries Minkler and
or a Movie
Bob Beemer
Golden Globe Awards
Independence
Episode 6,
Unnecessary Nominated
War
Episode 5,
Nominated
Unite Or Die
It was nominated for four awards at the 66th Golden Globe
Awards and won all four.[32]
Year
Category
Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture
Made for Television
Best Performance by an Actress In A
Mini-series or Motion Picture Made
for Television
2009 Best Performance by an Actor in a
Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made
for Television
Best Performance by an Actor in a
Supporting Role in a Series, MiniSeries or Motion Picture Made for
Television
Nominee(s) Result
Won
Laura
Linney
Won
Paul
Giamatti
Won
Tom
Wilkinson
Won
Screen Actors Guild Awards
It was also nominated for three awards at the 15th Screen Actors
Guild Awards and won two.
Year
Category
Nominee(s) Result
Outstanding Performance by a
Laura
Female Actor in a Television
Won
Linney
Movie or Miniseries
Outstanding Performance by a
2009
Paul
Male Actor in a Television Movie
Won
Giamatti
or Miniseries
Outstanding Performance by a
Tom
Nominated
Male Actor in a Television Movie Wilkinson
or Miniseries
Other awards
The show also won a 2008 AFI Award for best television
series.[33]
References
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