Netflix’s latest sensation, the period drama “Death by Lightning,” has captivated audiences and critics alike. However, many viewers have pointed out what they perceive as a significant, ‘woke’ reinterpretation of historical events.
The series, which unfolds over four episodes, chronicles the lead-up to the assassination of President James Garfield in 1881 and delves into the motivations behind his assassin’s actions. Premiering on Thursday, the show was met with widespread critical approval.
Despite the accolades, some observant viewers quickly noted certain historical discrepancies. One scene, in particular, features an Asian woman, two Black men, a Black woman, and an amputee navigating the streets of Chicago during the Gilded Age.
YouTuber Craig Richard Skistimas was among those who highlighted this as a product of Hollywood’s creativity rather than historical accuracy.
“It immediately caught my attention, so I decided to check the actual demographics of Chicago in 1880,” he shared on X.
The demographic data he referenced revealed that, in 1880, Chicago’s population was approximately 503,000, with Black individuals making up about 1.3% of the population, translating to roughly 6,500 people.
He added that Asian people made up just 0.03 percent of the overall population in Chicago at the time.
‘So if you ran the math on the odds of seeing all of that – an Asian woman, two Black men, and an amputee – in one random 50-person crowd downtown, it comes out to about 0.00016 percent, or roughly 1 in 640,000,’ Skistimas declared.
Netflix’s new hit historical drama Death by Lightning came out on the streaming service Thursday. The period drama surrounding the assassination of James Garfield begins with this shot in Gilded Age-era Chicago
‘In other words, Netflix made a scene that’s about as statistically likely as spotting a UFO on your morning commute – but hey, at least the diversity box got checked.’
The post, published late Sunday, has already amassed more than 2million views.
As it picked up steam, Skistimas revealed in a follow-up how he miscalculated, making unlikely cast of characters even more unlikely than he initially thought.
‘I looked closer – it’s actually two Black men and a Black woman, not just two men. So I re-ran the math,’ he observed.
‘With that correction, the odds of this exact group (Asian woman + 2 Black men + 1 Black woman + one-legged man) randomly walking together in 1880 Chicago? About 1 in 2.4 million.
‘Netflix didn’t just bend history – they straight-up violated statistics.’
Census records indicate Chicago’s Black population in 1880 numbered somewhere between several hundred and about 8,000, while just 172 Chinese residents were recorded — though the actress’s ethnicity has not been confirmed.
Skistimas went on to add he had spotted another oversight, after realizing the Chinese extra was dressed as if she were ‘an upper-class socialite while casually walking beside a black guy in 1880 Chicago.’
YouTuber Craig Richard Skistimas crunched some numbers on X to show how unlikely the cast of characters in the establishing shot would have been
The four-part series that seeks to recount the events that led up to President James Garfield’s assassination in 1881. Garfield is played by Michael Shannon
‘Let’s be clear – that would’ve been impossible. There were maybe 5 Chinese women in the entire city, none mingling publicly, and certainly not strolling downtown arm-in-arm with anyone outside Chinatown,’ Skistimas explained.
He went on to share another still from the start of the show’s first episode – a disclaimer to viewers that told them what they were about to watch was a ‘true story.’
‘The show opens with this screen: ‘This is a true story about two men the world forgot,’ Skistimas wrote, receiving hundreds of thousands of views.
‘So when Netflix inserts a statistically impossible, 2024-style ‘diverse’ crowd into 1880 Chicago, it’s not artistic license – it’s rewriting history while calling it ‘true.”
He added: ‘I don’t care if a Black man and a Chinese woman walk together on screen – that’s not the issue. What’s ridiculous is how blatantly tokenized it is. This shot isn’t part of the story, it’s just tossed in to check boxes.’
The influencer went on to concede that the rest of the star-studded series ‘sticks closely to historical accuracy.’
‘[E]very delegate and politician is white, as they were in 1880. Then suddenly, in the establishing shot, Netflix drops in a ‘diverse’ mix that would’ve been statistically impossible,’ he wrote.
‘That’s not representation – that’s lazy tokenism. And honestly, it does the entire movement a disservice.’
The story seeks to tell the true story via a dual narrative that also follows Garfield’s killer Charles Guiteau, a failed lawyer played by Succession star Matthew Macfayden
All four episodes are available for streaming on Netflix. The show has been received well by critics
The show stars Mad Men’s Michael Shannon as Garfield and Succession’s Matthew Macfadyen as assassin Charles Guiteau.
In an interview with USA Today on Friday, creator Mike Makowsky maintained that he did not need to add much to change much to the true story to make the show accessible.
‘These situations are insane and so unfathomable by today’s standards [and] how we understand our politics,’ he said as the budget for the splashy production has yet to be disclosed.
All four episodes are available for streaming on Netflix.
