Manhunt Season 1 Review – A fascinating dramatization of a tragic true crime

Episode Guide

Episode 1 – | Review Score – 4/5
Episode 2 – | Review Score – 4/5
Episode 3 – | Review Score – 3/5
Episode 4 – | Review Score – 4/5
Episode 5 – | Review Score – 3/5
Episode 6 – | Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 7 – | Review Score – 4/5

Manhunt is the new Apple TV+ big period crime drama series that focuses on the hunt for John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated the president, Abraham Lincoln. It’s an enthralling watch over 7 action-packed episodes, and Tobias Menzies and Anthony Boyle are great in the leading roles of the man hunting the killer and the killer himself, respectively. They don’t share the screen too much, which is a shame, but because of the nature of the story, this can’t be avoided. However, they are both great as co-leads.

It was refreshing to see a crime drama set in the past, as the protagonist had to use his hunches and old-school skills to track the murderer down, rather than relying on technology. It’s very moody and has a rather bleak setting, but the story moves forward at a refreshingly steady pace, once the story and timeline were established in episode 1.

The manhunt for Booth really heats up in episode 3, with Stanton hunting Booth and his co-conspirators down, while the incoming President Johnson establishes himself as a very different president than Lincoln, causing tension between him and Stanton. Manhunt isn’t without the use of some creative licence in order to tell the story and put its own spin on it, but it’s wildly entertaining in doing so, which earns it a pass. Both Stanton and Booth’s stories are equally compelling as their ultimate showdown edges closer.

The penultimate episode of this political action drama series concludes most of the storylines, with John Wilkes Booth getting killed off, leaving the finale to deal with the aftermath of the trial. The final episode misses the presence of Anthony Boyle, but it was necessary to see how everything unfolded after the killer’s death. It essentially becomes a courtroom drama, as the people behind the murder are brought to justice.

All in all, Manhunt is a brilliantly entertaining drama series, and a good history lesson for people unfamiliar with the case. But just remember to research it afterwards to see what the creative team made up and what actually happened. For the most part, the main story of Lincoln’s murder remained true.