John Adams (2008)

Seven long parts built on David McCullough's biography, starting with the Boston Massacre of 1770 and following Adams through his years in Europe and in office. Paul Giamatti plays him as prickly, vain and stubbornly honest, and Laura Linney's Abigail is his equal in every scene they share, which is what keeps the marriage at the center rather than the battles. The pace is deliberate and talky. This is history argued across tables and in letters, not on the battlefield, and it rewards viewers who enjoy that. It won 13 Emmys, more than any other miniseries, plus four Golden Globes.