Michael Douglas leads Apple TV+’s 2024 historical drama Franklin as Benjamin Franklin, the American diplomat sent to France during the Revolutionary War. Noah Jupe plays his grandson, Temple Franklin. The supporting cast portrays French officials, American political figures and members of Parisian society who intersect with Franklin’s mission.
What is Apple TV+’s Franklin about?
Apple’s synopsis begins in December 1776, when Franklin, already famous for his electrical experiments, undertakes a secret mission to France as American independence hangs in the balance. The series premiered April 12, 2024. Apple describes it as an eight-episode drama: the first three episodes arrived on premiere day, followed by one episode each Friday through May 17, according to the 2024 series announcement.
The show is based on Stacy Schiff’s 2005 history book A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America. Its cast includes historical figures, but the available cast descriptions are not a comprehensive history or an assessment of how accurately every scene depicts events. The role notes below identify the people as presented in the series and cast guide.
Benjamin Franklin’s American circle
Michael Douglas as Benjamin Franklin
Douglas plays the statesman and scientist at the center of the story. In the series’ premise, Franklin is in France to secure support for the American cause.
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- American History
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Noah Jupe as Temple Franklin
Jupe plays Franklin’s grandson, who accompanies him in France. The series places Temple alongside his grandfather during the diplomatic mission.
Daniel Mays as Edward Bancroft
Mays plays Bancroft, described by the cast guide as an American physician and double agent. That concise identification is the guide’s characterization; it is not, by itself, a full account of Bancroft’s historical role.
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Eddie Marsan as John Adams
Marsan plays Adams, the American political figure who arrives in France during episode four to replace Franklin, according to the cast guide.
French officials and figures in the diplomatic world
Thibault de Montalembert as the Comte de Vergennes
De Montalembert plays Vergennes, identified in the cast materials as a French diplomat and foreign minister to Louis XVI. He is a key figure in the French political world Franklin is trying to navigate.
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Bouab plays Beaumarchais, a French entrepreneur associated with Vergennes and, in the cast guide’s description, involved in monitoring Franklin.
Théodore Pellerin as the Marquis de Lafayette
Pellerin plays Lafayette, a French aristocrat presented as interested in supporting the American revolutionary cause.
French society and Franklin’s personal connections
Ludivine Sagnier as Madame Anne-Louise Brillon
Sagnier plays Brillon, described as a French composer and harpsichord specialist who develops a playful friendship with Franklin.
Jeanne Balibar as Madame Helvetius
Balibar plays Helvetius, a salon hostess who brings influential people together. The role places her in the social network around Franklin’s time in France.
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Other supporting cast members
The cast guide also lists these supporting actor-character pairings:
- Tom Hughes as Paul Wentworth
- Olivier Claverie as Mr. Chaumont
- Marc Duret as Monsieur Brillon
- Xavier Brossard as Gérard
- Lily Dupont as Cunégonde Brillon
- Arthur Orcier as the Comte de Ségur
- Aïtor de Calvairac as Jacques le Ray
- Florence Darel as Madame Thérése Chaumont
- Murat Subasi as Ayaz
- Victor Lafrej as the Viscomte de Noailles
- Olivier Rabourdin as Jean-Charles Pierre Lenoir
- John Hollingworth as the Viscomte de Stormont
- Romain Levi as Rabble Rouser
- Max Libert as Artois
- Jack Archer as Thomas Grenville
Apple’s official cast-and-crew page confirms the principal cast and production leads. The role pairings and supporting names above are reported in the cited 2024 announcement and cast guide.
How to approach the series as history
Franklin dramatizes a diplomatic mission and brings together real historical people, but the cast identifications do not establish the accuracy of every exchange, relationship, motive or plot event. Treat dramatized scenes as part of the series unless corroborated by historical sources. For broader context on the French mission and the people around it, Schiff’s A Great Improvisation is the book on which the series is based.
Apple’s series description and release information are on its official Franklin page. The episode schedule and book basis are described in the 2024 interview and news page; the extended cast listing and character notes appear in Vague Visages’ cast guide.
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