Franklin cant quite catch lightning with Michael Douglas as an American in Paris

Michael Douglas and Noah Jupe in the Apple limited series "Franklin."

Much like“Franklin” marks the latest Apple TV+ historical series that feels like a companion to an earlier (and superior) HBO production – in this case, “John Adams.” Starringas Benjamin Franklin during his diplomatic adventures in France, it’s a fairly flat rendition of an American in Paris that, unlike its subject, never quite catches a spark of lightning.

“Franklin” comes from “John Adams” writer-producer Kirk Ellis, with Howard Korder (“Boardwalk Empire”), director Tim Van Patten (“The Sopranos”) and former HBO programming chief Richard Plepler joining him among the executive producers with

...sense of narrative momentum.Franklin’s legendary charm was indeed good for something, and it still is here. But even those attributes, and Douglas’ interpretation of them, don’t quite prove inventive enough to compensate for its shortcomings.“Franklin” premieres April 12 on Apple TV+. (Disclosure: Lowry’s wife works for a division of Apple.)