Superb
Television at its finest. The criticisms a minority have leveled here are without foundation. Those who claim boredom with this series must suffer from attention-deficit disorder. You can pick at nits if that is what makes you happy, but I would rather enjoy it. Giamatti and Linney are perfectly cast in their title roles, and the technical work is of movie quality and unobtrusive. David Morse's makeup scarily turned him into George Washington. The political pull and tug between Jefferson and Hamilton was portrayed without bias. In fact, I wanted to see more of it. This series, removed our Founding Fathers from the canvases of paintings and put flesh on them. Great work, HBO!

Clunky and tedious
It is so obvious that this miniseries is trying to portray John Adams (Paul Giamatti) in the best possible light, as if he's the most enlightened man in the movement for rule of law, racial equality, and political correctness. It completely downplays his viewpoints (and those of slave owner Thomas Jefferson, who built Monticello with slave labor) that would send any modern feminist or Marxist critic into a tizzy. Because this miniseries is so worried about offending people, it comes across as disingenuous, plodding, and inconsequential -- the perfect Sunday night soporific for HBO viewers who want to be lulled into complacent sleep before starting their harried work weeks. The relationship between John and Abigail Adams (Laura Linney) is passionless and arid, as if their marriage rested solely on chats about democratic ideals and legal principles. Ultimately, there is no insight on Adams as a person. We see each episode of his life, in dry serialistic form, but the series portrays him not as a man, but more as a historical ideal.

John would be pleased!
I have long been an Adams fan since watching the PBS series The Adams Chronicles in the 70's. The books by Joseph Ellis (Founding Brothers, Passionate Sage, American Sphinx, and At the Creation) served to further deepen my esteem and appreciation for our second President, warts and all. The HBO mini-series John Adams is an outstanding portrayal and interpretation of David McCullough novel, bring John, his wife Abigail, and the times in which they lived and struggled vividly to life.

Well done John Adams
Amazing production that gets the history right. Acting, costumes, scenery, extras are all terrific. I enjoyed the extra about the making of the series and the interview with John McCulloch. The ability to watch each episode on successive nights was great. Glad I bought it.

Had to watch it again
I'd already seen this on HBO, so I knew what to expect. This is a great miniseries, and with Amazon the price is always right. Thanks again Amazon, I'd buy anything from your site.