Simply Fantastic
I am so impressed with this series. If anyone like American history in the slightest, they will enjoy this series.
The acting is outstanding. The protrayal of characters, including the costuming, make-up and dialects, is extremely good. I particularly enjoyed (in addition to John and Abigail Adams) George Washington and John Quincy Adams.
Parts 2 and 4 are exceptional -- The series gets a little slow in 5 and 6 but are paramount in supporting the remarkable concluding part 7.
Is this a perfect series? No, but it is the best portrayal of John Adams that I have ever seen.

Poignant and educational
Everyone should be made to watch this in school. John Adams introduces us to the fundamental conflict underneath the Amercian reality; are we revolutionaries, or monarchists? The course that America took during George Washington's presidency is the reason why we are where we are today. John Adams is the man portrayed as the Founder caught in between Jefferson and Hamilton, the two poles of thinking as to who America should side with and invest in. Ultimately we sided with the monarchists, and it should surprise no one that we have ended up with a unitary executive like George Bush, a monarch in all but title.

Had Jefferson not left America and taken over from Washington, we could have supported the French, because they were our true ideological allies. Plus, we owed them. But America has a knack for siding with the morally wrong side of politics, and this trait has persisted thru the centuries. Looking at our present thru the lens of the past is crucial, and this mini series spells it out. A masterpiece and a triumph. Recently I heard a political scientist say that they will never be able to think of John Adams without thinking of Paul Giamatti. It's that good.

History can be Interesting!
I loved this HBO Miniseries. I am already a great history buff and
a lover of the US Constitution and our founding fathers wisdom.
So many people don't care about history which I find disturbing because
there is so much too learn from it. These men and women were all
too human and desired then what most of us take for granted now.
I am buying the DVD set to share with family and friends who dont have HBO.

History as We Haven't Seen It
I can hardly wait to own these DVDs! I've watched the HBO series over and over and see or hear something every time that I missed in previous viewings. This series is rich in historical detail, drama, and humor. I can't vouch for the historical accuracy, but I have great respect for David McCullough, on whose book the series is based, and trust that he and the series are true to the...well, the truth. I am grateful to Tom Hanks for his vision and tenacity in bringing these stories to us in such a pleasurable way. Now, how about the Thomas Jefferson story in a similar fashion?

Enormous disappointment, can these people be siffer ?
I really hoped and watched every episode. With the last one being the worst and totally unnecessary.

It is so sad that American can't make a decent representation of time of "Founding Fathers".
The fantastic Mr. Giamatti is "starched" due to the idiotic, cartoon like direction and teleplay of John Adams. Can't they at least try to make these people human and show some of the true facts about these people.
The funniest character, or should I say, Disney animated status was George Washington. Due to the poor directing and writing that was inflicted on a fine actor, I think in the Hall olf Presidents in Disneyland has their George Washington animated robot showing expression and movement that this statuesque character.
So much of the depth, details, real struggles, real motives of these men were left out, making them and especially John Adams a humorless, pompous cliche maker, as if he had no thoughts but about the U.S.
They also just slid over the slavery issues.
The most puzzling and non-defined or man without a motive character was their poorly directed and define Thomas Jefferson. There was no way to have any feeling of who he really was and why he did what he did. Sometimes almost hippie like, an outsider, disinterested, turned into with no reason a egomaniacal playboy who just wanted to go to France and party and grasp the power of the country. Made no sense.
I am sure the book must be excellent, but another failure of giving the Father's of our Country some humanity and dimensions. Read Gore Vidal's Burr and watch the characters come alive off the page.
Poor John Adams, he got old and no body cared about him, too bad, so sad,
so pompous and so untrue.
I'm sure producer Hanks and whoever the director was just didn't have any guts to show who these people were. The best part was the costumes.

jon