John Adams (TV miniseries) chronicles the life of the USA's second president from the Boston Massacre through to his death on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The show garnered both critical acclaim and multiple Emmy and Golden Globe awards. Paul Giamatti plays the title role in the miniseries which was directed by Tom Hooper from a screenplay by Kirk Ellis. The screenplay was based on the book John Adams by David McCullough. Giamatti plays Adams as having a very strong sense of right and wrong and as one who did not suffer fools gladly.

The John Adams (TV miniseries) consists of seven episodes. The first installment covers the trial resulting from the Boston Massacre where he agrees to defend the British redcoats knowing that doing so will make him unpopular with many of his friends. He was also shown to be a studious man and one that treated his wife, Abigail, played by Laura Linney, as an equal.

Part two has Adams leading the push for independence from Great Britain while part three has him attempting to gain European allies for the coming war. This episode focuses on Adam's lack of sophistication and inability to work with the intricacies of French society and its politicians. Subsequent episodes deal with his presidency and his attempts to remain neutral in the ongoing dispute between Jefferson's Democratic-Republicans and Hamilton's Federalists. The final episode of the John Adams (TV miniseries) deals with Adam's retirement and his reconciliation with Jefferson.