# The Comey Rule (2020)

> A two-part dramatization of the clash between FBI director James Comey and President Donald Trump during the 2016 election and its turbulent aftermath.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/87743

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 2
- Episode runtime: 105 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, history
- Network: Showtime
- Cast: Jeff Daniels, Brendan Gleeson, Jonathan Banks, Holly Hunter, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Michael Kelly, Jennifer Ehle, Scoot McNairy
- TMDB rating: 7.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9174536/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: none
- Tone: sober, tense, restrained, even-handed, gripping

## What critics say

Audiences find it a fairly accurate, somewhat entertaining dramatization of the 2016 election fallout, though it is seen as possibly flattering to Comey.

## Synopsis

The Comey Rule (2020) is a two-part American political biographical miniseries created for Showtime, a prestige dramatization of real events. Jeff Daniels plays FBI director James Comey, whose ethical stance collides with the demands of Brendan Gleeson's Donald Trump, a president who expects personal loyalty. Holly Hunter as Sally Yates, Michael Kelly as Andrew McCabe and Jonathan Banks as James Clapper fill out a circle of officials trying to hold institutions steady while the country splits over the 2016 presidential election and the controversies that followed. Rather than a case-of-the-week format, the show is a single continuous account built from dated headlines, rallies, briefings and private conversations, staged in the offices and corridors of Washington power. Its tone is sober, tense and deliberately even-handed, with a restrained, procedural pace that lets the moral pressure build through dialogue. Viewers who enjoy the dramatized political history of Recount, The Post and the institutional tension of Chernobyl will find a similar appetite for real-world stakes. The miniseries runs two episodes of roughly 105 minutes each and is best suited to viewers who want a grounded, adult account of recent American politics.

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