Critic Reviews

Its willingness to live in unresolvedness makes “Lincoln’s Dilemma” a contemplative, challenging watch.

Apple TV+’s “Lincoln’s Dilemma,” the four-part saga of Abraham Lincoln’s efforts to deal with the issue of slavery, comes richly detailed both in its portrait of the president’s character and that of the nation itself.

Lincoln’s Dilemma take an unflinching look at Lincoln’s role in the abolition of slavery in America, and isn’t shy about criticizing him, or at least putting his role — and his conflicted politics — in the right context.

"Lincoln's Dilemma," which forgoes the reenactments to recreate flashpoints in Civil War history and Lincoln's presidency with subtle animation and illustrations, along with the standard archival photography, drawings and political cartoons. You can't go wrong with either ["Abraham Lincoln" or Abraham Dilemma"]. ... A more comprehensive view of the Black experience during the Civil War as part of its narrower focus on Lincoln's presidency and the war as opposed to expressly profiling the man.

Apple TV+’s four-part docuseries may strain at times to add a timely framework to its material and to craft a more “complicated” snapshot of the 16th commander-in-chief. Still, as a history lesson, it’s nuanced and moving, presenting a well-rounded portrait of the courage, resolve and deep empathy that guided Abraham Lincoln on his mission of emancipation.