"John Adams," March 16, HBO

NEW YORK (CNS) -- On March 4, 1801, President John Adams did something virtually no other leader in recorded history had: In obedience to the Constitution, he peacefully handed over his office to a political opponent, Thomas Jefferson, at the end of his term.

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A lavish seven-part portrait of the Massachusetts revolutionary and statesman who set this crucial democratic precedent premieres with two back-to-back episodes on the HBO pay service Sunday, March 16, 8-10:45 p.m. EDT. (Subsequent episodes will begin at 9 p.m. Sunday nights.)

Based on David McCullough's acclaimed, Pulitzer Prize-winning 2002 biography, the miniseries, with Paul Giamatti in the title role, focuses on Adams' political career, opening with his professionally risky defense of the British soldiers who were tried for murder in the wake of the "Boston Massacre" of 1770. Despite overwhelming public hostility, Adams managed to obtain acquittals for most of the defendants.

Already a recognized leader and committed American patriot, Adams went on to represent his colony in both the first and second Continental Congresses. As shown here, his service in Philadelphia over these years entailed prolonged and painful separations from his wife, Abigail (gently dignified Laura Linney), and his young children.

Unusually well-educated for a woman of that time, Abigail exerted a vital influence over her husband, offering him prudent advice both in person and through their extensive correspondence. As the program makes clear, she was well ahead of him in some of her views, fiercely opposing slavery and championing the rights of women.

The second episode concludes with the stormy congressional debate over independence. With the quiet support of taciturn Jefferson (Stephen Dillane) and sagacious Ben Franklin (a sparkling Tom Wilkinson), Adams vociferously opposes the timidity of conservatives such as Pennsylvania's John Dickinson (powerfully somber Zeljko Ivanek). Though the outcome is obviously no surprise, the scene effectively recreates the sense of danger and irrevocability that must have weighed on every mind.

Director Tom Hooper, who also directed the 2005 miniseries "Elizabeth I," brings the same sure touch to this historical recreation. With Colonial Williamsburg and Richmond, Va., standing in for 18th-century Philadelphia, the production design is authentically simple and rustic.

The versatile Giamatti, as expected, is outstanding, capturing the essence of a modest, upright man who lacks diplomacy, but still manages to win widespread respect. David Morse is also excellent as an amiable, burdened George Washington. Other members of the formidable cast include Sarah Polley, Rufus Sewell and Tom Hollander as King George III.

Scenes in the two episodes screened -- one, a man being stripped naked before being tarred and feathered and another showing the gruesome effects of smallpox, both dramatically justified -- would seem to indicate the series as a whole is being geared for older teens and up.

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