Is anybody watching the new HBO series, “John Adams,” on John Adams, our country’s second president and a primary instigator of the Revolutionary War and signer of the Declaration of Independence? Airing on Sundays, the series stars Paul Giamatti (as Adams) and Laura Linney (as Abigail Adams), was produced by Tom Hanks and is based on the best-selling book, John Adams, by Pulitzer Prize winning author David McCullough. Next Sunday will be the fourth of seven installments. Earlier episodes are repeated for easy Tivoing and watching. Moving from America to France to England and back (on Sunday Adams will meet King George), the production is a riveting history lesson featuring great character actors playing the major historical figures of the time, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Sam Adams, Alexander Hamilton and my favorite, Benjamin Franklin. The scene of Adams barging in on Franklin sharing a bathing tub with his French mistress is priceless, as are the scenes of French decadence juxtaposed to Adam’s seriousness of purpose in frustratingly and painstakingly seeking French support of the American cause. Need I say more? Watch it if you can. There’s a pretty good Web site, too, here.