‘The Kennedys’ Miniseries To Air On ReelzChannel [Updated]

[Update: Check out the first trailer for The Kennedys.]

When The History Channel refused to air the long-awaited biography The Kennedys, many speculated that another cable channel would take the series instead. After being passed over by Starz, Showtime and HBO, ReelzChannel has agreed to air the miniseries starting in April.

The Kennedys is by no means a small production. The series has a rumored budget of $25 million, notable stars like Greg Kinnear, Katie Holmes and Tom Wilkinson, and is directed by Jon Cassar of 24. It was a major surprise when The History Channel declined to air it last month.

The channel cited a lack of historical accuracy as a factor in their decision – a claim that’s been verified by numerous historians. Even the author of one of the books cited in The Kennedys called the production “an egregious distortion of the historical record.”

The reportedly negative portrayal of John F. Kennedy and his family may also have played a part in keeping the series off of the major networks. Family members like Caroline Kennedy and Maria Shriver have expressed their displeasure at the series, along with other players in American politics and film-making. It’s unlikely that any negative view of a progressive hero like JFK would have sat well with the left-leaning Hollywood crowd, especially in the bitterly divisive political climate the United States is experiencing.

After The Kennedys was passed over by Showtime in January, Cassar complained of political influences in the decision. At a meeting of the Television Critics Association in Los Angeles, the director said that powerful people with connections to the Kennedys had kept the series off of the air.

ReelzChannel is an independent cable channel, as CEO Stan Hubbard is quick to point out. Speaking on The Kennedys, he highlighted the channel’s independence in its choice to air the miniseries:

“One of the benefits of being an independent network is that you can be an independent voice and you don’t have to worry about corporate pressure or political pressure… This is a project that deserves to be seen.”

Though the miniseries has been snubbed by the major networks in its home country, The Kennedys will be well-distributed abroad. History Television in Canada is scheduled to show the series in March, and channels in the UK, Italy, Spain, Japan, Norway and Australia have also scheduled broadcasts.

Update: Check out the trailer for The Kennedys below:

The Kennedys

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ReelzChannel will air the first two episodes of The Kennedys on April 3rd.

Source: TV Guide

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‘The Kennedys’ Gets Snubbed By History Channel, Might Head For Showtime

A&E Television, owners of the The History Channel, have declined to pick up The Kennedys, an eight-part miniseries documenting JFK’s rise to the presidency and subsequent assassination.

The series was scheduled to appear on The History Channel later this year, but the network cited problems with the historical accuracy of the production, echoing critics’ comments on the leaked scripts almost a year ago. A&E released a public statement elaborating their decision:

While the film is produced and acted with the highest quality, after viewing the final product in its totality, we have concluded this dramatic interpretation is not a fit for the History brand.

While this is certainly a blow to the big-budget production, it’s unlikely that the miniseries will be shelved completely. The Kennedys is being offered to Showtime, a premium network that’s unlikely to turn down content with such high production values (and shouldn’t have a problem with the historical accuracy – or lack thereof – in the script). There’s certainly precedent for the switch, as Showtime picked up The Reagans when CBS declined it in 2003. There are some startling similarities: both series have drawn criticism from historians and the surviving family that they depict.

The miniseries is an ambitious project. Produced by Muse and Asylum Entertainment, the estimated budget for The Kennedys is a whopping $25 million. Recognizable stars like Greg Kinnear, Katie Holmes and Tom Wilkinson fill out the cast, and if early previews are any indication, the overall production is impressive.

Some have wondered if A&E’s ties to the real-life Kennedys were a factor in its decision. Caroline Kennedy, daughter of late former first lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis, is currently writing a book on her mother published through Hyperion. The publisher is part of the Disney Empire, which has a partial ownership of A&E Networks and The History Channel by extension. Another member of the Kennedy extended family, Maria Shriver, expressed her displeasure about the series to NBC – which also owns a stake in A&E.

So, did the screenwriters play fast and loose with history or was A&E pushed to abandon the series over its less-than-flattering look at an American icon? Could be a little of both. While any talk of backroom deals between the Kennedy family and network executives is pure speculation, the historical accuracy of the series has been brought into question for almost an entire year. Filmmaker Robert Greenwald created StopKennedySmears.com, a site which chronicles the inadequacies of the show and the critical reaction of historians. One particularly damning quote comes from David Talbot, whose book Brothers: The Hidden History of The Kennedy Years was used as a source for the docu-drama:

It’s soap opera as character assassination and an egregious distortion of the historical record. I’m completely dumbfounded as to how he used my book as one of his sources.

The site has published a victory message on the news of The History Channel declining the series.

It’s also worth considering that a depiction of a presidential family will always carry political implications. Greenwald proudly admits his liberal stance, and while it’s not clear if there’s a conservative bias in The Kennedys depiction, it’s likely that any overtly negative portrayal of a Democratic party hero would rustle feathers in Hollywood. With the current political divide in the United States as vicious as it is, it’s not surprising that a project with so many potential pitfalls has been waylaid.

The show is not the only project focusing on the Kennedy dynasty at the moment. Darren Aronofsky, director of The Wrestler and Black Swan, will direct a biopic focusing on first lady Jackie O. titled Jackie. Aronofsky’s wife Rachel Weisz (of The Mummy and its sequel) is attached to play Onassis.

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Meanwhile, we’ll be waiting for news of Showtime’s decision on whether to pick up The Kennedys or not.

Source: Zap2it, TV Line

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