Controversial miniseries
The Kennedys (which was dropped by The History Channel in the US, over concerns of historical accuracy), has been picked up for transmission by BBC2 in the UK, following its British digital premiere on UK's version of The History Channel. The $25m eight-part series chronicles the lives of the world-famous Kennedy family. It stars
Greg Kinnear as John F. Kennedy,
Katie Holmes as Jacqueline Kennedy,
Barry Pepper as Robert F. Kennedy,
Tom Wilkinson as Joseph P. Kennedy Sr, and
Chris Diamantopoulos as Frank Sinatra. The series was directed by 24's
Jon Cassar. Many historians criticized the script's inaccuracies and unflattering depiction of the Kennedy family, including David Talbot (whose book had been the show's basis) and Ted Sorensen (a former speech writer for JFK), who claimed it was a "character assassination" (unintentional spoiler for JFK's fate, there.) After The History Channel refused to broadcast it, The Kennedys was shopped around to various networks (including Showtime, FX, Starz and The 101 Network), who all refused to air it. Eventually, the ReelzChannel agreed to broadcast the miniseries between 3-10 April to their 56 million subscribers. The UK's History Channel will air The Kennedys in four 120-minute parts from 7 April, and it's believed BBC2 will premiere it on terrestrial TV in May. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zvk-vdam9c The miniseries has received better treatment in the UK than in its native land. It'll be interesting to see if the show has been justifiably condemned before it's even aired to the public, or if American execs are just too touchy when it comes to a less-than-positive drama about their "royal family". What's your gut feeling? Is this going to be an insulting mess that was deservedly affronted by its original broadcaster, or an interesting period drama that doesn't sugarcoat the Kennedy family?
