The History Channel will not air a controversial miniseries it produced about the Kennedy family, saying the multimillion project that had become the network’s most expensive on record did not fit the “History brand.” The eight-part series had already been completed, and starred Greg Kinnear and Katie Holmes as President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie. But during its production, critics like former Kennedy administration aide Theodore Sorenson attacked the scripts as inaccurate. The role of producer Joel Surnow, a political conservative, also drew suspicion from fans of the Kennedy family. “We have concluded this dramatic interpretation is not a fit for the History brand,” the network said in a statement late on Friday.
The decision was first reported on Friday by the Hollywood Reporter.
History, in its statement, said the decision was made after viewing the series in its totality.
“We recognise historical fiction is an important medium for storytelling and commend all the hard work and passion that has gone into the making of the series, but ultimately deem this as the right programming decision for our network,” History said in a statement.
Spokesman Michael Feeney said there would be no further comment. Messages left with Surnow’s agent and lawyer were not immediately returned on Friday.
History is owned by the A&E Television Networks, which itself is owned jointly by NBC Universal, the Walt Disney Co. and the Hearst Corp.
It’s not clear who made the decision to pull the plug on The Kennedys, given the joint ownership.