Kennedy TV series shelved by History Channel

"The Kennedys" cancelled by History Channel

Saying that it did not fit its brand and image, the History Channel cancelled its Kennedy TV mini-series, the network announced yesterday.

"We have concluded this dramatic interpretation is not a fit for the History brand,"  the New York-based network said in a statement.

The said project about the Kennedy family has reportedly cost the History network millions of dollars and had been finished. The project came under fire from critics including former Kennedy aide Theodore Sorenson for its allegedly inaccurate script and depiction of the Kennedys.  Another critic of the project, filmmaker Robert Greenwald put up a web site and elicited 50,000 signatures to oppose the mini-series.

The network said it considered all factors in making its decision to pull the plug on its high-profile project. "We recognize 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," the channel said in its statement.

'The Kennedys" had Greg Kinnear portraying President John F. Kennedy and Katie Holmes as Jackie Kennedy. It was supposed to be aired over the History Channel for the 50th anniversary of the beginning of Kennedy's term.

The Kennedy mini-series will still be aired in Canada and other countries because History does not own the rights to the project outside the U.S. In 2003, CBS also pulled the plug on a mini-series about President Ronald Reagan after it met criticism. The Showtime cable network aired the mini-series later.

Posted by Kade Quinn on Saturday January 08 2011, 11:25 PM EDT. Ref: AP. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Entertainment, Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0