When A&E decided to pull the plug on its controversial Kennedy’s miniseries almost a week ago, the whole thing was seen as a pretty big setback for those involved but not a disaster. It would still air as planned in foreign countries and History okayed the producers to openly sell the special to another channel. Most assumed Showtime would swoop it up in an instant, seeing as how they did much the same when CBS cast off The Reagans five or six years ago, but the premium cable network has reportedly passed, leaving The Kennedys without a Camelot.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Starz and FX have also said thanks but no thanks, leading at least this author to wonder whether it’s actually an issue of quality or the surviving Kennedy’s just have more sway with television networks than anyone’s giving them credit for. Today, Showtime released a statement clarifying their decision, saying “Although The Kennedys is well-produced, well-acted and a quality piece of work, it doesn’t fit the Showtime programming brand.”
It’s looking more and more like American viewers are going to have to wait for a future DVD release to see why The Kennedys caused a fit issue for so many networks.
Normally, controversy leads to public interest which leads to ratings, but seeing as how I haven’t heard anyone outside the media discussing the miniseries, it’s unlikely viewers will flock to this if another channel ever rolls the dice with it.
