The Kennedys

So History paid to make The Kennedys miniseries and then refused to show it saying it "is not a fit for the History brand".   Yes, I can see how they are confused how a show they vetted before, during, and after production and was based on historical fact would not be fit for their brand.  As we all know, History means blue collar  workers or junk dealers swearing loudly.  History has nothing to do with history.  i used to watch that channel several times a week.  Now I tune into their prime time schedule maybe once or twice a month and depend on National Geographic, PBS, and the Discovery family of channels for historical programming.

Further adding to the mystery is that History's parent company had no problem showing the show on History UK.  Supposedly, it got trashed in the US due to pressure from the Kennedy family.  I find this confusing since I was unaware the Kennedys had any real power left.  Caroline showed an interest in entering politics a few years back and was laughed out of the race.  On the other hand, she's been giving interviews this past week on an unrelated topic and no interviewer has had the balls to ask her about the miniseries, so there must be some clout there.

So the show aired on Reelz this past week.  There's nothing in here we haven't seen in every other TV show or book about the Kennedy family that is out there. I am not a fan of the Kennedy family in general.  That being said, I found myself liking and appreciating JFK as portrayed in the miniseries.  Got to give the man some credit for putting up with that jackass brother Bobby of his (good father and husband, too mush of a Kennedy zealot otherwise).  And it's amazing the family turned out as well as it did with Joe as a father.  Greg Kinnear was great as usual. I liked how well he depicted JFK's bad back. Katie Holmes was decent as Jackie as well she should be since she and Jackie had a lot in common (shallow women interested solely in their kids and shopping who married powerful men as much for social position as love).  My only criticism of her was the accent she attempted.  Really she should have just talked in a breathy manner instead of trying an accent.

Overall it was a decent show.   Not great, but not a waste of time. I could have done without the cliches right before the assassination--Jackie saying she's never been happier, Bobbie relaxing with his family. I didn't see any major historical inaccuracies (there were some minor ones for dramatic effect).  I'm not sure Marilyn Monroe was as nuts as she is portrayed, and I hope Joe Jr. wasn't really such a prig.  The sex and drugs were discussed, but it wasn't done in a salacious manner. History should have just aired the darn thing instead to begin with.