"The Kennedys" has found a home: The miniseries axed last month by The History Channel will air on ReelzChannel, the company announced Tuesday.
It will make its world premiere on April 3.
The Albuquerque-based cable and satellite-distributed ReelzChannel, which reaches 56 million homes, gives the star-studded series a smaller launchpad than it might have had. But the drama — ReelzChannel's biggest scripted acquisition — will likely draw new viewers to ReelzChannel, many of them people wanting to see what the fuss is about.
The network, which describes itself as "dedicated to everything about movies including the celebrities, fashion and music," is best known for reviews from critics including Richard Roeper and Leonard Maltin.
The History Channel pulled the miniseries under pressure from defenders of the Kennedy legacy, including former presidential advisor Theodore Sorenson. They were critical of the project from the beginning, in part because it came from "24" creator and avowed conservative Joel Surnow.
The big-budget miniseries, featuring a top-shelf cast including Katie Holmes and Greg Kinnear, was finished and originally slated to air on A&E Television's History this spring.
Showtime announced last month that it had viewed on the miniseries but decided to pass, calling it "well produced, well acted and a quality piece of work" — but off-brand.
ReelzChannel's acquisition was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
