Where will 'The Kennedys' end up?

History Channel pulled the plug the controversial "The Kennedys" doc Friday, and now this question: Where? Where will eight hours of a now-highly-promotable miniseries end up on U.S. TV, or is it too hot to handle? For reasons still unclear, HC said no, and widespread speculation about the reason landed at the door of part-owner Disney/ABC, which buckled under pressure from the family; the mini - an unusual venture for HC under any circumstances immediately drew fire from various liberal points on the cultural compass when it was announced because of the association with producer Joel Surnow, former "24" producer, and considered an unusual conservative voice, or unusual for Hollywood in any event.

So where to? Showtime was raised yesterday as a possibility, but not HBO. HBO closely, obsessively, develops its own material in association with outside producers, so that makes sense. I wouldn't rule out TBS or TNT, even if this is a bit of a stretch for both. It could easily be restructured as a regular short-run series, thus banishing that now deadly appellation, "the miniseries..." Minis have largely disappeared from commercial TV for a whole host of reasons (people don't watch 'em!)...

Here was the statement from Muse and Asylum:


Muse Entertainment and Asylum Entertainment, who co-produce The Kennedys, just issued the following statement about the mini-series' cancellation by History: "We are proud of the work all of our talent put into the making of The Kennedys and the painstaking efforts that went into creating a drama that is compelling while rich in historic detail. Although we regret this does not fit into the History Channel’s plans, we are confident that television viewers in the United States will join viewers from around the
world in having an opportunity to watch this series in the near future."And the trailer...