The Players

Like The Kennedys itself, the fight over whether to broadcast the controversial show featured a stellar cast.

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The Co-Creator – Joel Surnow: A well-known conservative, he said he wanted to focus as much on the Kennedys’ personal stories as their political ones. Critics labeled his show a right-wing hit job.

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The Co-Creator – Stephen Kronish: A self-described liberal admirer of JFK and RFK, The Kennedys co-creator said he wanted to present a “warts and all” portrayal of the family, neither a “hatchet job” nor a “valentine.”

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The Activist – Robert Greenwald: The documentarian said a script he obtained left him “shocked and angry.” He organized stopkennedysmears.com and had an associate contact the Times.

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The Reporter – Dave Itzkoff: The Times reporter wrote a series of stories detailing the emerging controversy over The Kennedys. One claimed that Surnow and Kronish failed to “bring the miniseries in line with the historical record.”

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The Proxy – Esther Newberg: Caroline Kennedy’s literary agent, and one of the famed “Boiler Room Girls,” reportedly warned that the broadcast could hurt her client’s relationship with a History Channel affiliate.

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The TV Executive – Nancy Dubuc: The History Channel president was an early champion of The Kennedys, but called Surnow in January to inform him that the network had decided not to air the miniseries.

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The Businessman – Stan Hubbard: A prominent Republican donor, the ReelzChannel CEO scooped up the rights to air The Kennedys. “We’re an independent network,” he said, “and we don’t have to worry about corporate boards.”

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The Author – Richard Bradley: A former George executive editor, the writer secured a deal for a book about JFK Jr., only to lose the deal amid a frenzy of anonymously sourced rumors about his motives and character.