Showtime Turns Down ‘The Kennedys’: ‘It Doesn’t Fit’

Just days after The History Channel canceled plans to air the miniseries “The Kennedys,” Showtime too has passed on the show.

“Although ‘The Kennedy’s’ is well produced, well acted and a quality piece of work, it doesn’t fit Showtime’s programming brand,” a rep for the cable network said in a statement to Access Hollywood on Wednesday.

Late last week, the news broke that The History Channel had made the decision not to run the miniseries, which stars Katie Holmes as Jackie Kennedy and Greg Kinnear as President John F. Kennedy.

“Upon completion of the production of ‘The Kennedys,’ History has decided not to air the eight-part miniseries on the network,” the network told Access in a statement on last Friday. “While the film is produced and acted with the highest quality, after viewing the final product in its totality, we have concluded this dramatic interpretation is not a fit for the History brand.

“We recognize historical fiction is an important medium for storytelling and commend all the hard work and passion that has gone into the making of the series, but ultimately deem this as the right programming decision for our network,” the statement continued.

A source close to the project told Access last week that American viewers may still get a chance to see the miniseries, saying, “Hopefully it will be sold to another cable network soon so it will air in the States.”

An early version of the miniseries’ script — originally slated for broadcast in the spring — had reportedly come under fire from Kennedy historians.

Changes were made to the script and network historians eventually approved the project.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the content was not considered “historically accurate enough for [History’s] rigorous standards.”

The miniseries is still scheduled to air on March 6 in Canada and will also be broadcast internationally, according to THR.

While “The Kennedys” won’t be aired on Showtime, the cable channel has another historically-based drama coming up.

“The Borgias,” from “The Tudors” creator Michael Hirst and starring Jeremy Irons – an epic drama series about the rise of the ruthless and ambitious family who lived in Renaissance-era Italy – will begin airing later this year.