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A&E says it won't air 'The Kennedys'

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- A&E Television Networks says it will not air "The Kennedys," a miniseries about the American political dynasty, on the History Channel as planned.

The production stars Greg Kinnear and Katie Holmes as John F. and Jackie Kennedy. It was set for broadcast this spring.

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"Upon completion of the production of The Kennedys, History has decided not to air the 8-part miniseries on the network," a representative for the network told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement.

"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," the statement said. "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 miniseries is still set to air in Canada March 6, and will be broadcast internationally on dates to be announced, the entertainment industry trade newspaper said Friday.

Producers of the miniseries drew flak in February 2010 when liberal filmmaker Robert Greenwald, after reading the script, called the project "political character assassination" and "a cheap soap opera of the worst kind," The New York Times reported.

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Producer Joel Surnow, best known as a creator of the Fox TV action hit "24," developed the project with a script by Stephen Kronish, who identifies himself as a liberal Democrat, the Times said.

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