'Killing Kennedy' premiere seen by 3.4 million

WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- About 3.4 million people tuned in for Sunday's premiere of "Killing Kennedy," starring Rob Lowe as U.S. President John F. Kennedy.

The National Geographic Channel program co-starred Will Rothhaar as assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, Michelle Trachtenberg as his wife, Marina, and Ginnifer Goodwin as first lady Jackie Kennedy.

"'Killing Kennedy' is our latest effort to tackle traditional subjects people expect from National Geographic in non-traditional ways. The success we saw last night proved once again that authentic, smart television can not only be entertaining, but also be important, culturally relevant programming," David Lyle, chief executive officer of the National Geographic Channels, said in a statement Monday. "The success of last night's premiere is truly a testament to the drive of our president, Howard Owens, and the incredible collaboration and partnership we have with Scott Free Productions, Bill O'Reilly, and the entire team that worked on this film."

"'Killing Kennedy' demonstrated once again that our constant efforts to expand the type of programming National Geographic Channel presents is paying off," said Owens. "The discussion about this film became part of the national zeitgeist, and I specifically want to thank our partner and friend Rob Lowe, as well as the entire cast, for their tireless efforts to promote this film and make sure our audience knew about it."

"'Killing Kennedy' took what was accomplished with 'Killing Lincoln' and elevated it to a national story. The collaboration of National Geographic Channel and Scott Free led to a movie both the viewers and critics embraced," said O'Reilly, the author of the book on which the film was based and the TV movie's executive producer. "I could not be more pleased with the response and look forward to even more success with our next collaboration, 'Killing Jesus.'"