The Kennedys (RTE1)

Hal Emmerich

It's on at 23.05. May be worth a look.

_Kaiser_

Yep I'm 5 episodes in myself and finding it very good.

Bit ridiculous that RTE have scheduled it at 11pm though!

hondasam

how many episodes are there ?
Kaiser where are you watching it?

Hal Emmerich

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

Yep I'm 5 episodes in myself and finding it very good.

Bit ridiculous that RTE have scheduled it at 11pm though!

They've been told this for years and keep on doing it!!!!

They're reason is/use to be that it was on SKY or the like already so they weren't giving (whatever the show may be) a prime time slot.

Hal Emmerich

hondasam wrote: »

how many episodes are there ?
Kaiser where are you watching it?

:eek:.

And I have a nice link up there for ya an all?

8 episodes.

Sean Bateman

It's very good. The entire series was shown recently on the History Channel.

What the hell are RTE playing at though. Sticking it at 11pm alienates the majority.

But sure why not stick quality stuff on in the middle of the night and leave the turgid rubbish we're usually subjected to in its place?

hondasam

Hal Emmerich wrote: »

:eek:.

And I have a nice link up there for ya an all?

8 episodes.

Thanks I know you have, I have it set to record. Is tonight not the first episode?

Kiwi_knock

It is weird that RTÉ is showing this at 11pm but heavily promoting it during the ad breaks. Will be watching it, seems interesting enough.

Hal Emmerich

hondasam wrote: »

Thanks I know you have, I have it set to record. Is tonight not the first episode?

First episode is tonight yea.

hondasam

I'm looking forward to watching it.

_Kaiser_

It's very good alright. Might not be to everyone's tastes but I advise giving it an episode or 2 anyway.

RTE do this with Mad Men too. Buy the rights so TV3 can't have them and then show it at some ridiculous hour of the night while subjecting us to shiiite like Pat Shortt's latest "comedy" or some poor-taste home makeover show (while people are struggling to keep a roof above their heads) :mad:

Harry Angstrom

It should've been shown after the 9 o'clock news on Sunday nights. That would seem the ideal time for it. I saw it on the History Channel although it's a little bit sanitized. It's common knowledge that RFK had an affair with Jackie Kennedy after JFK was assassinated but this is only barely hinted at.

What annoyed me about it on The History Channel was that there were ads every 5 minutes :mad:. It ruined the flow.

JonathanAnon

Harry Angstrom wrote: »

I It's common knowledge that RFK had an affair with Jackie Kennedy after JFK was assassinated but this is only barely hinted at.

Ah come on .. spoiler tags ffs..

amdublin

11pm on sat night isn't as bad as Mad Men on a Monday night.

:mad:

dolliemix

will it be on the player?

Hal Emmerich

This is not for me, fierce boring I think.

Harry Angstrom

JonathanAnon wrote: »

Ah come on .. spoiler tags ffs..

Sorry about that. I suppose I shouldn't mention that ***SPOILER ALERT*** the Titanic sinks at the end of the film Titanic either.....

babygirlz

Hal Emmerich wrote: »

This is not for me, fierce boring I think.

I am finding it boring too but I am going to stick with it for a few episodes, I have been waiting to see it for long enough

JohnFalstaff

This is trash. Poorly scripted, shoddy direction... A good cast, but they are wasted. And where is Ted? Doesn't even merit a passing mention? A missed opportunity, and probably means we'll never get to see Jim Sheridan's Kennedy movie.

JonathanAnon

amdublin wrote: »

11pm on sat night isn't as bad as Mad Men on a Monday night.:mad:

hmm... I think this Kennedy thing is way more of a niche market though.. Mad Men is certainly more mainstream, and I too wonder why they put it on sooo late... it really doesnt make any sense..

Regarding the show tonight.. I thought it was just a fleeting glance at life in the Kennedy house.. It's impossible to cover JFK, RFK, Joe senior, Joe Junior, and Jackie (plus extra maritals) in just eight episodes... It's certainly a show that requires the viewer to have prior knowledge before watching..

hotmail.com

This looked absolutely dreadful - the Kennedys have been done so many times before.

Kiwi_knock

Thought it was ok, nothing special. You really needed to have some knowledge of the Kennedys before watching. Could have been an interesting show if they had more episodes and explored the characters a bit more. It really is just glossing over the family.

Norma_Desmond

dolliemix wrote: »

will it be on the player?

Tonight's episode is up on RTE player now

hondasam

First episode was a bit boring, it will hopefully get better.

the west wing

JohnFalstaff wrote: »

This is trash. Poorly scripted, shoddy direction... A good cast, but they are wasted. And where is Ted? Doesn't even merit a passing mention? A missed opportunity.

Totally agree with you. I watched it on the History Channel and couldn't believe that History had commissioned such trash. Maybe it's because I love American history and politics but I found some glaring errors and I found all the characters were one dimensional had no depth. It looks good but has little substance. And yes I found it strange that there was no mention of Teddy, when so many of the other Kennedys were actually shown.

fryup

hotmail.com wrote: »

This looked absolutely dreadful - the Kennedys have been done so many times before.

yes, i don't see the point in it either..why not a series on the Clintons instead

but it does feature the unfortunate

rose kennedy who was born midly retarded and joe kennedys effort to get her treated

but one thing i found hard to swallow was

the whole mob election fixing in chicago that old mr kennedy helped to set up, and we're lead to believe that JFK had no knowledge of it..ya right!

JP Liz V1

RTE should show it as 4 - 2 hour episodes instead of 8 - 1 hour episodes

JonathanAnon

The Bay Of Pigs in five minutes.. My problems with tonight's episode .. Boys Of Pigs coverage was not prominent enough, and Bobby Kennedy's teeth are way too prominent..

Richard Dower

The Kennedys BBC2 17th June at 9pm with a double bill ...getting lots of sales worldwide.

fryup

Richard Dower wrote: »

The Kennedys BBC2 17th June at 9pm with a double bill ...getting lots of sales worldwide.

and yet it wasn't shown in the U.S.

just shows the you clout the kennedys have even to this day

must say i'm enjoying it and I think Tom Wilkinson is excellent as old Joe

barnicles

fryup wrote: »

and yet it wasn't shown in the U.S.

just shows the you clout the kennedys have even to this day

must say i'm enjoying it and I think Tom Wilkinson is excellent as old Joe

It was broadcast on ReelzChannel in the US.

irishh_bob

fryup wrote: »

and yet it wasn't shown in the U.S.

just shows the you clout the kennedys have even to this day

must say i'm enjoying it and I think Tom Wilkinson is excellent as old Joe

yeah , he potrays the scumbag quite well

Harry Angstrom

fryup wrote: »

and yet it wasn't shown in the U.S.

just shows the you clout the kennedys have even to this day

must say i'm enjoying it and I think Tom Wilkinson is excellent as old Joe

There was a Culture Show special about this series on BBC2 last night, which was very interesting. The official line was that the History Channel pulled it in America because it was too subjective and could be interpreted as historically inaccurate but it would appear that the Kennedy family were pushing for it to be pulled.

JonathanAnon

Harry Angstrom wrote: »

The official line was that the History Channel pulled it in America because it was too subjective and could be interpreted as historically inaccurate

yeah that's what I heard.. they considered that it took too much dramatic license wasnt based enough on factual evidence to be considered appropriate for The History Channel..

The part with the daughter Rosemary, for whom Joe unilaterally sanctioned a prefrontal labotomy (which left her permanently incapicatated), was sad.. Especially considering she lived until 2005..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary_Kennedy

Rose Marie "Rosemary" Kennedy (September 13, 1918 – January 7, 2005) was the third child and first daughter of Rose Elizabeth Kennedy née Fitzgerald and Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Sr., born little more than a year after her brother, future U.S. President John F. Kennedy. She underwent a prefrontal lobotomy at age 23, which left her permanently incapacitated.

Giggsy_

Just caught the first couple of episodes ... i thinks its a great little series but is probably not too everybody tastes .... I also thought the cast was very well put together.

AudreyHepburn

5 episodes in and loving it so far.

I tend not to put to much onus on these things to 100% historically accurate because I don't think such a thing is possible.

amdublin

I think Katie Holmes is excellent as Jackie.

Greg Kinnear is pretty meh but nothing wrong with him either.

mikemac

Anything with Tom Wilkinson is worth watching, the man is superb in every role. But I'm not a big fan of this show.

Watched three episodes and left it

Not for everyone but it will certainly have fans

Richard Dower

I watched four and dropped it, didn't hold my interest.

JonathanAnon

amdublin wrote: »

I think Katie Holmes is excellent as Jackie.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of hers .. well, I think she's lovely looking but never thought she was a great actress and couldnt understand why she married that TOOL... but she is good in this... Saturday's episode was very good... Best episode so far..

AudreyHepburn

I think all the actors are doing a great job personally. I particularly like Gary Pepper as Bobby and Tom Wilkinson as Old Joe.

No problems with Katie Holmes either.

You're never going to get these kinds of characters 100% because there will many differing opinions of who they were.

expectationlost

watched it and it wasn't as bad as i thought it would be

reading the fact checking now and particularly http://stopkennedysmears.com/

their objections are based on the screenplay which does sound much nastier then what they eventually shot and and it seems they cut more out of it before it aired too

some strange twisting of the truths though.

back to fact checking

iamwhoiam

I am enjoying it , just surprised its on so late to be honest . I was slightly dissapointed at the Dallas episode last night ,I found it a bit disjointed .
Of all the actors I think he who plays Robert is doing a brilliant job . But I have no issue with anyone at all ., I think Jackie was a bit insipid and played so by Katie Holmes .

irishh_bob

katie holmes plays jackie like a stepford wife , perhaps thats what she was ?

mrs kennedy ( presidents mother ) sounds like katherin hepburn , i doubt she did !

Rabidlamb

I watched it a few months ago, I thought the acting was quality, especially Barry Pepper as RFK.
I did find Tom Wilkinson distracting at times as he sounded like Hannibal Lector.

endakenny

Did Michelle, the secretary who Joe Kennedy Sr had an affair with and who was sacked by his wife after his stroke, exist in real life?

expectationlost

endakenny wrote: »

Did Michelle, the secretary who Joe Kennedy Sr had an affair with and who was sacked by his wife after his stroke, exist in real life?

not particularly but all he admit he had affairs

Richard Dower

Rachel Wilson was fantastic as Michelle, she was also Jake's crazy ex wife in Republic Of Doyle.

fryup

can't blame old Joe for having affairs, married to that old bag Rose

endakenny

fryup wrote: »

can't blame old Joe for having affairs, married to that old bag Rose

He treated her like shyte. Furthermore, he caused their daughter's brain damage by having her lobotomised.

shadowninty

But he was a Kennedy!