Tom Wilkinson

Recount the scandal, tragedy, public greatness and private frailty of America’s first “royal” family in the eight-hour scripted drama/miniseries The Kennedys, an intimate look at how Joseph Kennedy Sr. shaped his sons, John and Robert, to become two of the most influential men in the country’s history. Catch a special exclusive sneak peek now! Also available on Amazon Instant Video

Inspired by one of the world's most iconic families, this eight-hour scripted drama/miniseries ventures upstairs at the White House to chronicle the saga of America's first 'royal' family during the 1960s. Through exhaustive research, The Kennedys provides an intimate look at how Joseph Kennedy Sr. shaped his sons, John and Robert, to become two of the most influential men in the country's history. With political events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, Bay of Pigs and the civil rights movement playing background to the personal stories of the relationships between brother and brother and father and son, The Kennedys details how the two men handled their father, whose ambition exceeded their own, and ultimately made them who they were. Told by Joe Kennedy, an ambitious and egocentric father, The Kennedys recounts the scandal, tragedy, public greatness and private frailty of our nation's most fabled political family during one of the most momentous decades in history.

On the morning of the 1960 presidential election, Joe Sr. continues to pull out all the stops to guarantee Jack's victory. Bobby Kennedy, who has been drafted by his father to serve as Jack's campaign manager, suffers the slings and arrows of Joe Sr.'s wrath as the returns take a turn against them. Bobby tells his wife Ethel that after the election - win or lose - he's out of politics for good. A trip back in time reveals Jack's lack of enthusiasm for politics, his father's fraudulent efforts to ensure his son's election to Congress in 1946, the congressman's introduction to Jacqueline Bouvier five years later, and their eventual marriage, despite Jack's reputation as a ladies' man with a penchant for wooing women. Fast forward to November 9, 1960... and it's official; John F. Kennedy is the new president - by the closest margin in U.S. history. In a private moment, Jackie tells Jack she won't tolerate any more of his affairs. 'I've had my private humiliations. I won't have them in front of the American people,' she says.

1777. A new period of separation from Abigail looms when Adams is appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to France along with Benjamin Franklin. Abigail insists that Adams take along their son, John Quincy. The two endure a rough ocean voyage--and a skirmish with a British warship-in making their way to France. There, the difference in styles between Adams and the relaxed, epicurean Franklin become apparent. As Abigail, back home, fetes a French Admiral in her husband's stead, Adams endures a series of uncomfortable encounters in Paris, and his strident demands that France increase their naval commitment to America's war effort draws the wrath of Franklin, whose credo is that a good diplomat can accomplish much by appearing to accomplish little. After sending John Quincy to Russia to work as secretary to the American minister there, Adams falls victim to a long illness and fever, helpless to further advance the revolution he helped spawn.