A new drama series about the Kennedy dynasty, called Kennedy, has been greenlit by Netflix. The series is set to chart the all-American family’s rise through the ranks of political power.
“Kennedy reveals the intimate lives, loves, rivalries and tragedies that shaped the most iconic dynasty in modern history, and helped create the world we live in today,“ the show’s official logline explains.
The series will begin long before John F. Kennedy reached the White House, with Michael Fassbender set to morph into the first season’s leading man: Joseph Kennedy Sr.—the Kennedy family’s patriarchal head, according to Variety.
Kennedy Sr. was an accomplished politician himself who President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed to become the first chairman of the SEC and the first Director of the United States Maritime Commission. He also served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom at the beginning of World War II from 1938-1940.
The approved eight-episode first season will begin in the 1930s, highlighting Joseph Kennedy Sr.’s “improbable ascent,” according to the series logline. It will also feature “Rose Kennedy and their nine children, including rebellious second son Jack, who struggles to escape the shadow of his golden boy older brother.” Casting has yet to be announced for roles outside of Kennedy Sr.
The series is inspired by the book JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956 by Frederik Logevall. The book was published in 2020, as the first in a two-volume planned explanation of Kennedy’s life. It explored Kennedy’s life from when he was born to his time serving as the junior senator from Massachusetts.
Sam Shaw, known for Castle Rock and Manhattan, will serve as showrunner and executive producer with Thomas Vinterberg to direct.
“The story of the Kennedys is the closest we have to American mythology—somewhere between Shakespeare and The Bold and the Beautiful‚” Shaw told Tudum. “But Fredrik Logevall’s stunning, nuanced biography pulls a veil on the human strivings and burdens behind the myth, revealing as much about our present moment, how we got here and where we’re going, as about the Kennedys themselves.”
Shaw also noted that he’s “thrilled to be able to explore this saga of a family and a world in transition” at “a moment when our past feels urgently present.”
Variety previously reported on the show being in the works two years ago. At the time, the outlet was told by sources that Netflix believed the show to be something like an American version of The Crown, which over the show’s six seasons won the streaming giant 24 Emmys and the first three seasons were reportedly watched in 73 million households.
Kennedy comes amidst a trove of other recent and upcoming movies, series and documentaries centered around the Kennedy dynasty. In August, CNN released a three-part documentary series about the life and death of John F. Kennedy Jr. Ryan Murphy’s series American Love Story will premiere on FX in February 2026, highlighting the relationship between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. Paul Kelly, Sarah Pidgeon and Naomi Watts are all attached to the Murphy project. Meanwhile, Al Pacino, Jessica Chastain, Brendan Fraser and Bryan Cranston are all attached to a JFK conspiracy movie called Assassination that follows journalist Dorothy Kilgallen who didn’t believe that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.
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