The BEST episodes of The Kennedys

Every episode of The Kennedys ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Kennedys!

The story of the most fabled political family in American history, told in a manner similar to The Godfather: a manipulative, egocentric father determined to live out his own ambitions through his sons, who in turn spent their lives dancing to his tune while at the same time trying to stand on their own. This is history through personality - the tangled relationships through which paint a picture of one of the most turbulent periods of the modern age.

Last Updated: 1/20/2024Network: ReelzChannelStatus: Ended
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Cuban Missiles
star
8.10
493 votes

#1 - Cuban Missiles

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 4/8/2011

The Cuban missile crisis brings America and Russia to the brink of war; Jackie leaves JFK after one infidelity too many. “The lasting legacy of Jack and Bobby Kennedy was to resolve political crisis with the least amount of bloodshed possible…We never went to war with the Soviet Union. Had that crisis not been handled the way it was, we wouldn’t be here. This planet would be dead. Everything else pales to insignificance compared to that.” - Writer Stephen Kronish

Directors: Jon Cassar
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
My Brother's Keeper
star
8.08
341 votes

#2 - My Brother's Keeper

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 4/10/2011

Bobby blames himself for his brother’s death. Five years later, tragedy strikes again. “I admire Robert Kennedy because of his courage to stand up during an extremely volatile and difficult time in America, knowing full well what might happen to him. RFK lived and died as a passionate advocate of peace, justice and equality and he believed in compassion toward fellow human beings, not only in the United States, but all over the world. I believe he would have made an extraordinary President. Now, more than ever, the world is in need of men like Robert Kennedy.” - Barry Pepper

Directors: Jon Cassar
Watch Now:Amazon
Joe's Revenge
star
7.82
580 votes

#3 - Joe's Revenge

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/3/2011

The Kennedys rally to put Jack in the White House, but their difficult past illuminates a deeper struggle. “People talk about the curse that seems to echo down the generations of the Kennedys and in a certain sense it’s true,” says Tom Wilkinson. “And if you are going to see it in the kind of Greek tragedy sense, there isn’t a better sort of patriarchal figure than Joe Kennedy because his world view was extreme. His world view was: ambition, money and family. It’s almost medieval in its simplicity … but almost everything else went by the boards.” -Tom Wilkinson

Directors: Jon Cassar
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Lancer and Lace
star
7.72
471 votes

#4 - Lancer and Lace

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 4/10/2011

Jack and Jackie suffer the loss of their newborn child; she and JFK are in Dallas on that fateful day in November. “There’s an arc of the love story through the whole eight episodes. In episode seven [after the death of their newborn son], they’ve really started to reconnect. They’ve had their ups and downs and at the point where you think that they can live happily ever after, the unfortunate happens.” - Director Jon Cassar

Directors: Jon Cassar
Bobby's War
star
7.70
499 votes

#5 - Bobby's War

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/6/2011

When the Bay of Pigs invasion proves disastrous, JFK makes a difficult decision he must later atone for. “John F. Kennedy changed the image of the United States when he was president. People around the world remember that time and remember the days when America was the leading shining light for freedom and democracy, which was represented so well by Kennedy at the time.” - Executive Producer Michael Prupas

Directors: Jon Cassar
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The First Campaign
star
7.51
353 votes

#6 - The First Campaign

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/3/2011

The Presidential election comes down to the wire; Bobby tells Joe Sr. he’s leaving politics. “John F. Kennedy was a very complicated person who meant a lot of things to a lot of different people. I have my own interpretation of who he was and what his legacy was. Kennedy served as President of the United States during an extraordinary period of time and brought us exceptional social and political changes in a short time, in 1000 days. He gave this country a sense of purpose and enthusiasm which was much needed at that time.” - Greg Kinnear

Directors: Jon Cassar
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Bay of Pigs
star
7.42
465 votes

#7 - Bay of Pigs

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/5/2011

When the Bay of Pigs invasion proves disastrous, JFK makes a difficult decision he must later atone for. “John F. Kennedy changed the image of the United States when he was president. People around the world remember that time and remember the days when America was the leading shining light for freedom and democracy, which was represented so well by Kennedy at the time.” - Executive Producer Michael Prupas

Directors: Jon Cassar
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Life Sentences
star
7.28
473 votes

#8 - Life Sentences

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 4/7/2011

Riots over desegregation in the South force JFK to act; Jackie’s use of amphetamines continues; Joe Sr. suffers a stroke. “Jack and Jackie Kennedy were truly the king and queen of America at the time. They were called America’s royalty because they were…But as beautiful as they looked, and as trouble free as they seemed, underneath there was always another more troubled layer.” - Director Jon Cassar

Directors: Jon Cassar
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV