The Kennedys are getting The Crown treatment. In October 2025, Netflix announced a new family drama series about the Kennedys and the American dynasty they created over the course of the 20th century. The actors playing the crucial roles of John F. Kennedy, Joe Kennedy Jr., and more were announced in January 2026, and Netflix has now unveiled a slate of new cast members. The streamer also revealed a first look photo of Michael Fassbender as Kennedy patriarch, Joe Kennedy Sr.
Kennedy, based on Fredrik Logevall’s book JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956, will explore the triumphs and tragedies of the most famous American family. Netflix has already revealed key details about Kennedy, including who will play young Jack Kennedy. Scroll down to learn more about the upcoming Kennedy series and the big names who have joined the drama.
When will Kennedy premiere on Netflix?
The streamer hasn’t announced a premiere date for Kennedy yet. As of March 2026, production is now underway in London. The series probably won’t hit Netflix until 2027, at the earliest. The first season will consist of eight episodes.
Who has been cast in Kennedy?
Oscar nominee Fassbender has been tapped to play Joe Kennedy Sr., the head of the Kennedy family. Laura Donnelly will star as the family matriarch, Rose Kennedy.
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Nick Robinson, who recently starred in Netflix’s The Abandons, will play the eldest Kennedy son, Joe Kennedy Jr. Newcomer Joshuah Melnick has been cast as John F. “Jack” Kennedy. Robinson and Melnick will be series regulars. Recurring cast includes Ben Miles as longtime Joe Kennedy Sr. aide Eddie Moore, Lydia Peckham as Rosemary Kennedy, Saura Lightfoot-Leon as Kick Kennedy, Cole Doman as JFK’s best friend Lem Billings, and Imogen Poots as Gloria Swanson.
Sam Shaw will serve as showrunner and executive producer. Additional executive producers include Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and Kaitlin Dahill for Chernin Entertainment, Eric Roth, Fredrik Logevall, Lila Byock, Anya Epstein, Dustin Thomason, Thomas Vinterberg, and Anna O’Malley. Thomas Vinterberg will direct.
In March 2026, Netflix revealed a slate of recurring roles for the first season:
Georgina Bitmead plays Eunice Kennedy, the fifth child of Joe Kennedy Sr. and Rose Kennedy.
Miley Locke plays younger Kick Kennedy, the fourth child of Joe and Rose.
Tipper Seifert-Cleveland plays younger Rosemary Kennedy, the third child of Joe and Rose.
Hera Hilmar plays Inga Arvad, a Danish journalist and former motion picture star who was a close associate of Jack Kennedy during the early 1940s.
Wyatt Russell plays Charles Lindbergh, the American aviator who achieved international fame for the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight in 1927.
Patrick Fischler plays Arthur Krock, an influential American journalist who served as the Washington Bureau Chief for The New York Times from 1932 to 1953.
Caitlin FitzGerald plays Clare Boothe Luce, a prominent American writer and socialite in the Kennedy circle during the late 1930s, who went on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1943 to 1947.
Louis Landau plays Billy Cavendish, the Marquess of Hartington and a member of the British aristocracy.
Robin Soans plays Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister from 1937 to 1940, known for his leadership during the years leading up to World War II.
Denis O’Hare plays Raymond Furness, a career official within the U.S. State Department who served at the U.S. Embassy in London during the late 1930s.
Albert Welling plays Winston Churchill, the British statesman and First Lord of the Admiralty, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955.
Toby Huss plays Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, who served from 1933 until his death in 1945.
Eddie Marsan plays J. Edgar Hoover, the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), who led the agency from its inception in 1935 until 1972.
What will the first season of Kennedy be about?
According to the show’s logline, 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. Beginning in the 1930s, the first season charts the improbable ascent of Joe and Rose Kennedy and their nine children, including rebellious second son Jack, who struggles to escape the shadow of his golden boy older brother.”
Shaw told Tudum in a statement, “The story of the Kennedys is the closest we have to American mythology — somewhere between Shakespeare and The Bold and the Beautiful. 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. I’m thrilled to be able to explore this saga of a family and a world in transition with Eric Roth, Thomas Vinterberg, and our incredible band of artists and partners, at a moment when our past feels urgently present.”
It’s unknown whether or not the series, should it be renewed, will explore the lives of the Kennedys beyond 1956, including JFK winning the 1960 presidential election, his assassination in 1963, and RFK’s assassination in 1968.
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