TLC and A&E say no to a new reality show she's pitching about husband Todd's snowmobile adventures. If the Palins teamed with Conrad Murray, maybe MSNBC would bite?
Jeff Fusco/Getty ImagesThe Undefeated, the documentary that chronicles Sarah Palin’s rise from Wasilla, Alaska homemaker to Republican rainmaker, will have its TV debut on ReelzChannel. The network announced Tuesday that it will premiere Stephen K. Bannon’s documentary on March 11 at 8 p.m., the same weekend HBO will bow Game Change, which has Julianne Moore playing Palin in an adaptation of Mark Halperin and John Heilemann’s book about the 2008 presidential campaigns.
“We’re thrilled to have yet another opportunity to bring a big story to viewers,” said ReelzChannel CEO Stan E. Hubbard, in a statement. “Sarah Palin is a charismatic figure who burst onto the political scene, and whatever your leanings, if you have any interest or curiosity in politics, social change or the Sarah Palin phenomenon, this is a must-see movie”
Last year, Reelz picked up The Kennedys, Joel Surnow’s controversial movie about the former first family that was dropped by History channel.
VIDEO: HBO’s ‘Game Change’ Trailer Features Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin
Added Bannon: “We are incredibly excited that ReelzChannel has made the courageous decision to present the network television premiere on the same weekend as the fictionalized hit-piece by HBO.”
Not surprisingly, The Undefeated received largely negative reviews from film critics. Roger Ebert called The Undefeated a two-hour “campaign film in search of a campaign.” New York magazine’s David Edelstein characterized it as a “clamorous, two-hour political infomercial.”
A niche film to be sure, pulled in $65,132 on 10 screens in its opening weekend last summer.
Reelz is available in 62 million homes on DirecTV, Dish Network, Verizon FiOS TV and AT&T U-verse as well as some local cable providers.
