Hatfields & McCoys (miniseries)

Hatfields & McCoys
Poster
Genre	Docudrama
Screenplay by	Ted Mann Ronald Parker
Story by	Bill Kerby Ted Mann
Directed by	Kevin Reynolds
Starring	Kevin Costner Bill Paxton Tom Berenger Mare Winningham Jena Malone Boyd Holbrook Powers Boothe
Theme music composer	John Debney Tony Morales
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of episodes	3
Production
Producers	Kevin Costner Darrell Fetty Herb Nanas
Cinematography	Arthur Reinhart
Editor	Don Cassidy
Running time	290 minutes
Production companies	History ThinkFactory Media Sony Pictures Television
Original release
Network	History Channel
Release	May 28 (2012-05-28) – May 30, 2012 (2012-05-30)

Hatfields & McCoys is a 2012 American three-part Western television miniseries based on the Hatfield–McCoy feud produced by History Channel. The two-hour episodes aired on May 28, 29, and 30, 2012.^[1]

Premise

The miniseries recounts the famous feud between the Hatfields and McCoys (as well as the allies to both families), starting during the Civil War in 1863 and extending into the early years of The Reconstruction.

Cast and characters

Main

• Kevin Costner as William Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield
• Bill Paxton as Randolph "Randall" McCoy
• Matt Barr as Johnson "Johnse" Hatfield
• Tom Berenger as Jim Vance
• Powers Boothe as Judge Valentine "Wall" Hatfield
• Andrew Howard as "Bad" Frank Phillips
• Jena Malone as Nancy McCoy
• Sarah Parish as Levicy Hatfield
• Lindsay Pulsipher as Roseanna McCoy
• Ronan Vibert as Perry Cline
• Noel Fisher as Ellison "Cotton Top" Mounts
• Joe Absolom as Selkirk McCoy
• Boyd Holbrook as William "Cap" Hatfield
• Tom McKay as Jim McCoy
• Sam Reid as Tolbert McCoy
• Jilon VanOver as Ransom Bray
• Mare Winningham as Sally McCoy

Recurring

• Damian O'Hare as Ellison Hatfield
• Greg Patmore as Elias "Good 'Lias" Hatfield
• Andy Gathergood as Skunkhair Tom Wallace
• Noah Taylor as Lark Varney
• John Bell as Billy "Audie" Bempsey
• Max Deacon as Calvin McCoy
• Jack Laskey as Sam McCoy
• Jonathan Fredrick as Jefferson McCoy
• Michael Jibson as Phamer McCoy
• Chad Hugghins as Harmon McCoy
• Tyler F. Jackson as Bud McCoy
• Katie Griffiths as Alifair McCoy
• Rebecca Calder as Martha McCoy
• Nick Dunning as Reverend Garrett
• Alixandra Fuchs as Kate Schoonover
• Michael Woods as Cat Miller
• Robert Moran as John B. Floyd
• Joy McBrinn as Betty Blankenship
• Jon Bloch as TC Crawford

Production

The miniseries was History's first aired scripted drama^[2] (the network had previously produced a scripted miniseries in 2011, The Kennedys, but decided against airing it in the United States).^[3]

Although the story is set in the Appalachians in West Virginia and Kentucky, the miniseries was shot in Romania, just outside Brașov with the Carpathians standing in for the Appalachians.^[4][5]

Music

The score for the series was composed by John Debney and Tony Morales, with additional music by Kevin Costner and Modern West.^[1] The soundtrack features vocals performed by Lisbeth Scott on The Long Road Down.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 71% based on 24 reviews, with an average rating of 7.34/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Hatfields and McCoys is a violent and gritty spectacle that perhaps takes itself too seriously."^[6] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[7]

Linda Stasi of the New York Post commented:

When I first heard about it, my thought was: Why? But that was before I sat through all six hours of this intense saga. Most miniseries this long tend to lose steam somewhere between the beginning of Night 1 and the middle of Night 2. Not this one...The miniseries is full of stand-out performances from great actors... But it's the guys you may not know who will blow you away.^[8]

Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker gave the series a B+, stating: "In stretching the tale over three nights, the pacing sags at times, and recriminations can get repetitive. It also doesn't help that Reynolds shot the miniseries in that perpetual sepia tone that gives everything a faux-antique look. But overall, Hatfields & McCoys is engrossing, and enlightening about a feud that proves to be a lot more than the bumpkin brawl of pop legend."^[9] Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times wrote:

Although deftly nailed into its time and place with sets and costumes so vivid you can smell the blue wood smoke and the stink of moonshine sweat, Hatfields & McCoys transcends the confines of its age by revealing the feud's posturing, resentments and callous violence that mirror the dynamics of modern urban gangs... It isn't a perfect piece—when faced with a choice between historic detail and story, Hatfields & McCoys errs on the side of detail, which is both the series' greatest strength and weakness.^[10]

Among the negative critics was Verne Gay of Newsday who called the series "violent and dull", adding:

What's not to like about Hatfields & McCoys? Simple: the story. It's an uninteresting one, peopled with almost criminally bland characters. In fact, as portrayed here—quite possibly accurately—they're a bunch of bibulous knuckleheads who shoot at each other year after year—or on TV, hour after hour—and have no real idea why. It's an interminable eye-for-eye, tooth-for-tooth narrative.^[11]

Washington Post's Hank Stuever also gave a negative review:

The point of the entire saga, it seems, is to make you lose track of what the feudin' was about, and how it managed to burn out of control. It will always be tempting to view their story through any modern analogy of one's choosing—such as partisan political stalemates or the red-blue socioeconomic divide. But maybe the story of the Hatfields and McCoys doesn't amount to anything at all. Maybe, since it also doesn't make much of miniseries, it was meant to be a footnote and nothing more.^[12]

Ratings

Part one drew the largest ever ratings for a History program and one of the biggest in cable TV history. 13.9 million viewers tuned into the first of three parts, making it the most-watched single broadcast on ad-supported cable ever, excluding sports. Demographic numbers were high as well, with 4.8 million viewers in the adults 18–49 demographic and 5.8 million viewers among adults 24–54.^[13] Part two was watched by 13.13 million viewers with an adult 18–49 rating of 3.7, the highest rated programming on cable of the night.^[14] Part three was watched by 14.29 million viewers with an adult 18-49 rating of 4.0, making it the number-one program of the night.^[15]

Accolades

Hatfields & McCoys received 16 nominations at the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards, the most since the History Channel began operations.^[16]

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2012	Artios Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Television Movie/Mini Series	Fern Champion and Amy Hubbard	Nominated	[17]
	Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries	Kevin Costner	Nominated	[18]
	Golden Eagle Awards	Entertainment – Drama	Leslie Greif, Nancy Dubuc, Dirk Hoogstra, Barry Berg, Kevin Costner, Darrell Fetty, Herb Nanas, and Vlad Paunescu	Won	[19]
	Hollywood Post Alliance Awards	Outstanding Color Grading – Television	Lorraine Grant (for "Part 2")	Nominated	[20]
		Outstanding Sound – Television	Christian Cooke and Brad Zoern (for "Part 3")	Nominated
	Online Film & Television Association Awards	Best Motion Picture or Miniseries		Nominated	[21]
		Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries	Kevin Costner	Nominated
			Bill Paxton	Nominated
		Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries	Kevin Reynolds	Nominated
		Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries	Ted Mann, Ronald Parker, and Bill Kerby	Nominated
		Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries		Nominated
		Best Cinematography in a Non-Series		Nominated
		Best Costume Design in a Non-Series		Nominated
		Best Editing in a Non-Series		Nominated
		Best Makeup/Hairstyling in a Non-Series		Nominated
		Best Music in a Non-Series		Nominated
		Best Production Design in a Non-Series		Won
		Best Sound in a Non-Series		Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Miniseries or Movie	Leslie Greif, Nancy Dubuc, Dirk Hoogstra, Barry Berg, Kevin Costner, Darrell Fetty, Herb Nanas, and Vlad Paunescu	Nominated	[22]
		Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie	Kevin Costner	Won
			Bill Paxton	Nominated
		Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie	Tom Berenger	Won
		Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie	Mare Winningham	Nominated
		Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special	Kevin Reynolds	Nominated
		Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special	Ted Mann, Ronald Parker, and Bill Kerby (for "Part 2")	Nominated
	Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie	Derek R. Hill, Serban Porupca, John B. Vertrees, and Sally Black	Nominated
		Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special	Fern Champion and Amy Hubbard	Nominated
		Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special	Karri Hutchinson and Adina Bucur (for "Part 1")	Nominated
		Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Movie	Giorgio Gregorini, Peter Nicastro, and Gabriele Gregorini	Nominated
		Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries or a Movie (Non-Prosthetic)	Mario Michisanti and Francesca Tampieri	Won
		Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Original Dramatic Score)	John Debney and Tony Morales (for "Part 1")	Nominated
		Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or a Movie	Don Cassidy (for "Part 2")	Won
		Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special	Tom Bjelic, John Laing, John Douglas Smith, Mark Dejczak, Michael Mancuso, Dermain Finlayson, Kevin Banks, Darrell Hall, Alex Bullick, Nathan Robitaille, Dan Kiener, Emilie Boucek, and Steve Baine (for "Part 1")	Nominated
		Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie	Dragos Stanomir, Christian T. Cooke, and Brad Zoern (for "Part 1")	Won
	Satellite Awards	Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television		Won	[23]
		Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television	Kevin Costner	Nominated
		Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television	Mare Winningham	Nominated
	Television Critics Association Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries, and Specials		Nominated	[24]
2013	American Cinema Editors Awards	Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Television	Don Cassidy (for "Part 1")	Nominated	[25]
	American Society of Cinematographers Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Motion Picture/Miniseries	Arthur Reinhart	Nominated	[26]
	Art Directors Guild Awards	Excellence in Production Design Award – Television Movie or Mini-Series	Derek R. Hill, Serban Porupca, John B. Vertrees, Vlad Roseanu, Grigore Puscariu, Elena Ioana, Ellen King, Sally Black, Aniela Ban, and Radu Ciocanau	Nominated	[27]
	ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards	Top Television Series	John Debney	Won	[28]
	BMI Film & TV Awards	Cable Mini-Series Award	Tony Morales	Won	[29]
	Cinema Audio Society Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Movies and Mini-Series	Dragos Stanomir, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern, Jeff Vaughn, Eric Apps, and Peter Persaud	Won	[30]
	Costume Designers Guild Awards	Outstanding Made for Television Movie or Miniseries	Karri Hutchinson	Nominated	[31]
	Directors Guild of America Awards	Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Miniseries	Kevin Reynolds	Nominated	[32]
	Golden Globe Awards	Best Miniseries or Television Film		Nominated	[33]
		Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film	Kevin Costner	Won
	Golden Nymph Awards	Outstanding Actor – Mini-Series		Nominated	[34]
			Bill Paxton	Nominated
	Golden Reel Awards	Best Sound Editing – Long Form Music in Television	Kevin Banks and Darrell Hall (for "Part 2")	Nominated	[35]
	Producers Guild of America Awards	David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television	Barry M. Berg, Kevin Costner, Darrell Fetty, Leslie Greif, and Herb Nanas	Nominated	[36]
	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie	Kevin Costner	Won	[37]
			Bill Paxton	Nominated
	Western Heritage Awards	Western Documentary		Won	[38]
	Western Writers of America Awards	Best Western Drama Script (Fiction)	Ted Mann, Ronald Parker, and Bill Kerby	Nominated	[39]
	Writers Guild of America Awards	Long Form – Original		Won	[40]

Home video release

The series was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc formats on July 31, 2012. The bonus material includes a music video of "I Know These Hills" from Kevin Costner and Modern West from their album Famous for Killing Each Other: Music From and Inspired By Hatfields & McCoys.^[41]

Effect on tourism

According to WYMT-TV in Hazard, Kentucky, the series has generated an increase in tourism to the area from people wanting to know about the feud. Pike County Tourism Vice Chair Reed Potter said,

It's been beyond our expectations. We've been getting requests for brochures that tell about the feud sites and places people can visit at a rate today last I checked of about two per minute.^[42]

References

1. "Hatfields & McCoys". History. May 24, 2012. Archived from the original on May 28, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
2. Memmott, Carol (May 24, 2012). "History comes out shooting with 'Hatfields & McCoys'". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 28, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
3. Belloni, Matthew (January 7, 2010). "EXCLUSIVE: History Channel Pulls 'The Kennedys'; Says Controversial Miniseries 'Not a Fit'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 8 January 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
4. "Hatfields & McCoys: Romania Becomes Appalachia". History Channel. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
5. "Interview with Kevin Costner on the set of 'Hatfields & McCoys' in Romania". YouTube. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
6. "Hatfield and McCoys: Season 1 (2010)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
7. "Hatfields & McCoys". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2012-05-30. Retrieved 2012-05-28.
8. Stasi, Linda (May 27, 2012). "Loathe thy neighbor. 'Hatfields & McCoys' no hillbilly joke". New York Post. Archived from the original on May 29, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
9. Tucker, Ken (May 25, 2012). "TV Review – Hatfields & Mccoys (2012)". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
10. McNamara, Mary (May 28, 2012). "Review: 'Hatfields & McCoys' has vivid detail, fine acting". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
11. Gay, Verne (May 25, 2012). ""Hatfields and McCoys": It's a bland feud". Newsday. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
12. Stuever, Hank (May 25, 2012). ""Hatfields & McCoys": Brawlers in the holler". Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
13. Porter, Rick (29 May 2012). "Hatfields & McCoys makes ratings history for History Channel". Zap2it.com. Archived from the original on 30 May 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
14. Bibel, Sara (May 31, 2012). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Hatfields & McCoys' Wins Night, NBA Playoffs, 'Tosh.0', 'Deadliest Catch', 'Workaholics', 'Real Housewives' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 1, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
15. Bibel, Sara (May 31, 2012). "Wednesday Cable Ratings: 'Hatfields & McCoys' Wins Night, NBA Playoffs, 'Hardcore History', 'Restaurant Impossible', 'Melissa & Joey' 'Daily Show' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 3, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
16. Braxton, Greg (July 19, 2012). "Emmys: 'Hatfields & McCoys' feud draws 16 nominations". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
17. "2012 Artios Awards". www.castingsociety.com. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
18. "Critics' Choice TV Awards: 'Homeland', 'Community' & 'Sherlock' Double Winners". Deadline Hollywood. June 18, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
19. "Hatfields & McCoys". CINE. June 18, 2012. Archived from the original on 2013-02-10. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
20. "2012 HPA Awards". Hollywood Professional Association. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
21. "16th Annual TV Awards (2011-12)". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
22. "Hatfields & McCoys". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
23. "2012 Satellite Awards". Satellite Awards. International Press Academy. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
24. "The Television Critics Association Announces 2012 TCA Award Nominees". Television Critics Association. June 7, 2012. Archived from the original on August 18, 2012.
25. "American Cinema Editors Announce 63rd Annual Eddie Award Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. January 11, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
26. "ASC Awards: 'Skyfall's Roger Deakins Wins Feature Film Honor; TV Winners Include 'Great Expectations', 'Game Of Thrones', 'Wilfred', 'Hunted'". Deadline Hollywood. 11 February 2013.
27. "Nominees/Winners". Art Directors Guild. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
28. "ASCAP To Honor Composer Patrick Doyle at Film & TV Music Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. June 3, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
29. "Cliff Martinez and Top Composers Honored at the 2013 BMI Film & TV Awards". Broadcast Music, Inc. 16 May 2013. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
30. "Cinema Audio Society Nominations Announced". The Hollywood Reporter. 8 January 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
31. "15th Costume Designers Guild Awards". Costume Designers Guild. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
32. "65th DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
33. "Hatfields & McCoys – Golden Globes". HFPA. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
34. "2013 Gracies Golden Nymph Awards Winners" (PDF). Golden Nymph Awards. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
35. "'Life Of Pi' Wins Pair of Sound Editors' Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
36. Finke, Nikke (January 26, 2012). "Producers Guild 2013 Award Winners: 'Argo', 'Homeland', 'Searching For Sugar Man', 'Wreck-It Ralph', 'Game Change', 'Modern Family', 'Amazing Race', 'Colbert Report'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
37. "The 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
38. "Hatfields & McCoys". National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
39. "Winners – Western Writers of America". Western Writers of America. 12 May 2012. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
40. "Previous Nominees & Winners: 2012 Awards Winners". Writers Guild Awards. Archived from the original on 2015-05-12. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
41. Lambert, David (June 1, 2012). "Hatfields and McCoys (mini-series) — Sony's Official Press Release for the Just-Aired History Channel Series". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
42. Burks, Whitney (May 31, 2012). "Tourism increases after Hatfield-McCoy mini-series". WYMT-TV. Retrieved June 1, 2012.

External links

• Official website
• The Story of the McCoys Barry McCoy Author, Hatfield McCoy Feud Historian and Official Spokesperson for the McCoy Family. The Story of the McCoys ISBN 978-0-615-67030-0
• Hatfields & McCoys at IMDb
• TV series on Hatfield-McCoy feud aims for accuracy