Produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman's studio Playtone, the 10-part series chronicled events and popular culture of the United States during the 1960s.
[1] The premiere of The Sixties was a ratings success for CNN; it was seen by 1.39 million total viewers,[citation needed] finishing in between Fox News Channel and MSNBC in total viewership, and beating its rivals in key demographic audience share.
[6][7] In 2013, CNN president Jeff Zucker came up with the concept of The Sixties from conversations about "the forthcoming anniversary of JFK’s assassination, The Beatles, and the civil rights movement".
Inspiration for the series also came to Zucker after being impressed with the National Geographic historical television film Killing Lincoln, which included Mark Herzog as one of the executive producers.
[18] Upon the announcement of the series by Variety on September 17, 2013, Vinnie Malhotra, senior vice president of development and acquisition in CNN, stated that they were "looking at [The Sixties] as a major television event."