On Saturday, Lifetime debut its original movie based off of the life of actress and model Anna Nicole Smith.
The film bested Lifetime’s other originals, including the recently debuted Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret drama and the network’s number one movie, Casey Anthony. The Anna Nicole film currently stands as the most-watched original movie of 2013.
3.3 million viewers tuned into the premiere, including 1.6 million adults 25-54 and 1.4 million adults 18-49, reports TVbythenumbers.
The movie stars Agnes Bruckner as Anna Nicole Smith, beginning with her childhood and early teenage years as Vickie Lynn Hogan, high-school drop out and single mother looking for a way to make herself stand out. Lifetime shows Vickie Lynn’s transformation to Anna Nicole, touching on her marriage to J. Howard Marshall, her battle with drugs, and her struggle to maintain her husband’s fortune after his death. References to idol Marilyn Monroe are also incorporated throughout the film, until Anna Nicole’s tragic death just five months after the birth of her daughter and death of her son.
Anna Nicole was executive produced by Verno’s Peace Out Productions and Zadan and Meron’s Storyline Entertainment in association with Sony Pictures Television.