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Kevin Costner's new television drama Hatfields & McCoys made cable television history with its premiere on Monday (May 28).



The three part mini-series is the History channel's first foray into scripted drama. Starring Costner and Bill Paxton, it tells the true story of the decades-spanning family feud between two 19th century families in Kentucky and West Virginia.

The Memorial Day premiere took in 13.9 million viewers, and 17 million in total from the show's two airings, reports Deadline. It makes Hatfields & McCoys the number one non-sports programme in basic cable television history.

History Channel president Nancy Dubuc said of the victory: "With all the success we have had at History, we felt strongly for some time that we should own historical drama, and in true History fashion, we have done it, with - pardon the pun - guns ablazin!"

Costner, known for his work on historical dramas like Dances with Wolves and Open Range, produced as well as starred in Hatfields & McCoys.

His band Modern West also recorded music for the six-hour mini-series

Episodes two and three of Hatfields & McCoys air on Tuesday (May 29) and Wednesday (May 30) at 9pm on the History Channel.