Somehow I knew you'd come around. While it's true that reading the written word often packs less wallop than hearing it live, after seeing the NY Times article, I had no doubt in my mind this mini-series was going to be a hatchet job. Hearing the live scenes from Drudge on Limbaugh's show just reinforced what many of us already knew.
Keep in mind that much of what is discussed here at FR is based on written word. Regarding this issue, there was really no reason to question our immediate belief that CBS and Co. were out to trash Ronnie and Nancy. You didn't really believe this show was going to be fair, did you? While I accept your original decision to give CBS the benefit of the doubt until you saw it, it really wasn't necessary to do so, was it?
In short, CBS proved the old adage...if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck...and waiting for it to fly south before deciding it's a duck is silly.