Singer Michael Jackson testifies during his civil trial in Santa Maria Superior Court on December 3, 2002 in Santa Maria, California. Jim Ruyman-Pool/Getty Images Netflix isn’t letting Michael Jackson off so easily. Or really, it is David Herman and Candle True Stories posthumously holding his moonwalking feet to the fire.
On Wednesday, Netflix revealed the trailer and premiere date for its new three-part documentary series Michael Jackson: The Verdict.
“Told by key players who were inside the courtroom,” which here includes jurors, media members and attorneys, the docuseries “dissects the trial of Michael Jackson and his complex legacy,” the logline reads.
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Michael Jackson: The Verdict is set to premiere on June 3.
Herman is showrunner; Fiona Stourton, David Herman and former president of ABC News James Goldston executive produce the series. Nick Green directs each of the 50-minute-long episodes.
Watch the trailer below.
The primary criticism of this year’s feature film Michael, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson in the title role (as well as Nia Long and Colman Domingo), is that the movie doesn’t touch the King of Pop’s very serious criminal charges. Jackson was indicted on 10 criminal counts in 2003, including child molestation, administering an intoxicating agent (alcohol) to a minor, and conspiracy to commit child abduction and false imprisonment. In 2005, he was acquitted on all counts. Several civil lawsuits were since filed.
Michael gets away with ignoring all of that by conveniently ending in 1988 with his Bad World Tour. In 1993, Jackson faced similar allegations made by a 13-year-old boy, but was not charged. Jackson, who always maintained his innocence, died in 2009 due to acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication. The drugs were administered by his personal doctor.
In his review, The Hollywood Reporter‘s film critic David Rooney wrote that though the Jackson Family-sanctioned film was “sanitized” by the requirements of the estate, it was still “more soulful than you might expect.”
Michael, written by John Logan, ends with an epilogue card reading “His story continues.” For sure, but whether or not Logan and Fuqua will tell it via a sequel film remains to be seen. Michael Jackson: The Verdict does not suffer such ambiguity.
In 2019, HBO released the two-part documentary Leaving Neverland, directed by Dan Reed. Jackson accusers Wade Robson and James Safechuck both participated.
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