{"id":4848,"date":"2026-07-24T18:37:41","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T18:37:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4848"},"modified":"2026-07-24T18:37:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T18:37:41","slug":"netflix-executives-considered-pulling-michael-jackson-the-verdict-docuseries-a-week-before-its-release-exclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4848","title":{"rendered":"Netflix Executives Considered Pulling \u2018Michael Jackson: The Verdict\u2019 Docuseries a Week Before Its Release (EXCLUSIVE)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>\nNetflix almost pulled the streamer\u2019s recent documentary \u201cMichael Jackson: The Verdict\u201d a week before its release for fear of reprisal, <em>Variety<\/em> has learned.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4846\">Inside Costa Rica\u2019s Alcatraz and Another 5 Top Locations<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\tThe three-part docuseries re-examines Jackson\u2019s 2005 criminal trial, which saw the pop superstar acquitted of all charges, including child molestation. It ultimately ran as planned, premiering on June 3. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n\t\u201cIt would have been very embarrassing to pull the series after you drop the trailer \u2014 it would have been a huge story,\u201d a source told <em>Variety<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tThat source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was one of two who told <em>Variety<\/em> that \u201chigher ups\u201d at the streamer got \u201ccold feet,\u201d and considered axing the project after it had already been announced, mere days before it was due to be released, primarily because of concerns about blowback from Jackson\u2019s estate, which has a reputation for litigiousness. The response from Jackson\u2019s fans, who are known to be vociferous in their support of the deceased singer, also added to the streamer\u2019s nervousness around the doc.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cIt was the fear of a lawsuit from the estate rather than the fans,\u201d the first source told <em>Variety<\/em>. \u201c[Netflix] was really scared of their financial muscle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tA Netflix spokesperson, however, disputed these claims in a statement to <em>Variety<\/em>, which read: \u201cCharacterizations that Netflix reconsidered the release or changed course because of outside pressure are inaccurate. The series launched as planned and reached the Netflix Top 10 for three weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tThe Michael Jackson estate\u2019s litigiousness, however, is well-documented. The estate previously sued HBO over the 2019 documentary \u201cLeaving Neverland,\u201d eventually succeeding in getting the film pulled from HBO Max in 2024. Before that, in 2018, the estate also sued ABC over another doc, \u201cThe Last Days of Michael Jackson,\u201d which resulted in the parties reaching an out-of-court settlement.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tDespite the streamer\u2019s concerns, <em>Variety<\/em> understands that, to date, Netflix has not heard from the estate. (A spokesperson for the estate did not immediately respond to <em>Variety<\/em>\u2018s request for comment.) But the source did say that Netflix was unhappy it received \u201cso many emails from the fans\u201d complaining about the documentary, although the company apparently relaxed after discovering a number of those emails were sent by bots, the source added.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tThe docuseries presents an even-handed look at how the 2005 trial unfolded, with first-hand testimony from both camps: those who believed Jackson was guilty of molesting 12-year-old Gavin Arvizo as well as those who continue to plead his innocence, including long-time Jackson family attorney Brian Oxman, publicist Raymone Bain and even a fan who quit her job to attend the trial at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4844\">Eli Roth-Executive Produced \u2018Burger Night: Luli, Magda &amp; Lore\u2019 Gets All-Female Cast (EXCLUSIVE)<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\tTwo jurors were also interviewed for the series, giving reasons for their decision. Neither Arvizo nor his family, who supported his account, participated.<\/p>\n<p>\n<em>Variety<\/em>\u2018s TV critic Aramide Tinubu wrote of the doc in her review: \u201cThough the show offers the details and accounts which eventually led to Jackson\u2019s acquittal, it stands more as an examination of our collective obsession with celebrity, who the public is willing to believe and why.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tJackson\u2019s fans, who remain convinced of their hero\u2019s innocence in the face of numerous child sex abuse allegations, have been quick to attack projects and outlets that set out the case against him in the past.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tA Change.org petition titled \u201cPull \u2018Michael Jackson: The Verdict\u2019 off Netflix\u201d has garnered more than 188,000 signatures, while numerous threads on social media platforms including Reddit have seen fans claiming to have canceled their Netflix subscriptions over the doc. On Rotten Tomatoes, the audience rating is 7%, while the reviews from critics put the series at 82%.<\/p>\n<p>\n<em>Variety<\/em> understands that Netflix took a number of precautions around releasing the documentary, including only announcing its existence just two weeks before the launch, sending security briefings to those involved in its production and only corresponding about the documentary from a single dedicated Netflix email address that did not disclose the sender\u2019s name. The streamer also declined all reviews ahead of the premiere, as well as any interviews with the documentary\u2019s makers.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cThere was anxiety,\u201d the source said. \u201cAnd as a result of that anxiety they took the decision there\u2019d be no marketing and no publicity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201c[The filmmakers] weren\u2019t allowed to talk,\u201d added the source. \u201cThere was no publicity whatsoever, it was extraordinary.\u201d In spite of the brouhaha behind the scenes, \u201cMichael Jackson: The Verdict,\u201d which was directed by Nick Green and produced by Candle True Stories, landed on the streamer on June 3, just a few months after the release of the estate\u2019s blockbuster \u201cMichael\u201d biopic, which ends its action before the allegations against Jackson began. The documentary quickly jumped to the top of the TV charts with 17.8 million views in its first five days, reaching No. 1 in 61 countries, and the Top 10 in 89 countries.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4842\">Costa Rican Below-the-Line Talents to Track<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Netflix almost pulled the streamer&#8217;s recent documentary &#8216;Michael Jackson: The Verdict&#8217; a week before its release for fear of reprisal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4847,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[3881,157],"class_list":["post-4848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tv","tag-michael-jackson-2","tag-netflix-2"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Netflix Executives Considered Pulling \u2018Michael Jackson: The Verdict\u2019 Docuseries a Week Before Its Release (EXCLUSIVE) - 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