“It would have been very embarrassing to pull the series after releasing the trailer; it would have been a great story,” said a source. Variety.

That source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was one of two who said Variety that the streamer’s “higher-ups” got cold feet and considered scrapping the project after it had already been announced, just days before its release, primarily due to concerns about backlash from Jackson’s estate, which has a reputation for litigation. The response from Jackson fans, who are known for being vociferous in their support of the late singer, also increased the streamer’s nervousness around the doctor.

“It was the fear of a lawsuit by the heirs and not the fans,” said the first source. Variety. “[Netflix] “I was very afraid of their financial power.”

A Netflix spokesperson, however, disputed these claims in a statement to Varietywhich stated: “Characterizations that Netflix reconsidered the release or changed course due to outside pressure are inaccurate. The series launched as planned and reached Netflix’s Top 10 for three weeks.”

However, the litigation of Michael Jackson’s estate is well documented. The estate previously sued HBO over the 2019 documentary “Leaving Neverland,” eventually getting the film removed from HBO Max in 2024. Before that, in 2018, the estate also sued ABC over another documentary, “The Last Days of Michael Jackson,” which resulted in the parties reaching an out-of-court settlement.

Despite the transmitter’s concerns, Variety It is understood that, to date, Netflix has not heard from the estate. (A spokesperson for the estate did not immediately respond to Variety(Request for comment.) But the source said Netflix was unhappy because it received “so many emails from fans” complaining about the documentary, although the company apparently relaxed after discovering that several of those emails were sent by bots, the source added.

The docuseries presents an unbiased look at how the 2005 trial unfolded, with firsthand testimony from both sides: those who believed Jackson was guilty of sexually abusing 12-year-old Gavin Arvizo, as well as those who continue to claim his innocence, including longtime Jackson family attorney Brian Oxman, publicist Raymone Bain, and even a fan who quit her job to attend the trial in Santa Barbara County Court.

Two members of the series’ jury were also interviewed, who gave the reasons for their decision. Neither Arvizo nor his family, who supported his story, participated.

VarietyTelevision critic Aramide Tinubu wrote of the documentary in her review: “While the show offers the details and narratives that eventually led to Jackson’s acquittal, it is rather an examination of our collective obsession with celebrities, who the public is willing to believe and why.”

Jackson fans, who remain convinced of their hero’s innocence in the face of numerous allegations of child sexual abuse, have been quick to attack projects and outlets that exposed the case against him in the past.

A Change.org petition titled “Remove ‘Michael Jackson: The Verdict’ from Netflix” has garnered more than 188,000 signatures, while numerous threads on social media platforms, including Reddit, have seen fans claim to have canceled their Netflix subscriptions over the doc. On Rotten Tomatoes, the audience rating is 7%, while reviews put the series at 82%.

Variety understands that Netflix took a number of precautions surrounding the release of the documentary, including only announcing its existence just two weeks before release, sending security briefings to those involved in its production, and only corresponding about the documentary from a single Netflix-only email address that did not reveal the sender’s name. The streamer also rejected all reviews before the premiere, as well as any interviews with the documentary’s makers.

“There was anxiety,” the source said. “And as a result of that anxiety, they made the decision that there would be no marketing or advertising.”

“[The filmmakers] “We weren’t allowed to talk,” the source added. “There was no publicity at all, it was extraordinary.” Despite the behind-the-scenes hoopla, “Michael Jackson: The Verdict,” which was directed by Nick Green and produced by Candle True Stories, landed on Streamer on June 3, just a few months after the release of the property’s hit biopic “Michael,” which ends its action before the allegations against Jackson began. The documentary quickly shot to the top of the television charts with 17.8 million views in its first five days, reaching #1 in 61 countries and the top 10 in 89 countries.