This year, viewers are treated to a lot of unscripted TV dramas that successfully make the headlines for various reasons, including cheating and the death of the main cast member.
- Dec 25, 2019
AceShowbiz - Directed and produced by British filmmaker Dan Reed, "Leaving Neverland" stirred up controversy as it featured two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who claimed to be sexually abused as children by late singer Michael Jackson. In the HBO documentary, which aired on March 3 and 4, they detailed the sexual assault they experienced as kids at the hands of the music icon.
Despite being critically acclaimed, the show garnered mixed reactions from viewers, fans and family members of the singer. Some dubbed the documentary a "character assassination" and MJ's nephew Taj Jackson dismissed the TV movie as "one-sided hit job." Amazon Prime Video even launched "Michael Jackson: Chase the Truth" on August 13 to counter "Leaving Neverland".
Michael's daughter Paris Jackson also reacted to the documentary, writing on Twitter, "there's nothing i can say that hasn't already been said in regards to defense. taj is doing a perfect job on his own. and i support him. but that's not my role. i'm just tryna get everyone to chill out and go with the flow, be mellow and think about the bigger picture. that's me."
Oprah Winfrey also received extreme backlash following an interview with Michael's accusers on "Oprah Winfrey Presents: After Neverland" that premiered immediately after the explosive documentary. In response to the criticism, the talk show queen said, "I haven't had that much hateration since I did the puppy episode with Ellen [DeGeneres]. But when I saw that documentary, I realized that a lot of people are going to be triggered by watching it. I have done 217 shows trying to get people to understand that it's not about one person, that it is about the pattern. It is about the seduction."
