Some audiences were disappointed when the box office record-breaker ‘Michael’, released on April 2026, avoided addressing accusations of child abuse in its depiction of the star’s dazzling career.
On June 3, however, Netflix’s ‘Michael Jackson: The Verdict’ aims to revisit the case that became one of the most closely watched legal sagas of all time.
The three-part docuseries is set to feature archival footage from key individuals who were inside the courtroom during the 2005 trial in which Jackson was acquitted of all charges of child molestation – including jurors, eyewitnesses, accusers and defenders alike.
Revisiting the trial, 20 years later
The aim is to dissect the case against Jackson from the perspectives of both the prosecution and the defense.
“It has been 20 years since the trial of Michael Jackson in which he was found not guilty. Yet, to this day, controversy still rages,” said director Nick Green and executive producer Fiona Stourton in a statement.
“No cameras were allowed in court, and so the public’s view of the facts at the time were filtered by commentators and presented piecemeal. It was time to take a forensic look at the trial as a whole.”
The Santa Barbara Superior Court trial lasted 14 weeks, with the jury deliberating for more than 30 hours across seven days.
Jackson was acquitted on 10 felony charges that included four counts of child molestation, four counts of plying a minor with alcohol with intentions to molest him, one count of attempted child molestation and one count of conspiracy to hold the boy and his family captive in his infamous Neverland Ranch.
He faced more than 20 years in prison.
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Addressing the allegations
The ‘Michael’ (2026) biopic released in April received critical commentary surrounding its deliberate omission of the allegations facing Jackson, instead depicting the origin story of the hitmaker from early childhood through his rise in fame to superstar status in the 1980s.
Filmmakers Green and Stourton stated it felt like the right time to revisit the trial and its lingering questions.
According to Netflix, they approached it as a historical account with a presentation of the facts as they unfolded in court.
“Anyone interested in the Michael Jackson story should feel this documentary gives them a window into what was largely a closed event and a chance to feel closer to what happened,” they said.
“The aim was to take the audience inside the proceedings and only speak to eyewitnesses who played a part in those events.”
‘Michael Jackson: The Verdict’ premieres on June 3, with the trailer currently out on Netflix.
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