A&E picks up series about the Jackson brothers

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A&E is moving ahead with plans to air a reality series focusing on the Jackson brothers that began as a reunion project but will now also include footage of Michael Jackson’s family dealing with his death, a spokesman said today.

Although the cable network has not set a date yet for the series, footage of it was leaked to ‘Entertainment Tonight’ and will be shown on the air tonight. The documentary-style reality show, produced by Point 7 Entertainment, followed Jermaine Jackson, Tito Jackson, Marlon Jackson and Jackie Jackson as they planned a new album and tour to commemorate the group’s 40th anniversary this year, executive producer Jodi Gomes said.

Filming for the series began in January and concluded days before Jackson’s death but resumed again to deal with the aftermath of the King of Pop’s passing. Although Point 7 bills the show as a reunion of the full group, no footage of Michael Jackson was ever shot, an A&E spokesman said. Other members of the family will be seen in the series, Gomes said.

‘This is a very intimate look at this family in a way like you’ve never seen them,’ Gomes said. ‘The Jackson family has been approached many times about doing a reality series, but they weren’t interested in going the way of ‘The Osbournes’ and other shows in that vein. This is more of a documentary-style series that follows them very closely as they rehearse and get ready for a tour but also shows how they relate to each other.’

— Maria Elena Fernandez