Michael Jackson: The Verdict has landed on Netflix. But if the new documentary has left you wanting to revisit Living with Michael Jackson, there’s still a way to watch it online – along with the controversial response film featuring the footage Jackson claimed viewers were “never meant to see”.
At the time of writing, Michael, the biopic starring Jaafar Jackson, has grossed more than $850 million worldwide. Notably, it avoids the sexual abuse allegations that surrounded the late pop star.
Those allegations are front and centre in the new Netflix documentary, which revisits Jackson’s 2005 criminal trial following the fallout from 2003’s Living with Michael Jackson.
Unfortunately, the original documentary isn’t available on ITVX. However, both it and the response documentary, The Footage You Were Never Meant To See, can still be streamed elsewhere.
Where to watch Living with Michael Jackson
Living with Michael Jackson is currently only available to watch in full on YouTube.
Despite originally airing on ITV, the documentary isn’t available through ITVX or STV Player. Instead, it has been uploaded in 17 separate parts by LEGENDS IN 4K REMASTERED, allowing viewers to stream the entire documentary online. The playlist has amassed more than 1.7 million views.
The documentary follows journalist Martin Bashir as he spends time with Jackson at Neverland Ranch, discussing everything from his music career and changing appearance to his relationships with children.
Bashir also features in Michael Jackson: The Verdict, where his role in the original documentary has once again come under scrutiny from Jackson supporters.
The film also includes appearances from Gavin Arvizo, who later testified against Jackson during the trial alongside his younger brother Star and mother Janet.
In the documentary, Gavin speaks about how Jackson helped him “be happy and beat cancer” and discusses sharing a bed with the singer. He later accused Jackson of molesting him when he was 13.
Living with Michael Jackson proved hugely controversial when it aired. It effectively helped trigger the criminal investigation that ultimately led to Jackson’s trial, where he was acquitted on all counts.
Following the documentary’s release, Jackson said he felt “betrayed” by Bashir.
“[He] feels particularly devastated that he has been treated so badly by Martin Bashir, whom he let into the Jackson family home on a number of occasions over eight months, in the belief that Bashir wished to make a genuine documentary of his life,” an earlier statement read.
“I am surprised that a professional journalist would compromise his integrity by deceiving me in this way.”
How to stream The Michael Jackson Interview: The Footage You Were Never Meant To See
If you want to watch The Footage You Were Never Meant To See, you’ll need to head to YouTube as well.
The 77-minute documentary originally aired on Sky One in 2003 and became one of the channel’s biggest launches. It’s currently available via a YouTube upload from sfcplanet, where it has attracted more than 131,000 views.
Presented by Maury Povich, the programme serves as a direct rebuttal to Living with Michael Jackson and features footage that did not appear in Bashir’s documentary. Jackson reportedly sold the unused material to Fox for £1.6 million.
One of the most-discussed moments sees Bashir, who later described Neverland as a “dangerous place” for children, praising the ranch during the unused footage.
He calls it an “incredible” and “spiritual” place.
“Your relationship with your children is spectacular. It almost makes me weep when I see you with them because your interaction with them is so natural, so loving, so caring,” he also says.
Responding to the programme at the time, an ITV Granada spokesman said (via The Guardian): “Reaction to our film stems from what Michael Jackson says and does in the documentary, not Martin Bashir’s actions or words.
“We still stand wholeheartedly by our documentary. We do not understand what all the fuss is about over this Fox programme.”
Read more: The best Netflix series you can stream right now
Michael Jackson: The Verdict is available to stream on Netflix now.
Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think?