Critic Reviews

The series does an expert job unpacking the ins and outs of the three-month-long trial. .... What’s most significant is Green’s ability to showcase how the trial wasn’t going to be “fair” on either side.

There’s not much, if anything, new in director Nick Green’s two-and-a-half-hour series. .... But The Verdict walks viewers through the tangle of Jackson’s court case with a steady hand and clear eyes, making it essential viewing for anyone who’s curious about what Michael left out.

Michael Jackson: The Verdict does a solid job of delving into the details of its subject’s darkest era, but at just three episodes, even its interrogative approach doesn’t feel like enough to unpack such a complex legacy.

It is both emotional, but also somewhat bloodless and distanced. .... It is methodical, clinical and complete. .... It is a spectacle more than a revelation. .... It seems clear that neither the film "Michael" nor the documentary "Verdict" will change the minds of anyone.

There is nothing inherently wrong with Michael Jackson: The Verdict. It’s a well-made docuseries that tries to show both sides of Jackson’s molestation trial. But it also feels completely unnecessary.

Perhaps the saddest thing is that a genuinely unsettling situation has been rendered dull by endless repetition – to the extent that the most interesting thing about this documentary is who they got to appear in it.