A four-hour Janet Jackson documentary is on the way

Janet Jackson is getting the documentary treatment, and the project is coming at fans just in time for a huge, milestone anniversary. Lifetime announced that it has ordered a four-hour documentary about legendary performer Janet Jackson and the two-part event will celebrate the 40^th anniversary of her first album.

JANET the album was released in 1982 when Jackson was 16 years old. JANET the documentary is expected to debut in early 2022 on Lifetime and on A&E in a massive cross-network event. (Both cable stations are owned by A+E Networks in the States.) 

According to executives from A+E Networks, who made the announcement at their virtual upfront advertiser presentation on March 3, this documentary takes an unprecedented look at the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s life. And, she also happens to be producing it. 

According to top brass, the documentary has been filming for three years now, since 2018. Over that time, the cameras have captured Jackson through major life events, including the loss of her father, Joseph, in 2018. 

Janet Jackson and Randy Jackson are both executive producers on the project, and filmmakers were given access to a ton of archival footage and never-before-seen home videos. With that kind of access, fans can expect plenty of pivotal personal and career moments to come up, such as that 2004 Super Bowl appearance with an only-now-apologetic Justin Timberlake, Jackson’s reaction to the death of her brother, Michael Jackson, and her journey to becoming a mother later in life. 

It sounds like the kind of project fans will definitely want to set a reminder for, especially since Jackson is offering “unprecedented” access. Considering her influence across pop culture, her famous family, and the way her life has always been subject to tabloid headlines, it sounds as though this is her taking back control of the narrative and shedding light on her life through her own perspective and words. 

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Meanwhile, Lifetime seems to be into the documentary game these days. This past January the cable station debuted Wendy Williams: The Movie along with a doc featuring the personality. And in announcing the Janet Jackson documentary, A+E Networks also committed to 2,500 hours of new programming, including 70 hours of premium documentaries and more than 200 movies. Among that programming is a project at History called Fight the Power: The Protests That Changed America from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Deborah Morales, and a two-film deal with country superstar Reba McEntire, also to air on Lifetime.

Other projects expected to debut or begin production within the next year or so will include talent like Angela Basset, Leonardo DiCaprio, Laurence Fishburne, Robin Roberts, Jamie Lee Curtis, Morgan Freeman, Rachael Ray, Lance Reddick, and William Shatner.

According to Variety, JANET is one of several upcoming projects that Lifetime has developed under its “Broader Focus” initiative, which is a commitment to hiring and amplifying female creators with above-the-average-industry pay, and under A+E Networks overall initiative called “Voices Magnified,” which is aimed at creating content developed and produced by diverse voices. The latter initiative also champions projects that highlight the ways people are changing their communities in the name of social justice, according to the publication. 

“The last year has taught all of us much about the world and our place within it, as individuals and as content creators,” said A+E Networks boss Paul Buccieri at the upfront. “Across our entire portfolio, we’re reinforcing our strong foundation and will continue using our platforms to elevate relevant, resonant and diverse voices, telling their stories, focused on reaching the widest possible audience.”

Over her career, Jackson has been nominated for 26 Grammys (taking home five); she’s been nominated for her music at the Oscars and at the Golden Globes; she has starred in movies like Poetic Justice and Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married, and so far over her career, she has sold more than 100 million records, making her one of the best-selling musical artists of all-time.

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