The Last Days of Michael Jackson angered the Jackson estate and received mostly negative reviews from fans, but it was a ratings winner for ABC.
The primetime special about the end of the King of Pop’s life helped ABC score a ratings victory on a relatively slow (ratings-wise) Thursday night.
Read More: Michael Jackson Estate Blasts ABC Over ‘Last Days’ TV Special
Airing on May 24, the documentary brought in 5.6 million viewers from 8-10 p.m., according to TV By the Numbers.
On NBC, Celebrity Ninja Warrior was watched by 3.7 million viewers, while Terrence Howard’s Fright Club on Fox garnered 1.5 million viewers.
CBS won the 8 p.m. hour with repeats of The Big Bang Theory with 6.7 million viewers and Young Sheldon with 6.2 million. But CBS’ ratings slipped at 9 p.m., giving ABC a win for the night.
Jackson died in 2009 from “acute propofol intoxication.” The superstar singer had been taking the prescription anesthetic, which is normally used in hospitals, to help him sleep as he prepared for his “This Is It” comeback tour.
Former cardiologist Dr. Conrad Murray was convicted in 2011 of giving Jackson a fatal dose of the drug. Murray served two years in jail for causing Jackson’s death. The physician’s conviction was upheld in 2014.
The special made headlines before it even aired. His estate said the program was made without its consent, and bashed it as exploitative.
“We believe the special to be another crass and unauthorized attempt to exploit the life, music and image of Michael Jackson without respect for Michael’s legacy, intellectual property rights or his children,” the estate said in a statement.
Following complaints from Jackson’s legal team, ABC removed an image the estate said was being used in promotional materials without consent. Otherwise, the special aired as planned.
On Twitter, Jackson’s fans were not particularly impressed with the documentary and took countless swipes at ABC.
Many people complained it failed to offer any new information about Jackson — whose chart-topping solo albums included Thriller, Off the Wall and Bad.
Fans said the special simply rehashed old news and interviews.
“I thought this was supposed to be about the LAST DAYS of MJ,” one fan tweeted. “This more like the BAD DAYS of MJ.”
Another person called the documentary special “distasteful.”
But there were others who enjoyed the doc, with one person saying it offered “further insight into what a genius” Jackson was.
Someone else said it reminded them what made Jackson ” a legend.”
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