Janet Jackson Documentary Receives High Ratings on Lifetime and A&E

The highly anticipated Janet Jackson documentary appeared over the weekend on Lifetime and A&E.

Featuring cameos from Missy Elliott, Whoopi Goldberg, Mariah Carey, Janelle Monae, Teyana Taylor, Ciara, Regina King, Tyler Perry, Q-Tip, Paula Abdul, Tito Jackson, Rebbie Jackson and Samuel L. Jackson, the long awaited project gave us a better glimpse into the many facets of Jackson’s personal and professional life including her roles as a sister, daughter, mother, lover and artist.

Over the course of two nights, viewers were gifted with an in-depth look into her strict upbringing with her father Joe Jackson, her relationships with men over the years (including ex James DeBarge, ex-husband Rene Elizondo, and ex-boyfriend Jermaine Dupri,) the making of her iconic albums Control and Rhythm Nation, her connection to her brothers Randy and Michael, Michael’s scandals at Neverland and his passing, and the infamous SuperBowl Halftime performance with Justin Timberlake in 2004.

Despite few objections from viewers over how short certain parts felt, per Deadline, ratings for the project were high—topping at 3.1 million views for the premiere. This feat marks the “best nonfiction debut in viewership and ratings on cable since ESPN’s Michael Jordan docuseries The Last Dance.” Additionally, the documentary also garnered “3.7 million video views across Lifetime and A&E’s on-demand platforms, with linear and video views on digital combining to reach 15.7 million total viewers.”

As for Lifetime specifically, the documentary turned out to be the network’s “best nonfiction performance in total viewers and key demos since Surviving R. Kelly in 2019.” (Blehck, I don’t even want to think back to that documentary.)

If you didn’t catch it the first time around, don’t fret! Lifetime will air a special encore presentation on Friday, Feb. 5 at 8p.m. ET. You can also watch it on demand on both the Lifetime and A&E apps, MyLifetime.com and AETV.com.