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Michael Jackson's Super Bowl Halftime Show Gets Documentary
Confirmed
In Short: Hulu and ESPN announced Tuesday that they will premiere 'Spectacle: Michael Jackson at the Super Bowl' in February, a documentary that explores the production and legacy of Michael Jackson's iconic 1993 Super Bowl XXVII halftime show.
The NFL's halftime show was a turning point in 1993, coming after a series of performances by big-name artists like New Kids on the Block and Gloria Estefan. Fox had previously aired a counterprogramming special that drew 22 million viewers against Estefan's performance.
Jackson's performance began with him standing still for two minutes, striking an aloof pose in a black suit. He then performed hits like 'Billie Jean' and 'Black or White,' with over 3,000 local children joining him for 'We Are the World.'
The documentary, produced by Skydance Sports, Optimum Productions, and NFL Films, features never-before-seen footage of Jackson and his team, highlighting the journey to and through the show.
Jackson's set included memorable choreography and costumes, transforming the halftime show into one of television's most-anticipated events. The performance marked the first time the second half of the Super Bowl had more viewers than the first.
Directed by Bao Nguyen, the documentary will explore the behind-the-scenes journey that brought Jackson's halftime show to life. A teaser previewing the documentary shows Jackson commanding the stage at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
The documentary will premiere on Hulu and ESPN, following the success of Lionsgate’s biopic 'Michael' starring Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson.
Jackson's performance helped establish the halftime stage as a destination for some of the biggest names in music, paving the way for future performances by acts like U2, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé, and Bad Bunny.
While the performance was a high point for Jackson, it came during a tumultuous year. In August 1993, the Los Angeles Police Department began investigating allegations of child sexual abuse against him.
Jackson settled with the Chandlers in early 1994, and in late December, he was strip-searched by police, who also photographed and videotaped his body and genitals.
Despite these challenges, Jackson's Super Bowl performance remains a landmark moment in pop culture history, marking the transformation of the halftime show into a spectacle that continues to attract millions of viewers today.
What this adds
The documentary aims to provide a comprehensive look at Jackson's performance and its impact on the Super Bowl halftime show, but it does not delve into the personal controversies surrounding Jackson at the time.
What's confirmed
- A new documentary examining the production and legacy of Michael Jackson’s Super Bowl XXVII halftime show will arrive on Hulu and ESPN next year.
What's still developing
- Hulu and ESPN said Tuesday that their new doc feature Spectacle: Michael Jackson at the Super Bowl will premiere in February on the respective streamer and cable channel.
- No one knew how to grab and hold an audience like the King of Pop, and his masterclass for the 1993 Super Bowl Halftime Show is the stuff of legend.
- Landing at Number 16 on Rolling Stone ’s rankings of Super Bowl halftime shows, Jackson’s show opened with a voice-over introduction from James Earl Jones, after which the King of Pop was launched onto the stage via trapdoor.
- Popular on Variety Jackson’s set featured indelible choreography and costumes.
- A newly released teaser shows a glimpse of the spectacle, with footage of Jackson commanding the stage at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., in his signature military-inspired outfit as thousands of fans fill the venue, chanting his name.
- Jackson was already a force on the charts long before he even took the Super Bowl stage.
- While it wasn't entirely unheard of for major music stars to appear in the Super Bowl halftime show before Michael Jackson, you were much more likely to see marching bands, and not infrequently, Disney characters, appearing.