On Sunday, the much anticipated reality TV show The Jack5ons: A Family Dynasty (A&E, 9 p.m.) debuted to a rousing — (yawn) FIZZLE!
Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon spent an hour fumbling before the cameras, backtracking down memory lane, and trying to keep a diva-like Jermaine and his huge ego in check. Most of the premiere episode was spent on the pipe dream of putting together a Jackson Five reunion. But the very concept of this reality show built around the four lesser-known Jackson brothers kept begging a rather jarring question: How do you reunite a legendary pop group without its star-lead singer???
“The only problem we have now is that we don’t have Michael,” music producer Terry Lewis said in the second episode. “It was the Jackson Five, not the Jackson Four.” Well, that’s a pretty huge problem. It’s like going to an Ike & Tina Turner concert — without Tina! But that’s not the only problem with this show. The scenes seemed as staged as MJ’s awkward televised kiss of Lisa Marie Presley many years ago. And the middle-aged surviving brothers struggled to appear relevant in an industry that’s long since passed them by. The first episode was the equivalent of watching an old television commercial selling 8-Track tapes — no one’s really buying them anymore.
In case you missed the first episode, here’s a recap:
- In a “70’s meets the 80’s” move, the Jackson’s enlisted the help of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to help them record a new album. Hmmm…
- The now older (and much heftier) sons of Tito, known in the early 90’s as the singing group The 3T’s are considering a return to the family business of singing. Hmmm…
- While being a huge diva and appearing as the self-imposed heir apparent to his brother Michael, Jermaine had little time for his brothers and often ditched them to jet off to some alternate destination for his own benefit. He also barely allowed his much younger wife to touch him — or his off limits hair — and even wiped away a kiss she planted on his lips. Hmmm…
My baby-sister and my first-cousin BEGGED me to "PLEASE" watch the debut with them! I laughed so hard while responding_"You MUST be kidding?!"__lol.There was absolutely NO WAY I was going to waste a minute of my life watching that joke of a "reality show"_OR any other so-called "Realty" show", for that matter because, quite frankly, thy're all JOKES to me.