Earlier tonight on A&E, The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty premiered with 2 back-to-back one hour episodes. The series will now move to its regularly scheduled time, Sunday’s at 10:00pm ET/PT beginning December 20. The mini series chronicles the personal and professional lives of Jackie, Jermaine, Tito and Marlon as they prepare for a Jackson Five reunion, while also coming to terms with the death of their brother Michael.

The show documents the Jackson brothers from January to June in the Pilot and then the aftermath of Michael’s passing in the second episode. In the first episode, “40th Anniversary” we are welcomed into the homes of these brothers who are living large and yet simple if you take a good look at their homes. Anyway, the brothers talk about each other and their celebrity status and the episode soon switches gears to showing how the family celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Jackson Five, which is what this episode really is all about. We meet the immediate family of each of the brothers and Marlon and Tito go back to their childhood home in Gary, Indiana at which the brothers briefly open up about their childhood memories, some good, some sad. Viewers then get a look at the brothers in the recording studio, however it seems the brothers are at different levels musically, as they have different visions and that is what seems like what is delaying their big comeback record. As much as I hate to say it, I don’t see them rekindling the classic Jackson sound that they are so well known for because they are in completely different stages in their lives personally, professionally, and creatively.

Anyway, in this episode we also see the brothers have a heart to heart conversation after an intense game of basketball, well intense argument on a basketball court. It seems Jermaine had unresolved issues from the 1976 split of the Jackson 5…which in a way I can understand but at the same time, I question because at times this show seems well too edited and staged. It is very obvious when any of the brothers are being filmed and they are putting on a front for the cameras. So anyway, this episode ends with the news of Michael’s death as the second episode, “Aftermath” is self explanatory. It was heartbreaking to see the brothers talk about how they found out about Michael’s passing and it was interesting to see how they were dealing with life one month later. Since the brothers are not on the same page (and haven’t been it seems for awhile), it is quite obvious why their Vienna concert was canceled aside from the scheduling and such. It’s like watching 4 musical geniuses who don’t know what to do with themselves. These brothers need to work on themselves more as individuals, brothers, and then professionals before trying to present themselves to the public because it seems they want to tell America all about their lives as The Jackson 5 but they need just a bit more time to get themselves together.

This series barely gives any insight into the many fascinating places that the series could go but chooses not to. It amazes me how much these brothers talk about their dislike of the negative press and here they are given a chance to set the record straight about so much but don’t. It’s as if the brothers are puppets and have everything planned out to say and do but are also in the editing room in case they share something they would rather not have shared. Show us something we don’t know. Give us compelling TV. There are many comedic moments but seriously, this show is just as “real” as any other reality show.

Watch The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty Sundays on A&E.