Jacksons' reality show feels completely phony

The only thing that could possibly be worse than a reality show about the Jacksons is a fake reality show about the Jacksons.

And the new A&E series "The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty" is about as natural as polyester. It's slightly less believable than the South Carolina governor's story about going hiking.

That's on top of the fact that — while they're incapable of admitting it — Tito, Jackie, Jermaine and Marlon Jackson are directly benefitting from the death of their brother, Michael.

That's harsh. But it's also the irrefutable truth.

The brothers open their "reality" show — the first two hours air Sunday at 10 and 11 p.m. on A&E — by telling viewers that they began filming in early 2009.

That's true. It was originally pitched to various networks with a tie to the production of a 40th anniversary Jackson 5 album.

But it's also true that no television outlet had stepped up to buy the rights until after Michael's death.

And "Jacksons" leans heavily on the missing brother. It's a major storyline.

There's nothing wrong with the remaining brothers making some money. But at least respect the audience enough to be upfront about it.

Don't show us a clip of Marlon at the funeral saying, "Maybe now, Michael, they will leave you alone."

His brothers can't leave Michael alone. They're using him to make money and return to the spotlight.

That's what is real about "The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty."

As for the rest of it, it's laughably bad television. It's so obviously scripted you can almost see the "actors" reading cue cards.

In the first hour, there are a pair of back-to-back scenes that are just painfully fake. Jermaine complains to his wife about his brothers; Jackie complains to their mother about Jermaine.

Stilted does not even begin to describe how wooden all four of them are. It's like watching bad community theater.

A trip to the old hometown in Gary, Ind., is as forced as can be. A fight among the brothers rings hollow. An "emotional" scene in which Jermaine unloads his years of hurt is, quite frankly, ludicrous.