Est. 1998
Exclusive new interviews and never- before-seen footage from the personal archives of one of the world’s best known and intriguing families will launch ‘Famous Families’, the new monthly series and specials from Fox Family Channel which will provide an in-depth exploration of the most illustrious and intriguing families from the worlds of entertainment, politics, business, media and sports, hosted by a talented member of another famous American family, actress Mariel Hemingway.
The series’ first special, premiering Monday, October 5th at 9-11PM (ET/PT) will explore ‘The Jacksons – the first family of pop’ in an insightful and comprehensive two-hour look at the relationships between various family members of the Jacksons, including Michael, Janet and their parents.
Rare clips, photographs, interviews and thought-provoking narration tell the compelling story of the Jacksons from the early days of the Jackson 5, through the growing pains inherent in leaving the Jackson family nest, to Michael’s top-selling album ‘Thriller’ and the subsequent rise to fame of Janet.
Exclusive interviews with family members including mother Katherine and father Joseph; siblings Janet, Jermaine, Marlon and Tito; Tito’s sons Taj, TJ & Taryll Jackson (best known as the musical group 3T); along with friends and music industry insiders offer fascinating insights about where the Jacksons have been and where they are headed.
Exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage of Janet Jackson in concert, exclusive clips of 3T and perspectives of the seldom-seen Jackson family estate highlight this ‘Famous Families’ two- hour debut special.
From a noted famous family herself, Mariel Hemingway (‘Deconstructing Harry’, ‘Manhattan’, ‘Falling From Grace’ and ‘Superman IV’) will host each special comprised of rare interviews and in-depth looks at twentieth century ‘Famous Families’. Future specials will include the Windsors, the Kennedys, Bruce and Brandon Lee and the Hansons.
“We’ve been getting enormous cooperation from the family and friends of our subjects,” says ‘Famous Families’ executive producer Kevin Burns, a filmmaker whose credits include more than 60 episodes of A&E’s Emmy Award- winning ‘Biography’ series. “Once they hear it’s for Fox Family Channel, they’re quite comfortable and even enthusiastic about talking to us, with the understanding that our approach will be family-friendly, not tabloid-esque. That’s not to say we won’t address some of the problems within each family, but they will be discussed in a responsible way.”
Unlike other popular biographical shows, which focus on individuals, ‘Famous Families’ will examine the relationships between individual family members and the family’s impact on success.
Interviews with such sources as mentors, teachers, friends and biographers will be supplemented with family photos, home video footage and compelling storytelling.
“We believe Famous Families can become one of many signature series for the Fox Family Channel,” said Eytan Keller, Senior Vice President, Reality Programming and Specials, Fox Family Channel.
‘Famous Families’ is produced by Glen Avenue Films in association with Foxstar Productions, Fox
Television Studios and Fox Family Channel.
Fox Family Channel, which premiered on August 15th as a revitalized version of The Family Channel, is a division of Fox Family Worldwide Inc. The family- targeted basic cable network available in over 72 million homes nationwide delivers a dynamic mix of original and acquired series, specials and movies for the entire family.
Source: PR Newswire & MJWN
