How to Watch the Janet Jackson Documentary Online Free
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Janet Jackson is back in the spotlight this week with the release of a new two-part documentary series airing on Lifetime and A&E.
Simply titled, “JANET,” the doc is tied to the 40th anniversary of the singer’s self-titled debut album and was first teased at the beginning of January with a three-minute trailer. Now, the full Janet Jackson special is available to watch on TV and stream online.
Here’s what you need to know to watch the Janet Jackson documentary on TV and online.
When Does the New Janet Jackson Documentary Premiere? Date, Time
JANET, the new 2022 Janet Jackson documentary, premieres Friday, January 28, with the first episode of the two-part series airing on Lifetime. The second episode airs the following night, premiering on Saturday, January 29.
Both episodes of the Janet documentary air on Lifetime at 8pm ET / 7pm CT, while also being simulcast on A&E (both Lifetime and A&E are part of the A+E Networks portfolio).
How to Watch the Janet Jackson Documentary on TV
The Janet Jackson documentary airs on Lifetime and A&E, so if you want to watch JANET on TV, you’ll need a cable package that gets you the Lifetime channel and/or A&E. Both are specialty channels and not a major network, so won’t be able to find the Janet special on basic cable. Instead, you’ll need a package this one from DIRECTV or this one from Verizon Fios that gets you Lifetime and A&E, so you can watch the Janet Jackson documentary on TV.
How to Stream the New Janet Jackson Documentary Online
Don’t have TV or cable? You can also stream the new Janet Jackson documentary from home. Here’s where to stream the Lifetime Janet doc online.
1. Watch Janet Jackson Documentary on Sling
Sling is one of our favorite live streaming services, with the ability to stream 30+ live TV channels from your computer, phone, tablet or TV. Sling offers two packages — Sling Blue and Sling Orange — and Sling has Lifetime included as part of both offerings.
A subscription to Sling starts at just $35/month for unlimited live TV streaming. Sign-up here and use your Sling subscription to watch the Janet Jackson Lifetime documentary online.
2. Watch Janet Jackson Documentary on Vidgo
If you want more bang for your buck, you’ll want to sign up for Vidgo, which offers 95+ channels, including Lifetime. Grab a Vidgo package starting at just $55/month and start streaming the Janet Jackson documentary on Lifetime.
Your Vidgo subscription also includes all the major sporting channels, as well as Lifetime Movies, Hallmark, MTV, VH1, Comedy Central and Freeform for more entertainment after you’ve watched the new Janet documentary online.
3. Watch Janet Jackson Documentary on Hulu
The Janet Jackson documentary is also available on Hulu, through its Hulu + Live TV service. Priced at $69.99/month, the service includes 75+ live TV channels, including Lifetime, so you can use your subscription to watch the Janet documentary on Hulu.
Your subscription also gets you access to all of Hulu’s on-demand content (including the New York Times’ Janet Jackson documentary from last year) and it now also includes access to Disney+ and ESPN+ — all for the $69.99 price.
See full sign-up details here and use your Hulu subscription to watch both the Hulu Janet Jackson documentary and stream the 2022 Janet documentary online.
How to Watch Janet Jackson Documentary Online Free
Don’t want to sign-up for cable or a streaming service? There are a couple of completely legal ways for you to stream the Janet Jackson documentary online free.
Vidgo has a 7-day free trial offer that you can use to watch the Janet documentary online free. Sign up for the free trial here and get instant access to stream all of Vidgo’s channel offerings, including Lifetime, where you can watch the Janet Jackson miniseries online free.
Sling, meantime, is currently offering a 3-day free trial that you can find here. Use it to watch the Janet documentary online free on Lifetime, one of the included channels in the Sling Blue and Sling Orange packages.
Unfortunately, Hulu doesn’t offer a free trial for its live TV streaming service. And while you can’t watch the new Janet Jackson documentary on Amazon, the site does have classic Jackson concert films and movies available to stream online.
Janet Jackson Documentary: Runtime, Celeb Appearances, Spoilers
The latest Janet Jackson documentary is an officially-authorized biography series on the singer and actress, with Jackson granted exclusive access to never-before-seen home videos and archival footage for the special.
Lifetime confirms that the new documentary will cover everything from her childhood and early years in the industry alongside her famous siblings, to more controversial moments like the 2014 Super Bowl halftime show. Viewers will also see a different side to the entertainer, as Jackson opens up about motherhood, relationships and her family dynamic today. Many of Jackson’s family members are included in the special, including her mother, Katherine Jackson.
In addition to the Jacksons, there will be a number of special celebrity guest appearances in the documentary too. Names include Mariah Carey, Missy Elliott, Whoopi Goldberg, Regina King, Tyler Perry, Samuel L. Jackson, Janelle Monáe, Ciara, Teyana Taylor, Paula Abdul and Q-Tip. Viewers will also hear from Jackson’s long-time collaborators, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
Per a release from A+E Networks, “This will be the definitive story on Janet Jackson [as] JANET lifts the lid on her private life for the very first time and reveals some of her most intimate moments ever caught on camera.”
The Janet Jackson documentary has a run time of four hours in total, meaning each episode has a runtime of around two hours.
Is the Janet Jackson Documentary Authorized? Hulu vs. Lifetime
The new Lifetime Janet Jackson documentary comes on the heels of a 2021 Hulu documentary about Jackson, which was part of the New York Times Presents series (the same team that brought you the Britney Spears documentary last year). But the two documentaries are very different.
The Hulu Janet doc was compiled from archival TV and performance footage and featured interviews with commentators, but not Jackson herself. The New York Times‘ series did not include any participation whatsoever from Jackson and was not authorized by the singer.
The 2022 Janet documentary, meantime, was produced in conjunction with the singer and with her full approval. The singer also appears in the official Lifetime documentary.
Still, if you’re a Janet Jackson fan, both docs are worth watching. The New York Times Presents: Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson, premiered on Hulu and FX in November and is available to watch on-demand right now on Hulu.com. You can watch the new 2022 Janet Jackson documentary on Lifetime with Hulu + Live TV.
