In the summer of 1976, American television got a jolt of pure Jackson energy. CBS launched The Jacksons, a half-hour variety series that put nearly the entire Jackson family front and center—singing, dancing, cracking jokes, and sharing the stage with a rotating cast of big-name guests. It was the first variety show hosted by an all-sibling cast and the first led by an African-American family.
For a brief window between Motown’s Jackson 5 glory days and the solo supernova that was about to hit, the show captured the family in transition and in motion.
From Motown to CBS
By 1975 the Jackson brothers had left Motown. Contract issues meant they could no longer use the name “Jackson 5,” so they became simply The Jacksons and signed with Epic Records (a CBS label). Younger brother Randy stepped in for Jermaine, who stayed at Motown. While they waited out the final Motown obligations and prepared new material, their father and manager Joe Jackson saw an opening: a network variety series that could keep the family visible and promote the sisters as well.
The result was a fast-paced mix of musical numbers, comedy sketches, dance routines, and celebrity guests. Episodes ran roughly 22–24 minutes and aired on Wednesday nights. The series began as a four-week summer tryout in June and July 1976, then returned in January 1977 for eight more episodes before ending on March 9, 1977—twelve shows total.
The Family on Stage
The regulars were Jackie, Tito, Marlon, Michael, and Randy, joined by sisters Rebbie, La Toya, and a very young Janet (then about ten). Michael, already the magnetic center of the group, handled most of the lead vocals and the flashiest dance numbers. The production leaned into the family’s Vegas-style revue experience from a few years earlier, blending their Motown hits with standards, contemporary covers, disco grooves, and novelty tunes.
Typical segments included high-energy group performances, solo or duo spots (Janet and Randy often got cute numbers), and sketch comedy that ranged from light parody to broad physical humor. Guests helped broaden the appeal. The premiere featured Sonny Bono in a medley of standards. Later episodes brought in Mackenzie Phillips, Ed McMahon (playing W.C. Fields opposite young Janet’s Mae West), Joey Bishop, Redd Foxx, Carroll O’Connor, Muhammad Ali (who playfully claimed to be the sixth Jackson brother), Betty White, Dom DeLuise, Lynda Carter, David Letterman, Tim Conway, and even the legendary Nicholas Brothers.
Songs spanned the catalog: “Dancing Machine,” “Forever Came Today,” “Enjoy Yourself,” “I’ll Be There,” “Ben,” “Rockin’ Robin,” plus medleys of “I Want You Back”/“ABC,” Irving Berlin numbers, and pop hits of the moment. One recurring second-season bit had Michael introducing the guest while the family performed an original tune written for the show called “On the Wall.”
Michael’s Honest Take
Publicly the early episodes earned praise and the family looked sharp. Privately, Michael was miserable. In later years he called the series “a dumb move” and said he “hated every minute of it.” He felt the comedy was forced and fake, the schedules brutal, and the whole enterprise a distraction that could hurt record sales rather than help them. He preferred the earlier Rankin/Bass animated Jackson 5ive cartoon from 1971–72, which he had loved watching as a kid.
Variety television itself was already fading by the mid-1970s. After the strong summer start, ratings softened and CBS pulled the plug after one season.
Why It Still Matters
The Jacksons is more than a footnote. It gave national exposure to the sisters—especially Janet, who would soon land roles on Good Times and launch her own legendary career. It preserved rare footage of the family performing together at a pivotal moment, with Michael’s dancing already showing the precision and electricity that would define the next decade. And it stands as a genuine television first: a Black family fronting a network variety series in primetime, treating mainstream America to their talent, humor, and chemistry without apology.
Clips that survive today feel both of their time (sequined suits, canned laughter, broad sketches) and strangely timeless whenever Michael steps into a dance break or the brothers lock into those tight harmonies. The show didn’t last long, but for one bright stretch in the mid-1970s the Jacksons owned Wednesday nights—and reminded everyone why they had become America’s favorite family act in the first place.
For fans of 1970s soul, funk, and pure showbiz energy, The Jacksons remains a fascinating time capsule of a legendary family right before the world changed forever.
