Atlantan helped produce A&E’s “The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty” reality show debuting Dec. 13

Gomes said the show started taping in January, originally as a one-hour special, but was greenlit by A&E in the spring as a six-episode series. In fact, the pilot was finished just days before Michael Jackson’s death on June 25. That first episode at 9 p.m. references Michael’s death at the end. The next hour, to air at 10 p.m., deals with the aftermath.

Will you sample "The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty" on A&E this Sunday?

“My heart,” Gomes said, “is always bleeding for them. I sometimes wear my heart on my sleeve for them.”

The brothers, in mourning, postponed filming until September. Gomes said the Jacksons never considered nixing the show, even if some critics might perceive the timing to be exploiting their brother’s passing.

Michael, she said, was actively involved behind the scenes of the show but had no plans to be on camera. He helped get clearances for the Jackson 5/The Jacksons music you’ll hear. She said he also had ideas for a cool opening for the show but got caught up with his own concert tour that was never to be.

The last time she spoke with Michael was just two days before he died. She had a meal with Jackie (the oldest brother at age 58) in Las Vegas and they were en route back to Los Angeles when they found out about Michael.

The point of the show, Gomes said, was to “dispel myths” of the Jacksons. For instance, many think the brothers were estranged from Michael. She said that was totally untrue. With all the media heat, “at the end of the day, no matter what is thrown at them, they are family.”

Your favorite Jackson 5/The Jacksons song, among those that hit the top 10

Gomes also said she never saw any of them express jealousy toward Michael, though his life in recent years was hardly fodder for jealousy. “They’re very protective of each other,” she said. She said the Jackson brothers over the years wanted to defend their brother more aggressively from charges of children molestation and other accusations but given the legal ramifications and the media’s penchant for twisting their words, they kept their mouths shut.

“People think they come from a different planet and are unattainable,” Gomes added. “That’s understandable. Their brother was the most famous man in the world. They all led sheltered lives.”

She wanted to make it clear these guys have a sense of normalcy to them, that they are entrepreneurs, not a bunch of entitled layabouts living off the past. “They each have different ventures and we wanted to show them,” she said. “They are not little kids glued to the hip.”

In fact, Gomes said it was a challenge getting the four of them in the same place. Jermaine, 54, travelled the most and was often out of the country working on business ventures and producing records.

Two of them are no strangers to reality TV. Tito, 56, had done a reality documentary in the U.K. Jermaine had participated in both “Big Brother U.K.” and CMT’s “Gone Country.”

The show doesn’t hide their faults; there is no shortage of bickering, especially over Jermaine skipping key meetings and doing things apart from the others. And he gets upset when he finds out the others erased vocals he taped because they weren’t happy with them. There’s also a scene in which he tearfully explains why he left the group in the 1970s.

Randy Jackson, the younger brother who joined the Jacksons after Jermaine left the grouop, is not included. Gomes said he will appear on the show but wasn't included as a cast member because this was a celebration of the original group circa 1969.

The show ultimately became therapy for the brothers, who likely spent more time together as a result of the TV show than they otherwise would have.

“It’s been a long road,” Gomes said. “It’s been a road that wound up in a place nobody would have imagined. I’m very relieved it’s finally coming on the air. I’m very proud of it. The family has been through so much. People are going to love it or hate it.

The New York Times got to talk to all four of them on a conference call and ascertained their personalities:

And this is my personal favorite Jackson 5 song, “I’ll Be There.”

Join me on Facebook or Twitter.