‘Jury Duty’ is a new comedy series with a twist that’s coming to Amazon Freevee starting with four of its episodes on Friday (7th April). Created by Lee Eisenberg (‘WeCrashed’, ‘The Office’) and Gene Stupnitsky (‘Hello Ladies’, ‘The Office’), the 8-episode series is a docu-style comedy where one unsuspecting young man, Ronald Gladden, is surrounded by actors as he becomes part of a jury for a fake trial.
If you want to avoid all spoilers for ‘Jury Duty’, stop reading this article now.
Gladden, thinking he’s applied to be part of a documentary about how a jury works, has no idea that everything around him is fake. His fellow jurors are all actors, including Hollywood star James Marsden who plays a heightened version of himself, and he’s being filmed 24/7 as he tries to do his best as foreman to bring the jury to a verdict. The case at hand is a silly one involving a business owner who is suing her former employee, claiming that he turned up to her factory drunk and high, and caused thousands of dollars’ worth of damage after defecating and urinating on an order of T-shirts from a high-profile influencer.
Over the course of the 8-episodes we see Gladden go from potential jury member to foreman, frequently taking time to deal with the bizarre collection of characters that surround him. In the first episode, an awkward exchange with Marsden about ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’, gives viewers an early look at the kindness and placatory nature that Gladden has. That becomes more evident as the series progresses, with Gladden often taking the blame for things that aren’t his fault and aiding his fellow jurors when he feels it necessary.
After the first episode, which is mildly intriguing, ‘Jury Duty’ really struggles to decide what it wants to be. If it truly is exploring the experience of a ‘real person’ to see how they react to the situations around them, then too much time is spent on the actors around him, who frequently talk to camera in an attempt to make the show feel like a regular 30-minute ‘The Office’-style sitcom. It’s not to say the ensemble cast is bad, they most certainly aren’t (and Marsden in particular is very funny as a demanding Hollywood star), but the blurring between fact-and-fiction gives ‘Jury Duty’ an uneven tone that doesn’t quite click.
The show’s biggest problem lies with the central trial, which is highly unbelievable and doesn’t really get as much screentime as you’d expect. Viewers spend more time observing Gladden with his fellow jurors outside the courtroom than they do inside it, particularly at the hotel they’re holed up in (with the exception of Marsden who can’t slum it with normal people) with no phones, no Internet and limited contact with the outside world.
The best episode of the series is actually the final one when Gladden is informed that he’s been part of an elaborately plotted courtroom comedy. The moment the reality hits him, I felt my heart break a little as he’s such a lovely guy but the episode goes on to show him how everything was put together. It leans heavily into Gladden’s good nature, attempting to make the viewer feel emotion towards him.
‘Jury Duty’ has an intriguing premise but sadly it doesn’t quite hit the mark. It’s never laugh-out-loud funny and honestly, at 8 episodes it feels too long. A meatier, and more realistic case, may have provided a better focus for the show and all we really learn about Gladden is that he’s a regular nice guy. Add to that an uneven tone, and ‘Jury Duty’ is sadly an experiment that doesn’t quite work.
‘Jury Duty’ premieres on Amazon Freevee on Friday 7th April 2023 with its first four episodes. The subsequent episodes will be released weekly until 21st April.
