"Jury Duty" Is One Of The Best New Comedies Of The Decade, And Here's Everything You Need To Know About It
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We're living in a golden age of television, which means there are so many amazing shows to watch. It also means you just don't have time to watch all of them. But Amazon Freevee's new comedy, Jury Duty, is one show you definitely don't want to miss.
Jury Duty is essentially what would happen if The Office and The Truman Show had a baby, and it's genuinely one of the funniest and most creative shows out right now.
So, to celebrate the absolute masterpiece that is Jury Duty — and because I simply NEED more people to talk about it with — here are 14 reasons why this should be your next binge-watch:
1.First, Jury Duty is a "documentary" about the good, bad, and absurd aspects of serving on a jury, but there's a twist: the trial is fake, and everyone is an actor — except for Ronald.
2.Basically, the show is structured like a mockumentary-style sitcom about jury duty set in a Los Angeles County courthouse.
Executive producer Todd Schulman revealed to TV Guide, "The way we pitched the show, was 'What if you were making The Office and Jim was a real person who didn't know that Dwight was an actor?"
3.Jury Duty works so well because Ronald is a super nice "Every Man" surrounded by a cast of wacky (but believable) characters, including James Marsden playing a fictionalized version of himself.
4.Speaking of James Marsden, he spends a good portion of the first episode trying to get out of jury duty because he's waiting to hear back from a major director. As a result of his antics, the judge forces the jury into sequestration to prevent a mistrial.
By sequestering the jury, the show is able to surround Ronald with actors 24/7 and prevent him from using his phone, which is one of the many ways producers were able to keep Ronald from realizing the trial is fake.
5.Behind the scenes, the show is created by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, whose credits include The Office, Bad Teacher, and Trophy Wife. Other Jury Duty executive producers worked on Late Night With Conan O'Brien, Superstore, and Zombieland.
Eisenberg and Stupnitsky are the geniuses who wrote Dinner Party, one of the most beloved and critically acclaimed episodes of The Office.
6.Jury Duty is directed by Jake Szymanski, whose directorial resume includes Saturday Night Live, Funny or Die Presents..., and John Mulaney: New in Town, to name a few.
7.In terms of cast, Ronald revealed to Access Hollywood that he got the part after responding to a Craigslist ad about a show that would give a "never done before, behind-the-scenes look at what it's like during the jury duty process."
In California, people are allowed to volunteer for jury duty in addition to being summoned, and Ronald was under the impression that the other jurors were also participating in the documentary. This is why he wasn't suspicious of the cameras and crew present during the trial.
8.Although Ronald isn't in on the joke, the show is far from mean-spirited. In an interview with IndieWire, James Marsden explained, "Nobody wants to do [a prank show]. He’s not the butt of a joke. We’re the butt of the joke."
Marsden elaborated, "If I saw any signs that he was tortured or that he was uncomfortable, I was ready to say, ‘I’m out. Pull the plug.’ And I was serious about it. I can’t sleep at night if I know that I’m making somebody, who doesn’t know that any of this is fake, uncomfortable in any way."
9.If anything, the show is a feel-good hero's journey, casting Ronald as a Henry Fonda-in-12 Angry Men type of role. (It helps that Ronald might just be one of the nicest men alive.)
10.Jury Duty is semi-scripted, which gives the actors a structure and series of beats to work with. But the show also relies heavily on the improv talents of its cast, which is primarily made up of comedians and character actors.
11.As Ronald responds to the increasingly absurd and hysterical events, the show's ensemble walks the very fine line between unhinged and unbelievable.
In an interview with Primetimer, director Jake Szymanski explained, "We had to be really careful, because we had to keep Ronald there for three weeks. So we were very concerned about not getting too crazy too quick."
12. The push-pull between the realistic mundanity of court and absurd scenarios makes the silly moments even more hilarious.
@amazonfreevee This is VERY high tech stuff your honor 😂😂 #JuryDutyonFreevee
♬ original sound - Amazon Freevee - Amazon Freevee
Thousands of viewers have commented that the above scene — in which the defendant's lawyer shows the jury a glitchy Roblox animation that his nephew made — is one of the funniest TV moments from the past few years. (And for the record, I wholeheartedly agree. This scene made me laugh until my stomach hurt.)
13.The show is also incredibly binge-able, with six free episodes currently available on Amazon Freevee. (The final two episodes come out on Friday, April 21.)
14.And finally, if you still aren't sold on Jury Duty, all I can say is I know you've rewatched The Office and/or Parks and Recreation countless times over the years. Maybe it's time to finally add something new to the rotation? You know — treat yo' self.
