Jury duty reality show

On paper, that description may not seem appropriate.

Ronald Gladden arrives for jury selection, unaware that an entirely fictional court case has been created just for him. Ronald and other jurors move into their hotel and adjust to sequestered life. A suspicious discovery during a surprise field trip to the scene of the incident sheds new light on the case. Things go from bad to worse for the defendant. The defense is on the ropes after a series of questionable strategic moves and Ken is in a bind after teaching Ronald to play a Korean board game.

Jury duty reality show

Jury Duty has become this summer's unexpected hit comedy series. The eight-episode show on Amazon Freevee is essentially a reality TV prank series, with hidden cameras tracking a real subject unaware of the fact that his surroundings are staged. This time, the surroundings are a civil trial and the subject is Juror 6, Ronnie Gladden — but he doesn't know that everyone from the judge, to the bailiff, to the lawyers, defendants, prosecutors, and even his eleven fellow Jurors are all actors, and that the case is entirely scripted. In addition to this original premise, though, much of Jury Duty 's success is likely due to its ambitious scope and subversive tone, which elevates prank-style TV to new heights and leaves the viewer feeling surprisingly uplifted in the end. It follows the workings of an American jury trial through the eyes of Ronald Gladden, a juror who is unaware the entire case is fake. Everyone except him is an actor, and everything that happens is carefully planned. Each episode usually has a variety of segments or bits, each one focusing on a different prank with different subjects. At the end of each segment, the curtain reliably falls and the non-actors realize that they've been pranked. From there, it's on to the next bit. Jury Duty , however, doesn't follow the bit or even the episodic structure of its prank TV predecessors. Throughout Jury Duty 's eight episodes, a full narrative unfolds and events build on each other across the course of the series. The trial grows richer as jurors leave, councils change, and witnesses bring new evidence to the table, often in hilarious and chaotic manners. To avoid inconsistencies, the Jury is sequestered in the first episode , allowing for additional scenes outside the courtroom while ensuring that the crew behind the curtain has greater control over the arch-narrative.

A suspicious discovery during a surprise field trip to the scene of the incident sheds new light on the case. Comedy Series.

The majority of the faces on the billboards looked bored or befuddled. I was certain the show would be a forgettable one. How wrong I was. Jury Duty —a series starring mostly unknown performers, tucked away on a largely unknown streamer—is incredible reality television, a boundary-pushing hidden-camera program. James Marsden plays a dirtbag version of himself who asks Ronald to help him run over-the-top lines for an audition. Jury Duty has become a word-of-mouth hit, and Ronald a bona fide star.

M any of us have been summoned for jury duty. Few volunteer for this civic duty via a Craigslist ad that promises compensation to take part in a documentary about a trial. But this is just what happens on Jury Duty , a courtroom reality show with a twist. The show, which features 11 jury members who are in on a prank, and one who isn't, stars none other than actor James Marsden of Dead to Me fame. For more details about Jury Duty including when episodes come out and how to watch the out-of-the-box series, read on! Per the show's official description, " Jury Duty is a documentary-style comedy series that chronicles the inner workings of an American jury trial through the eyes of one particular juror. Sound like a must watch? Yes, we think so, too, especially since James is in on the gag. More on his involvement in a moment. First, you'll be happy to know that the first four episodes of Jury Duty are available to stream on Amazon Prime right this very second via the Freevee channel!

Jury duty reality show

Two decades ago, Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese—aka the guys behind the Deadpool movies—created a series called The Joe Schmo Show where one real guy competed on a completely phony reality show where everyone but him was an actor. It was a lot of fun right up until the moment it became clear that it was also very mean. Bizarre as it may seem, we as a society may have simply become too nice. Unbeknownst to him, everyone he interacts with from that point on—the bailiff, the judge, the other potential jurors he sees in the waiting room—are all actors. The show even cleverly lampshades this by making one of the potential jurors an actual actor: James Marsden, playing a more pretentious version of himself, as he repeatedly tries to get out of jury duty so he can get to a big audition. And the guy tries it! And it goes poorly! When someone tells him something strange, or when the judge somewhat inexplicably names him the foreperson of the jury, he just accepts it with good humor and moves on.

Aperfectstay

Retrieved April 5, USA Today. Gladden, who answered a Craigslist ad for what he thought was a real documentary about jury duty, proved a once-in-a-lifetime find: an aloof, but intelligent and charming everyman who not only tolerated all of the insanity the showrunners and actors threw at him, but, through his innate kindness and empathy, transformed what would probably have been an experiment in cringe comedy into one about the transformative power of makeshift family. Retrieved April 17, Read Edit View history. Whitney Rice Jacquiline Hilgrove. Outstanding New Program. How this affects the genre's landscape as a whole remains to be seen, but it certainly seems to raise the bar and shift the narrative in a positive direction. Amazon Privacy Policy Opt out anytime. Todd arrives to court wearing a pair of modified crutches being used as "chair pants".

A new series on the Amazon streaming service Freevee which is not the same thing as Prime Video , FYI, but can be available through Prime takes justice to a whole new level. So is the Jury Duty show actually real, or completely fake?

Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming. How many seasons does Jury Duty have? The final episode also solidifies Jury Duty as a truly innovative prank TV show not just for its ambitious scope, but also for its refreshingly positive tone. James Marsden co-stars alongside an ensemble cast. Ronald, meanwhile, just appeared in an ad with Ryan Reynolds. Jury Duty. Jury Duty is an American reality hoax sitcom television series created by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky , about a fake jury trial. The mere idea of an arch-narrative is something quite novel for prank television , and Jury Duty pulls it off by allowing the show to be more than just a series of reactions to ridiculous events. Closing Arguments. Jury Duty is a documentary-style comedy series that shares the inner workings of an American jury trial through the eyes of one particular juror. Retrieved April 10,