Picture this. You are summoned for Jury Duty. You sit in court for hours, you’re sequestered, and you lead the other jurors through to the final verdict. Then, you find out the whole thing was fake.
This experience is what Ronald Gladden went through.
Ronald was selected to come to jury duty to complete a typical procedure. But what he didn’t know was the whole thing was staged and all of the other people there for jury duty were actors.
While he thought he was being filmed for a documentary on how a court case works, he was actually being filmed for the hit show Jury Duty, where audiences would gauge his reaction to a variety of scripted antics, caused by the other ‘jurors’.
Along the way he met many different characters including Noah Price (Mekki Leeper), a man who is trying to figure out if his girlfriend cheated on him. He loops Ronald into his drama as he drunkenly calls his girlfriend, makes some bold statements and questions his feelings for another girl on the jury.
Todd Gregory (David Brown) is an inventor. Throughout the show he showcases his many inventions such as his chair pants and fake teeth. He shares a door with Ronald in the hotel and proves a somewhat difficult neighbor.
But the most memorable character is James Marsden, who plays himself. Marsden acts as though he wants to leave jury duty and causes many problems while trying to get himself excused. While Ronald becomes close with all of the characters he is arguably closest with Marsden, who perfectly plays his part causing a paparazzi storm, a destroyed birthday party and a clogged toilet. Marsden was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series, for his role.
Throughout the show, Ronald hilariously proves himself while his sanity is tested again and again through the craziness that ensues. He makes many new friends and learns how to handle strange situations.
In addition to the plot, many of the shots are different from your typical reality show. While the show has interviews with one or two people, the most creative and entertaining interviews are the group ones. In these, questions are thrown to the group and answered by all of the jurors. The part that makes this different is how you can see everyone else’s reactions in the group when one person talks, which gives you an insight into how Ronald feels.
Another special part of this show is how the cameras are hidden in inventive places like walls and mirrors. This makes some of
the interactions unbiased by a camera; a unique feature for a reality show.
Overall the show is a fun, light watch, for fans of comedy and reality. It’s available for free on Freevee and on Amazon Prime.
Jury Duty received 2 Golden Globe nominations including a nomination for Best Musical or Comedy Television Series.
