Jury Duty (2023)

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So we all know there is a decreasing amount of entertaining new TV out there so have to go to streaming to find it, and not much there to be fair. I had heard about Jury Duty from the Emmy nominations and thought it I would give it a go on AMazon Prime. First clue what's coming is there has only been one season of it and that is obvious why as you move through the episodes. Another season was muted after its Emmy thumbs up but no sign yet. So the set up is that actors are going to recreate a court case in all the roles of a genuine court case and the only non actor on the show is a one Ronald Gladdon, a likeable, young clean cut American lad from the flyover states who applies on Craigslist to be part of a real court jury and to be filmed in the process for a TV documentary, thinking he has officially been called up to serve. He is picked and totally oblivious to the fact the trial is a hoax and he is the star, A Truman Show for court room drama... He arrives on jury selection day with the cameras rolling (some hidden ) and the actors begin their work creating their various characters. Why would he know any different on how documentaries are made? He is selected for the 12 and two reserves, one being the quiet well known American actor James Marsden, who Gladdon recognises early on . Its masterstroke by the producers as Masden is the perfect distraction from thinking the rest are actors. Again, why would he? So the selection begins and as usual excuses are made to avoid being on the jury by most of them.Marsden plays an obnoxious movie star big shot version of himself throughout and uses that to try and avoid serving but drafted in all the same. A stunt where the paparazzi arrive at the court to photograph him is the method used for the judge to sequester the trial so they can have Gladdon in a hotel with the jury members overnight through the trial so to create even more comic situations as the jurors get to know each other in the hotel. Clearly the producers want to see how far they can go with their antics, without him getting suspicious. Hidden cameras capture the antics and thats the show. The show was a big risk as he could have sussed early on and that was the end and millions wasted. But they got lucky with Gladdon as he turned out to be an honest, uncynical and likeable good citizen wanting to do his jury service and treated it all as he was doing exactly that. The final episode ends as the trial does for the big reveal, a genuinely dumbfounded young man from what's just hit him but friends for life with the actors who clearly all loved him for being great sport, the judge handing him 100 grand for his troubles in court. I think he was genuine as his facial expressions were priceless to the evolving situations and looked genuine throughout. The actors did enough to not give it away with their performances. The actor playing the judge is particularly good. The bungling lawyer would have sounded warning signs to me , and other things, but not to this guy who simply didn't ever think it was a set up. Why would you? Its original TV and I'm pleased it work for them, funny a times and life affirming that there are still nice guys out there. Gladdon has had his head turned by his performance and now working in showbiz ao maybe went on the documentary hoping he could get some sort of fame on TV, Maybe...