A reality TV series dubbed the ‘best show ever’ is returning for a second series and fans are predicting a ‘wild ride’.
A reality TV series that has been branded the “funniest show” is returning three years after its first season.
Social experiment Jury Duty first aired on Amazon Freevee in 2023, with a second instalment hitting Amazon Prime Video in March this year.
The hoax sitcom follows a fake jury trial, with construction worker Ronald Gladden serving as a juror, unaware that the proceedings around him aren’t real.
Starring James Marsden as a fake juror, portraying an over-exaggerated, parodied version of himself, and a series of actors as the other jurors, including one who keeps falling asleep, Jury Duty shows the inner workings of a trial in the US.
Everything that goes on is entirely planned, unbeknownst to Ronald, who thinks the people around him are actually as chaotic as they seem.
The documentary-style comedy sees Ronald share his baffled thoughts to the camera before realising what actually happened.
He later won $100,000 as part of the experience, saying his life “completely changed overnight” once it aired.
He added, “I had a feeling in my gut the whole time that something wasn’t right. They got me on camera multiple times saying, ‘I feel like I’m on reality TV. Like, this can’t be real. What’s going on?”
“The day of the reveal, everyone was so quick to let me know that, like, ‘Hey, we understand that none of this was real. But the one thing—that the relationships we formed were real.”
“They were so quick to just let me know that that wasn’t fake. And that honestly is what made the whole thing worth it for me.”
The series received a roaring response from critics and audiences alike, with three Emmy nominations, two Golden Globe nominations and a Peabody Award.
It is now set to return, Amazon Prime confirmed, but this time, Ronald will be free from the chaos.
A teaser trailer was posted on social media, captioned: “Welcome to the retreat. Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat premieres March 20 on @primevideo.”
The video took a look back at the original series, before teasing: “Now, we’re following a business on their annual company retreat. Except this is not a real company. It’s fake. Everyone involved is an actor. Except Anthony.”
One person is then heard saying: “If I go home and tell my parents about this stuff, they’re gonna be like, ‘You’re lying’.”
As per Deadline, Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat will follow a corporate offsite event at a family-owned hot sauce company, with Anthony featuring as a recently hired temporary worker.
The entire experience will be staged, with every “colleague” assigned a role around him, and scenes in conference rooms and during downtime, all orchestrated.
When the founder announces he’s preparing to step down, the retreat transforms into a clash between corporate ambitions and small-business values, with the future of the company and whose hands it will fall into all up in the air.
Fans have been left over the moon at the glimpse of a new season, with one writing: “I’m so excited to see this.”
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“Season 1 was too good, we are ready!” another wrote, as a third said: “Best. Show. EVER. Can’t wait for S2!”
“I don’t know how you can top the original, but I’m dying to see!!!!” someone else said.
Another commented, “If this is even half as chaotic as Jury Duty, we are in for a wild ride. But honestly, am I the only one wondering if they can actually pull off the ‘fake person’ trope again without everyone being suspicious? The bar is set so high. I just hope it’s actual comedy and not just another over-produced ‘reality’ mess. March 20th can’t come soon enough. I need to see if this lives up to the hype or if it’s just a one-hit wonder.”
When previously discussing possible future seasons of Jury Duty, showrunner Cody Heller told Variety: “Obviously, it would have to be a whole different universe. You couldn’t just do jury duty again, because then people would be like, “Wait a second”.
“But I do think that it’s possible. I do think there’s a million different worlds that this kind of thing could exist in.”
Jury Duty is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.