Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Middling jury spoof has cursing, innuendo, smoking.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Jury Duty
What's the Story?
JURY DUTY is an unscripted comedy series about a real person sitting on a fake jury to judge a fake trial. Ronald Gladden is an average guy from the Los Angeles area who has been called to jury duty for the first time, and has agreed to be featured in a reality series about the inner workings of the American jurisprudence system. But unbeknownst to him, he's actually appearing on a hidden-camera series in which the entire trial process is being staged by actors. Among them is James Marsden, who is playing an obnoxious and entitled version of himself. As the performers do their best to play interesting, quirky, and even incompetent participants in the justice system and wreak havoc throughout the trial, the unsuspecting Gladden is doing his very best to follow the rules and perform his civic duty.
Is It Any Good?
This unscripted series attempts to combine the humor of shows like The Office with the prank-style antics of Candid Camera, but doesn't always seem to hit its mark. There are some interesting characters, and non-actor Ronald Gladden is friendly, easy-going, and never the butt of anyone's jokes. Gladden also doesn't get worked up about the strange or crazy things happening around him, which makes it harder for the actors to successfully raise the comedy stakes throughout the trial. Meanwhile, the overall purpose of the whole project is never made clear to the audience, making it seem feel like a continuum of mundane activities and wry comments mixed in with some occasional over-the-top attempts to make it fun. Overall, it's a great concept, and there are some well-performed moments, but some will get tired of Jury Duty rather quickly.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why it is important to serve on juries when called to do so. How important are juries in the criminal justice system?
Are there any behaviors or moments in Jury Duty that should have made it obvious to Ronald Gladden that the trial wasn't real? Do you think a group of actors could pull this type of prank again after this has streamed?
TV Details
- Premiere date : April 7, 2023
- Cast : James Marsden , Kirk Fox , Mekki Leeper , Ronald Gladden
- Network : Freevee
- Genre : Comedy
- Character Strengths : Teamwork
- TV rating :
- Last updated : April 10, 2023
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