Hilarious show you can watch for free
Jury Duty is the new surprise hit from Freevee – Amazon’s rebranding of their ad-supported service of free streaming content formerly known as IMDb TV. Freevee is still relatively new to the streaming game when it comes to original content, but it’s fair to say the service is off to a very promising start with Jury Duty, the hilarious new show that seamlessly blends comedy with reality and documentary formats.
The show has a relatively simple concept: a group of people is called to serve jury duty, just like most other U.S. citizens will have to do at one point or another. After an extensive and, frankly, painful selection process, our 12 qualified jurors and two alternates (one of which is actor James Marsden, who played Cyclops in the X-Men movies) are selected. There is, of course, a catch – everyone in the show is an actor except one man, Ronald Gladden. Ronald is told that the film crew who follows him and the others during the trial is simply documenting the final case of a highly respected judge who is now retiring.
Oddly, it takes the vast majority of the show’s eight episodes to even grasp what the trial is all about, which further serves to highlight what becomes the ultimate point of all the madness: it’s all about Ronald. The show has more than its fair share of laughs, from James Marsden’s running gag of being overinflated about his level of fame (or lack thereof), to a nerdy biohacker who’s obsessed with creating new inventions to make the human body better, to a couple that forms during the process of the show, resulting in ridiculous situations.
Unusual Situations
The premise of the show is certainly intriguing, but it could’ve easily turned into eight episodes of laughing at the expense of one clueless person. Somehow, Jury Duty manages to transcend the concept, the silly characters, and the absurd situations to become something more: a documentary highlighting the selflessness and kindness of a regular, everyday guy.
While watching the show, and especially during the final episode, there’s a sense that Ronald’s humanity and deep empathy for the people around him even surprised the producers themselves, which ultimately left them scrambling to respond to his actions on a daily basis.
In the face of absurdity, Ronald shows compassion. For instance, in one scene Ronald and James are sharing a hotel room. James claims to have clogged the toilet in an embarrassing way, and he becomes concerned that someone will take a picture and shame him in the media. When the hotel plumber comes to fix the problem, Ronald takes the blame for causing the clog. In another scene, Ronald gives encouragement and support to fellow jury member, Noah, when he’s on the fence about pursuing relations with one of the ladies in the group.
When it’s all said and done, the show successfully makes the viewer fall in love with an everyday person. Viewers are left with a sense of hope that there are good people out there who truly want the best for others. So cheers to you, Ronald. We love you!
