Freevee launched in 2019 but only rebranded in 2022. This means that Freevee is still in the development phase of its short streaming life. However, it’s already been producing plenty of great content, including Clea DuVall’s series, High School. However, one of the best Freevee shows is Jury Duty, which is a hybrid show that’s part mockumentary and part reality TV prank show.
It stars Ronald Gladden as Juror #6, however, Ronald has no clue that he’s been drafted into being the main character in this show. Everyone around him is acting, but he believes that he’s taking part in an actual documentary about the jury duty process. The series premiered on Freevee on April 7, 2023, and aired weekly until April 21, 2023.
Despite Jury Duty being a reality TV show full of deception, it’s surprisingly wholesome. Instead of making you a little bit more bitter about the world, like many shows of this kind and even some of the best reality TV shows, it makes you a little more hopeful about humanity.
It’s a great feel-good show that doesn’t try too hard to be one. Let me explain.
Jury Duty Makes James Marsden A Lovable Narcissist
Many of the best James Marsden movies and TV shows are comedies. He’s just an actor who knows how to embrace his goofy side. This comes across clearly in Jury Duty, where he plays a very narcissistic but likable version of himself. This version of him is similar to Valerie Cherish (Lisa Kudrow) in The Comeback, because his character pretends to not be obsessed with his own fame and status, but it’s clearly his whole personality.
The fact that Marsden is the only A-list star involved in this project also speaks volumes about him as an actor. Despite his notoriety, he is willing to do smaller or weird projects. It makes you respect and appreciate him a lot more, especially because it reminds you just how good he is at comedy.
It Makes Everyday Situations Comically Dramatic
This show amplifies everyday situations into grand drama. For example, a significant other taking a vacation with friends becomes a cheating scandal, or an outing to a restaurant becomes a thriller with several twists and turns. Despite these situations becoming heightened, everything is done in a realistic way. These situations are dramatic but not out of the realm of possibility.
This is what makes them fun. They are things that could happen to anyone, but with the volume turned up a little for entertainingly comedic effect.
All The Jury Duty Characters Are Strange But Endearing
Most great mockumentary series focus on the characters. Almost every one of them has some sort of quirky or eccentric personality or character trait. It makes them lovable and weird. Shows such as Abbott Elementary, Parks and Recreation, What We Do In The Shadows, and The Office mastered the art of the mockumentary because they know this format works best when you have weird but likable characters. Most of the best The Office characters are really strange, and the same goes for most of the best mockumentary films and TV shows.
Jury Duty is full of them, including James Marsden. Even when this fictional version of him is being his most narcissistic and self-involved, you still like the guy. He has no self-awareness, but somehow it’s charming. Then you see that characters like Todd Gregory (David Brown) would be a lot to handle in real life, but the show demonstrates that once you get to know him, you see that his oddities are what makes him special.
It’s Not A Mean Spirited Hybrid Show
Deciding to manipulate a person into believing a false reality can go one of two ways. One of those ways is doing everything to make the person look like an idiot. The other way is to do everything to emphasize why this person is so great. Jury Duty takes the latter approach, and it makes Ronald seem like such a nice and genuine guy.
The best thing about this approach is that it seems like Ronald himself didn’t realize he was a great guy. It’s only after doing what he does during the series that he sees his own kindness and ability to help others, just by being more tolerant and having more patience. It reflects this to the viewers in a way that they can see that they could be more like Ronald if they just embrace the weirdness of life with humor, humility, and gentleness.
The Actors Really Bond With Ronald
One of the fascinating things about Jury Duty is that it forces Ronald to be sequestered with his fellow jurors (except Marsden). Therefore, he has to spend all day with many of them. This creates real bonds that go beyond the TV show and means that we’re really watching Ronald become friends with these people, even if they’re lying about most of their lives.
This also ties into the mockumentary style. One of the reasons you grow to love these characters is because of their relationships with one another. One of the best things about Abbott Elementary, and other mockumentary comedies, is the bonds between the characters. Ronald gets to experience this bonding in real-time. He’s not just being nice to them for the cameras because half of the time he doesn’t know they are there.
Jury Duty Is Funny And Heartwarming
The best comedy shows on Hulu, Netflix, Tubi, HBO Max, and other streaming services are often not only funny, but have a lot of heart. There are heartwarming situations that come along with all the laughs, such as romance, familial bonding, friendship, overcoming obstacles, etc. Jury Duty follows in these comedy footsteps by not just being super funny (which it is) but also sprinkling in heartwarming stories, such as Ronald having Todd watch one of the best Pixar movies, A Bug’s Life, to see how people like him are often misunderstood but still important to society.
Another heartwarming story is when all the jurors come together to throw a surprise party. It has plenty of sweet moments to go along with the crazy ones.
Jury Duty uses the mockumentary style to create a unique and very funny heartwarming TV show. It’s one of the best TV shows to watch on Amazon Prime Video right now.
