Jury Duty has become this summer's unexpected hit comedy series. The eight-episode show on Amazon Freevee is essentially a reality TV prank series, with hidden cameras tracking a real subject unaware of the fact that his surroundings are staged.
'Jury Duty' Weaves Character and Story Development Into Its Pranks The mere idea of an arch-narrative is something quite novel for prank television, and Jury Duty pulls it off by allowing the show to be more than just a series of reactions to ridiculous events. There is a clear scripted aspect to the show that doesn't even involve the central mock trial. Each character has a complete identity, and the actors remain faithful to those identities throughout.
'Jury Duty' Shifts the Genre's Focus From Embarrassment to Compassion The final episode also solidifies Jury Duty as a truly innovative prank TV show not just for its ambitious scope, but also for its refreshingly positive tone. While the aforementioned conventional prank shows seem to focus on making their subjects feel embarrassed, hoodwinked, or punked after the curtain falls, Jury Duty unveils its prank with a tone of appreciation and compassion towards Ronnie.