The Big Picture
- Commitment to the bit led Jury Duty to land three Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series.
- Ronald Gladden was put through the wringer, unaware it was fake; but the production team had plans in place if Gladden found out the truth, including turning the tables and having him play along with the actors.
- The cast managed to keep the production running smoothly, despite moments of potential ruin, showcasing their ability to work together on their feet.
Commitment to the bit was the number one ingredient that led Prime Video’s standout series, Jury Duty to land three Emmy Award nominations – including Outstanding Comedy Series. Episode after episode, the unsuspecting hero and star, Ronald Gladden, was put through the wringer of not only attending what turned out to be a fake court case but also the wild antics and personalities of the folks surrounding him. As a viewer, there are times that it seems like Gladden is close to a state of awareness, one in which the wrong word or look from any of the hired actors will make him realize that this is in no way a real courtroom proceeding.
In a recent interview with Collider’s Christina Radish,Jury Duty’s showrunner and executive producer, Cody Heller, got into the nitty-gritty of what the crew would’ve done should the curtain have fallen, revealing all the strings being pulled behind the scenes. “There were several things that we floated around,” Heller says, explaining that their main plan came from executive producer Nick Hatton. Breaking it down, Heller said, “If Ronald [Gladden] found out, we would pull him aside and turn the tables and be like, ‘Look, okay, you’re right. This is what it is. Can you play along, and now we’re gonna turn it onto the actors?’”
While the series worked out, with Gladden staying out of the loop for a full three weeks, it would’ve been fascinating to see how the production team would’ve scrambled to completely shift gears and pull the wool over the actors’ eyes. “It was just constantly evolving and fluid and we had to be open to making changes constantly throughout the whole process,” Heller said, adding that every day on set was “so exciting” because of it.
Teetering on the Edge
Although Gladden was completely caught off guard when the judge, played by Alan Barinholtz, revealed that the entire process had been a semi-staged production, he would later say that there were moments that felt unbelievable to him. The same can be said for audiences who watched as David Brown’s introverted inventor Todd Gregory showed up to court with his chair pants and James Marsden, as an over-the-top version of himself, clogged a toilet and allowed Gladden to take the fall for it. There were even moments when the cast almost ruined things like when the defense team lead, Shaun Sanders (Evan Williams) showed the jury an animated video that had everyone in stitches. Still, the ensemble managed to stifle their laughter and work together on their feet to pull off the one-of-a-kind production.
You can check out a trailer for Jury Duty below.
