‘Jury Duty’ Returns With a New Setting, a New Star and a Fresh Corporate Twist
The hidden-camera comedy that earned three Emmy nominations and a Peabody Award is back — but the courtroom is out and the corporate world is in. Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat, the second season of the documentary-style comedy series, premieres March 20 on Prime Video with the first three episodes dropping that day.
The new season follows a fresh unsuspecting participant placed into an entirely staged workplace scenario, surrounded by actors he doesn’t know are performing. Here’s everything we know about the new season and what viewers can expect.
From Jury Box to Company Retreat
While the first season revolved around a fake court case, the second season moves the action into a very different world: a corporate retreat for a fictional family-owned hot sauce company called Rockin’ Grandma’s.
According to a synopsis, the storyline takes place during a “corporate offsite event at a family-owned hot sauce company.” The trip takes a dramatic turn when the founder of Rockin’ Grandma’s announces plans to step down. From there, “the getaway transforms into a clash between big corporate ambitions and small business values, with control of the company hanging in the balance.”
The core concept remains the same: one real person, surrounded entirely by actors, navigating an increasingly elaborate and unpredictable situation without any idea that the whole thing is a production.
According to Variety, Company Retreat was filmed in Agoura Hills, a suburb of Los Angeles.
Meet Anthony, the New Unsuspecting Star
Every season of Jury Duty hinges on the person at the center who has no idea what’s really going on. In the first season, that person was Ronald Gladden, who believed he was serving as a juror during a real court case but was actually surrounded by actors participating in an elaborate prank.
For season 2, a new unsuspecting participant named Anthony takes on that role. He is introduced in the series as a temporary worker joining his coworkers on the company trip. Like Gladden before him, Anthony is the only non-actor among the entire cast. Every interaction, every workplace conflict and every dramatic moment he experiences is being performed around him without his knowledge.
Finding the right person for this kind of show is no small feat. Executive producer Nick Hatton spoke to People about the casting process and what made Anthony the right choice.
“Anthony’s charisma and kindness stood out immediately,” Hatton told People. “From day one, it was clear Anthony was going to be a great hero. As for how we found him — that’s part of the secret sauce required to make the show! But safe to say there were thousands of candidates and we’re so happy we landed the right one.”
For those unfamiliar with the original, the first season of Jury Duty premiered in 2023 on Amazon FreeVee. That season centered on Ronald Gladden, who was led to believe he was participating in a real jury trial. Instead, everyone around him — from fellow jurors to courtroom officials — was an actor, and the entire case was fabricated.
The series was nominated for three Emmy Awards and won a Peabody Award. That level of recognition raises expectations for the second season. By shifting the setting entirely, the creative team appears to be signaling that each season of Jury Duty will offer a fresh scenario rather than repeating the same formula.
A 14-Person Ensemble Fills the Workplace
One of the keys to making a show like this work is populating the world around the unsuspecting participant with actors who can convincingly play their roles while creating comedy and drama in real time. For season 2, the production assembled a sizable ensemble cast to fill out the employees and executives of Rockin’ Grandma’s.
The cast includes Alex Bonifer, Blair Beeken, Emily Pendergast, Erica Hernandez, Jerry Hauck, Jim A. Woods, LaNisa Renee Frederick, Marc-Sully Saint-Fleur, Rachel Kaly, Rob Lathan, Ryan Perez, Stephanie Hodge, Warren Burke and Wendy Braun.
With 14 actors in the ensemble, Anthony will be navigating a workplace full of characters — each one aware of the ruse while he remains completely in the dark. The actors will need to maintain their cover while steering the unscripted interactions that define the series.
When and Where to Watch
Company Retreat premieres March 20 on Prime Video. The first three episodes will be available on that date.
The move to Prime Video marks a shift from the first season, which originally premiered on Amazon FreeVee in 2023.
Production of this article included the use of AI. It was reviewed and edited by a team of content specialists.
