Jury Duty, Explained: What is Fact and What is Fiction in 2023 Mockumentary?

Jury Duty is a mockumentary/reality show that has got plenty of people talking about which parts of it are real and which are made up.

So, let's take a look at what's fact and what's fiction in Jury Duty.

Fiction:

1. Juries can be sequestered

But this is rare and is generally reserved for high-profile cases. For example, jurors were sequestered in the trials of OJ Simpson and Bill Cosby. The jury in the trial of Derek Chauvin were only sequestered for deliberation. So, while sequestering is a thing – it's safe to say it definitely wouldn't have happened if this one had been a genuine case.

2. Judge Rosen is not a real judge

But he is a real attorney, so, close to the truth?

3. James Marsden is not a vainglorious narcissist

He just loves 'playing the ass' and is generally considered one of Hollywood's good guys. Which is evident by the fact he agreed to take part in the show. There is also no Lone Pine movie in the offing, sorry.

4. JORF

The term 'JORF' was completely made up and means nothing. Still, that t-shirt was offensive.

5. Game

The Korean game that saw Ronald 'win' $2000 was completely made up, unfortunately.

6. Jeannie and Noah’s relationship

It's impossible to say whether sequestered jurors are able to befriend bailiffs to gain access to social media (as Jeannie did), but it's safe to assume this wouldn't make the final cut of a genuine mockumentary about what happens on jury duty.

Facts:

1. Everyone was fake, except one person

Ronald Gladden is the only person in the show who is genuine. Everybody else is played by an actor.

2. Legal animations are genuinely used in courts to help jurors visualise events

This has been common practice for around 20 years now.

3. You can represent yourself in a court

Millions of Americans represent themselves in civil and criminal cases every year. Although, on many occasions it's because they can't afford legal representation – not because their attorney is a buffoon.

4. Apparently, some celebs do call the paparazzi on themselves

There is plenty of evidence that Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, Angelina Jolie, Ryan Reynolds, Paris Hilton and, of course, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have done just that.

5. Soaking is a real thing (or at least a real urban myth)

Some members of the Church of the Latter-Day Saints have apparently confirmed it is a genuine but rarely used loophole to get around strict rules on sex outside of heterosexual marriage. Others say it's completely made up and only exists in sitcoms.

So, there's a fair amount of accuracy in Jury Duty, coupled with a fair amount of artistic licence. There were times when Ronald Gladden said in his 'interviews' during the show that it felt 'like reality TV,' which could have caused a problem. After all, what would the showrunners do if he called them out?

But when he indicated that he might be working out what was going on, what the viewers didn't see was that there followed hours of tedious legal talk to bring it right back to what you'd expect from an average courtroom.

Source: The Guardian.