REVIEW: ‘Jury Duty: Company Retreat’ Is A Worthwhile Follow-Up

As with Season 1, Jury Duty Company Retreat requires a certain level of suspension of disbelief. And it’s two kinds. The first is the idea that anyone, ever, could not question what’s going on around them when stuck in such increasingly ludicrous scenarios. The second is that anyone could actually be so even-keeled, so easy to like, with a superhuman ability to acclimate to any situation and befriend new coworkers. And yet, here we are. 

The critical acclaim for Season 1 of Jury Duty, created by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, stemmed from the melding of many different elements. There was the seemingly pseudo-mockumentary improv structure that allowed a strong ensemble of bit players to dig deep into the specificity of their characters. There was, of course, the James Marsden of it all, a celebrity presence in an otherwise mundane situation.

The details were meticulously planned because actors and showrunners had to quickly reassess and adjust if things went wrong. And, more than anything, it was how the structure was strengthened by the “hero,” the unknown, regular guy who was the centerpiece of the entire operation. 

Jury Duty Company Retreat is, in many ways, a retread of what made Season 1 so enjoyable. But the changes and shifts in direction are necessary to make it feel both a continuation and an entity in its own right. And so much of the success lies in the hands of this season’s hero, the 25-year-0ld Anthony Norman. 

Jury Duty Company Retreat builds its premise on a fictional shared history. 

The series quickly covers itself to avoid accusations of poor taste as we learn that Anthony has been hired as a temp assistant to help with the company’s annual retreat. The company – a hot sauce manufacturer known as the ‘Rockin’ Grandma’s – is undergoing some changes. The CEO, Doug (Jerry Hauck), is looking to retire and plans to turn the role over to his previously wayward son, Dougie Jr. (Alex Bonifer). Any tension is caused by familial strain or misunderstandings between coworkers. 

Of course, as every top of the episode reminds us, this company isn’t real. But it’s the difference in settings and place that gives it the greatest distinction over Season 1. While Season 1 followed the lives of strangers meeting for the first time for jury duty, Anthony is thrown into a company that is meant to have years of shared history. There’s a camaraderie to them that evokes found-family elements, even though we, the audience, constantly know it’s not real. 

That give-and-take is part of why we’re able to suspend our disbelief. While ridiculous things are going on around Anthony, from a woman wearing a gadget that zaps her if she doesn’t sit up straight to a horribly inappropriate new product display, the people sharing in those experiences are all relatively normal. Or, at the very least, normal in the way that all of our coworkers are. They have their eccentricities, and I guarantee that all of us, at one point, have worked with a Helen (Stephanie Hodge) from accounting. 

The ensemble helps make this world feel real. 

Characters such as the snack-loving receptionist, PJ (Marc-Sully Saint-Fleur), and Jackie (LaNisa Renee Frederick), who works in logistics, help ground the more wild and out-of-pocket character moments. While the series has a level of scripted structure based on how the showrunners hope it will play out, there’s ultimately room for improv, because who knows exactly how any normal person will react to what’s unfolding in front of them. And that improv is best shown in the more down-to-earth scenes where the group enjoys each other’s company. 

It’s the little, ongoing jokes that make Jury Duty Company Retreat stand out. From a recurring “safe word” used by coworkers to handle awkward situations, to them constantly referencing, of all things, the series Bones, and the group’s dynamic when workshopping PJ’s potential new snack influencer venture, these details make the absurdity of the world click. Similarly, we see it settle as we watch Anthony naturally gravitate toward certain friendships, supporting Dougie Jr., Helen, and PJ in different ways. 

Not every character works, and some play it all a bit too broadly. Certain characters feel exclusively like they’re out of a real sitcom, like Claire (Rachel Kaly), Amy (Emily Pendergast), and Kevin (Ryan Perez). That said, given the prevalence of workplace comedies, it makes sense to see elements of Parks & Recreation and The Office in characters clearly built from notable archetypes.

The series finds a winner in Anthony. 

But the real star of the series is Anthony, and the show and how it is edited know it. It’s so easy to lean into cynicism. And there’s a part of Jury Duty Company Retreat that is begging us to question authenticity. Really, though, what it’s doing is forcing us to self-evaluate because how many of us can acclimate to new scenarios with the grace and good-natured humor as Anthony does? It takes me two years minimum to be comfortable enough at 34 to be my full, clumsy (emotionally and physically) self in front of coworkers, and this kid, this 25-year-old, waltzes into a new situation and is beloved by all immediately? Of course, I want to question it.

That’s the magic, though. And it’s what the core of the series is really built around and what makes it such enticing television in a world increasingly consumed by nauseating news headlines and abhorrent behavior. Someone who, in his own deceptively simple way, displays innate kindness, generosity, and good spirits. For all the cringe-inducing moments Anthony and the ensemble find themselves in, there’s a good-natured sweetness that generates the greatest moments. The series wouldn’t work without it. 

While the series at times loses itself in over-the-top comedy and sitcom-adjacent plotting and archetypes, Jury Duty Company Retreat proves itself a worthy successor. With a new setting, a stronger, more memorable ensemble, and a charismatic hero at its center, the comedy series remains a welcome gem as we seek reliable, comforting escapism. 

Jury Duty Company Retreat premieres March 20 on Prime Video.