“Jury Duty” is a reality show. Or is it a sitcom? A documentary? An elaborate prank?
How about all of the above?
One of 2023’s defining breakouts, the Amazon Freevee series is the crown jewel of an ascendant hybrid genre sometimes referred to as docu-comedy. Even the people who made the show aren’t sure how to classify it. Director Jake Syzmanski and co-creator Lee Eisenberg say they’ve never heard that term. Eisenberg suggested hidden-camera comedy, but that’s not really accurate either, as everyone involved knew they were being filmed. Robyn Adams, a producer, used “outlined improv.” Whatever nomenclature best applies, this increasingly common format has enjoyed a banner year, with “Jury Duty,” Peacock’s “Paul T. Goldman,” BBC and Netflix’s “Cunk on Earth,” and HBO’s “How To with John Wilson” picking up where the likes of Sacha Baron Cohen and Nathan Fielder left off.
“There was a big worry about,...
How about all of the above?
One of 2023’s defining breakouts, the Amazon Freevee series is the crown jewel of an ascendant hybrid genre sometimes referred to as docu-comedy. Even the people who made the show aren’t sure how to classify it. Director Jake Syzmanski and co-creator Lee Eisenberg say they’ve never heard that term. Eisenberg suggested hidden-camera comedy, but that’s not really accurate either, as everyone involved knew they were being filmed. Robyn Adams, a producer, used “outlined improv.” Whatever nomenclature best applies, this increasingly common format has enjoyed a banner year, with “Jury Duty,” Peacock’s “Paul T. Goldman,” BBC and Netflix’s “Cunk on Earth,” and HBO’s “How To with John Wilson” picking up where the likes of Sacha Baron Cohen and Nathan Fielder left off.
“There was a big worry about,...
- 12/2/2023
- by Matthew Jacobs
- Indiewire
The producers of “Jury Duty” found Ronald Gladden — the jury foreman unaware that an entire fictional trial was put on for his benefit — via Craigslist. But everyone else in the courtroom was cast through a scripted process, albeit not one that casting director Susie Farris ever used before.
The unconventional hybrid nature of “Jury Duty” led Farris and the show’s producers down a very life-meets-art path to find gifted improvisers who could hit the level of absurdity the show demanded without making Gladden suspicious. Farris began with self-tapes, partly because of Covid-19 restrictions and partly because, in this particular case, improvising a confessional to camera would more accurately reflect the job than reading sides.
“Don’t get me wrong, I really miss the in-person interaction. There’s really nothing like that,” Farris said. “But for this type of thing, [the actors weren’t] having to read lines. They could choose one of the two prompts,...
The unconventional hybrid nature of “Jury Duty” led Farris and the show’s producers down a very life-meets-art path to find gifted improvisers who could hit the level of absurdity the show demanded without making Gladden suspicious. Farris began with self-tapes, partly because of Covid-19 restrictions and partly because, in this particular case, improvising a confessional to camera would more accurately reflect the job than reading sides.
“Don’t get me wrong, I really miss the in-person interaction. There’s really nothing like that,” Farris said. “But for this type of thing, [the actors weren’t] having to read lines. They could choose one of the two prompts,...
- 8/1/2023
- by Sarah Shachat
- Indiewire
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