The return of an unbelievable TV hoax

The surprise hit Jury Duty first shocked viewers by convincing one man, Ronald Gladden, he was taking part in an LA courtroom documentary while every other participant was an actor. The stunt played out as warm, kind and genuinely funny, ending with a verdict and a Peabody award for showing that reality TV could bring out the best in people.

Its follow-up, Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat, drops 25-year-old Anthony Norman into a family-owned hot sauce company’s annual retreat after a Craigslist temp hire. Norman is handed the role of “Captain Fun” and believes he’s filming a documentary about the business as it navigates a founder’s exit; instead the entire workplace and its eccentric staff are staged.

The production is far more elaborate this time: 48 cameras across a 300,000 sq ft site, an 80-person crew, purpose-built structures and even bespoke hot sauces. Actors learned decades of shared lore, used earpieces and leaned on improv while months of writing and rehearsal prepared for every contingency.

United States, Los Angeles

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