By Sarah Osman

Jury Duty: Company Retreat is a lampoon with a political moral. The series is pro-small business and anti-private equity.

Jury Duty: Company Retreat, streaming on Prime Video

A scene from Jury Duty: Company Retreat. Photo: Prime Video

It didn’t seem like Jury Duty, the surprise comedy from 2023, could be replicated. The “reality” series followed Ronald Gladden, a sincere, normal guy who went in for jury duty. Little did Ronald know that everyone around him was an actor, and that every bonkers situation he found himself in was pre-planned. Part of what made Jury Duty work so well was how Ronald went along with whatever was thrown at him while also trying to help his fellow jurors (at one point he showed his roommate A Bug’s Life to illustrate that it’s okay to be different).

Considering the elaborate setup that was essential for Jury Duty, it didn’t seem like a second season was possible. Enter Jury Duty: Company Retreat. Instead of being centered around a jury, the second season focuses on a company retreat, which turns out to be every bit as nutty as the court case in the first season. This time around, the non-actor is Anthony, a real-life temp worker who’s hired to be an assistant/jack of all trades for Rockin’ Grandma’s Hot Sauce. Anthony comes in at a troubled time: the CEO, Doug (Jerry Hauck), is stepping down, and his son, Dougie (Alex Bonifer) is taking control (Rockin’ Grandma’s is a family business). After Dougie turns a luncheon with clients into a full-fledged catastrophe, Doug decides to hire a private equity firm, Triukas, to take over the company.

Anthony is as sweet and caring as Ronald. He’s willing to do whatever is asked of him (and some wild things are required) and, despite only being with the company for a week, is willing to fight for his job. That is problematic, because the employees at Rockin’ Grandma’s are as unhinged as the jurors were in season one. There’s Claire, the awkward remote employee who’s obsessed with the TV show Bones; Amy (Emily Pendergast), who has made a bucket list and is trying to complete it while on the retreat; Kevin (Ryan Gomez), who pines for Amy; and Other Anthony (Rob Lathan) who, it turns out, has the dance moves. The season has been tailored to serve up a succession of outrageous moments, including an absurd talent show, embarrassing secrets revealed at a hypnotist show, and a surf/turf brunch gone horribly wrong. Along the way there are some great throwaway lines, like how the real estate agents who just had a corporate retreat at the same place used the cotton candy machine to dispense cocaine.

Season two moves a bit slower than season one. The momentum doesn’t really pick up until Triukas arrives. I did laugh out loud multiple times, but the setup for this season is not particularly smooth. These characters are supposed to have known each other for years (except for Anthony), but their relationships come off as superficial. What made season one work so well was that none of the people in the jury room knew each other — and that unfamiliarity inevitably produced absolute chaos. On top of that, it is more amusing to hear insane confessions take place in a courtroom than in a conference room.

That said, season two is very funny, particularly how brilliantly it mocks the corporate world. For anyone who’s been on a big business retreat, the ridiculous games and traditions on fatuous display here will feel familiar (such as the hypnotist show, and the hungover morning after). So will the different types of employees that make up the company. A friend of mine told me that she has worked with and recognized every single one of these people. She especially loved the snarky, raspy-voiced accountant who’s clearly seen much too much during her time at Rockin’ Grandma’s.

At the same time, Jury Duty: Company Retreat is a satire with a political moral. The series is pro-small business and anti-private equity. Considering how many companies have been taken over by private equity giants (and suffered mightily for it), this is a very relevant issue. Working for a smaller company has its perks — such as moments of humanity. A bigger company may have more resources, but it is more than willing to screw you over, including replacing you with a robot.

Jury Duty: Company Retreat doesn’t duplicate Jury Duty, but that is fine. This new iteration proved that the show may have many more years to run, given the decay of America’s institutions.

Sarah Mina Osman is based in Los Angeles. In addition to The Arts Fuse, her writing can be found in The Huffington Post, Success Magazine, Matador Network, HelloGiggles, Business Insider, and WatchMojo. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and is working on her first novel. She has a deep appreciation for sloths and tacos. You can keep up with her on Instagram @SarahMinaOsman and at Bluesky @sarahminaosman.bsky.social.