Remember the Truman Show? Okay, now take that, combine it with a hidden camera prank show, and place it all within the mockumentary genre. What you get is Jury Duty, the best show you probably haven’t heard of!

The concept is painfully simple: a fake trial is taking place in an LA municipal court, and everyone, from the judge to the defendants to the jury, is an actor. Well, everyone except for Juror #6, Ronald Gladden.

And who is Ronald? He’s just an ordinary guy, and the show’s one goal is to trick him into believing this is all real.

After the jury is selected, they get sequestered for the duration of the trial without their phones or access to the outside world, and have nothing to do but bond. How convenient!

What ensues is 17 days of escalating chaos, which Ronald just goes along with.

At first, I refused to believe Ronald was merely an unsuspecting participant. Surely, he must know something is afoot by now, I found myself repeating as I binged episode after episode, wondering if the next one would be the one when he realises.

But as it turns out, Juror #6 is just an all-round top guy, incredibly friendly and accepting no matter how odd his fellow jurors’ behaviour may be… and trust me, it gets very odd!

It’s incredibly impressive to watch the actors participating in what is essentially an extended improv session, with Ronald proving the perfect “victim” for the increasingly outlandish scenarios that seem to befall the group as the trial proceedings unfold.

And Ronald, starting out as the person we’re supposed to laugh at, becomes the hero of the show as he meets every situation with generosity and openness.

Released on Amazon this spring, Jury Duty hinges on a very crucial element: utter commitment. But this is not your ordinary prank show. This is a masterfully written, planned and executed project that not only succeeds, but owes that success to the one person that has no idea it’s even happening.