‘Every Day Turns Out to Be the Most Stressful Day You’ve Ever Had’

David Bernad, the producer of Prime Video’s Jury Duty, gets frustrated when people suggest the show isn’t real. Since the series returned in March, many viewers online have claimed the elaborate setup – where one person unknowingly interacts with a cast of actors – must be staged, meaning the participant is in on the joke. Bernad insists this isn’t true, explaining the actors rehearse extensively and are fully committed to their roles, essentially performing a live play. Every moment and plot point in Jury Duty is carefully planned to guide the unaware star through minor ethical challenges, all captured on hidden cameras. At the end of the series, the truth is revealed, and the participant receives prize money and a tour of the production – which Bernad jokingly compares to The Truman Show. He finds the speculation that the lead role isn’t genuine “deeply offensive.”

The first season of Jury Duty followed Ronald Gladden, a regular person who unknowingly served on a fake jury and successfully reached a unanimous verdict. Now, the series is back with Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat. This time, 25-year-old Anthony Norman from Nashville takes a temporary job at a quirky hot-sauce company called Rockin’ Grandma’s during their company retreat. Over eight episodes, Anthony deals with a series of increasingly ridiculous situations—including a failed marriage proposal, an unexpected discovery involving a water bottle, and a very unusual story from a motivational speaker—before ultimately saving the company from a bad business deal.

After the season ended, show creator Bernad, executive producers Anthony King and Jake Szymanski (who also directed the series), and cast member Rachel Kaly explained how they successfully completed their ambitious plan for a second time. Bernad shared, “I’m incredibly proud of how the season unfolded, and that final episode felt genuinely real—life is often more surprising than anything you could make up.”

The Writers’ Room

As a critic, one of the first things I always wonder about a new show is where the story is headed. With Company Retreat, the creators were clearly inspired by real-world events – specifically, the trend of big venture capital firms buying up smaller, local businesses. According to co-creator Bernad, they asked themselves, ‘What if we put a character in a position to actually save one of those small businesses from these, let’s just say, aggressively ambitious VCs?’ It’s a little funny, though, considering they’re making this show for Amazon, a massive corporation itself – the irony isn’t lost on them, and it definitely adds a layer to the show’s themes.

The season quickly fell into the classic pattern of comedies that pit the underdogs against the privileged, similar to films like Caddyshack, Animal House, and Ski School. As Bernad puts it, it’s a story of a powerful group trying to take over a smaller one, and the smaller group uniting to defend themselves. Just like the first season, the characters needed to be disconnected from their phones, so the production team decided on a retreat location. They thought the title Company Retreat perfectly captured the idea.

The idea for the hot sauce in Rockin’ Grandma’s actually started as a joke. Producer Lee Eisenberg initially pictured a grandmother playing guitar and making an inappropriate gesture. This evolved into the now-famous “Jerk Off Sauce” scene in episode three, where the CEO’s son, Dougie Jr., unveils his new hot sauce at a client event, only to discover a labeling error. According to co-creator Bernad, Eisenberg somehow connected this image to hot sauce. The team then built the entire season around a small hot-sauce company, researching real brands, sampling different flavors, and eventually partnering with a manufacturer. They even considered, “Wouldn’t it be hilarious if we actually sold this?” And now, Rockin’ Grandma’s hot sauce, made by Dave’s Gourmet, is available for purchase exclusively on Amazon.

The second season of the show takes a different approach than the first. While the first season felt like a classic courtroom drama where a hero fights for justice, this season focuses on Anthony needing to care about his colleagues enough to help them. According to creator King, they wanted Anthony to form a different kind of connection with the team than the previous hero. They needed to avoid portraying a simply chaotic work environment – the goal was to make viewers understand why someone would want to stay. To achieve this, the characters are quirky and humorous, but also genuinely likeable and supportive of each other, creating a dynamic that makes the situation worth saving.

Although each episode of Company Retreat features well-developed characters and storylines, the writing went much deeper than what viewers see. According to Szymanski, the writers didn’t just create the episodes themselves; they built out Anthony’s entire life, imagining what happened during the other 20 hours of each day. Everything on the show feels deliberate, not accidental. This included developing a detailed “reality bank” – a script for the typical events of a company retreat, like mindfulness, conflict resolution, and trust-building seminars. Many of these seminars weren’t meant to be comedic; they were designed to create a realistic backdrop for the show’s more dramatic moments. Bernad notes that the actors had to endure a lot of dull sessions, and jokingly suggests they might release a compilation of them someday.

The Casting

King felt anxious about finding the right actor. He wondered if the previous performer, Ronald, had been a uniquely perfect fit. Ultimately, the decision rested with Alexis Sampietro, a casting director who has worked with Sacha Baron Cohen for years and also handled casting for the first season. According to Bernad, Sampietro is highly trusted and has a knack for identifying talent based on intuition and a feeling for the role.

To find someone to temporarily help with Rockin’ Grandma’s, the show’s creators posted job ads on websites like Craigslist. Sampietro reviewed over 10,000 applications, interviewed potential candidates, and presented her best choices to the producers. After considering a hundred applicants, they whittled the list down to ten, debated the final contenders—with Amazon being a key consideration, according to Bernard—and ultimately chose their favorite.

What really struck me about Anthony Norman is his genuine warmth and inquisitive nature – he just feels incredibly authentic. As producer Jonathan Bernad explained it, the show is essentially a really complex escape room, and Anthony is the one figuring out the story as it unfolds. But finding someone right for Jury Duty was tricky. They needed a total newbie – someone who hadn’t seen the show before and wouldn’t recognize the seasoned comedic actors playing the other jurors. A lot of those actors, you’ll recognize from shows like Superstore, Veep, Hacks, Pluribus, High Maintenance, The Other Two, The Good Place, and even Curb Your Enthusiasm. So, during the interviews, they really dug into candidates’ TV and movie preferences. They’d ask things like, ‘Are you a big comedy fan? Do you like Parks and Rec or The Office?’ That was a huge part of the selection process – making sure he hadn’t seen those actors in similar roles before.

It was uncertain how Anthony would perform once filming began. This season, the writers unexpectedly made him the leader after his boss, Kevin, left the retreat early due to a failed presentation. This put the responsibility on Anthony to keep the group’s spirits up. The show’s creators weren’t sure if he’d be up to the challenge. However, Anthony exceeded expectations, even requesting his own “Captain Fun” hat – a prop originally meant to be a silly detail for Kevin. No one predicted he would do that! It was a completely unexpected and welcome surprise.

The World-building

Okay, so before they even started filming, the people making Company Retreat had to create a whole online presence for Rockin’ Grandma’s to trick Anthony into believing it was a real company! They basically left a trail of fake stuff online – a press release here, a company Instagram page there – so if he Googled his supposed new job, it would look like a legitimate place. It was a really clever way to sell the premise!

Some great ideas didn’t make the final cut of the show. Bernad remembers two particularly elaborate bits that ended up being removed. One involved Doug Womack, the character who ran Rockin’ Grandma’s, throwing out the first pitch at a minor league baseball game. It took months of work to arrange, as they had to convince a team to hire an actor to play the CEO of a fictional company. They filmed it, edited it together, and even showed it to the client, but ultimately it was cut. Another idea involved getting Rockin’ Grandma’s hot sauce featured in an episode of Bosch. They digitally added the hot sauce bottle to the background of a shot in an existing episode, but footage of the characters actually highlighting the product placement didn’t make it into the final show. “It’s disappointing when things like that don’t work out,” Bernad says, “but a lot of effort goes into creating these jokes, and there was still plenty of good material that did make it in.”

The Rehearsal

The production team had to be very careful and precise to keep Anthony unaware of what was happening. They used stand-ins for rehearsals so the actors could practice their movements and lines, and they even created a secret system of hand signals and code words. Most of the cast wore microphones – pretending they were filming a documentary about local businesses – and had hidden earpieces. This allowed producers in the control room to give them directions on the fly, like suggesting a different line or asking them to move to a new spot.

Throughout the filming of Company Retreat, camp director Marjorie (Blair Beeken) constantly communicated with the production team via walkie-talkie, receiving directions as needed. If a scene became too silly or Anthony started to catch on, the producers would simply tell Beeken to “Refocus.” She would then gently steer the actors back on track, saying something like, “Let’s refocus on what we’re trying to accomplish.” This cue signaled to everyone to tone down the comedy and get back to the main task. The actors would discuss these notes privately before each new scene. Director Szymanski notes that it was challenging to direct with only one take per scene, as they couldn’t directly offer feedback to the actors. The team initially expected filming to be smoother than the first season, but each day proved to be incredibly stressful.

On Bones

Before filming the show Company Retreat, comedian Rachel Kaly hadn’t actually watched a single episode of Bones, the TV show her character, Claire Coleman, is a huge fan of. Claire, who works remotely as the IT and web designer for Rockin’ Grandma’s, is reluctantly brought to the company retreat, and her obsession with Bones becomes a recurring joke. When a coworker, Amy, decides to make a bucket list after turning 40, Claire jokingly suggests watching Bones (“Everyone should watch Bones before they die”). Anthony offers to watch with her, and Claire quickly gets the whole group involved.

When Kaly first joined the show, she asked if the joke could be changed to something she recognized. The writers said no. She thought the joke might be removed, but when Rachel mentioned needing to binge-watch the show Bones, it became clear they wanted it to stay. The production team worried Anthony might be a fan and start asking about the show, or quiz Kaly on details, but thankfully that didn’t really happen. “I couldn’t have watched the entire series,” Kaly explains, “it would have taken months.” She ended up watching around 20 episodes, choosing ones from the beginning, middle, and end of each season. “It’s funny when you’re writing it,” Kaly says, “but then it becomes someone else’s job to deal with it.”

Kaly’s preparation proved worthwhile when the cast viewed a Christmas episode from season three of “The Santa in the Slush,” chosen for its mix of shocking opening scenes and sweet romance. Claire brought her own collection of “Bones” DVDs, along with a player, and Kaly re-watched the episode beforehand so she could playfully comment during it. She admits to spending a lot of time studying by re-watching “Bones.” However, some episodes were forbidden. Season two included Stephanie Hodge, who also appears in “Company Retreat,” and season eleven featured Wendy Braun, who is in “Triukas.” They worried that if Anthony happened to see those episodes, it could cause problems, so the DVDs were banned.

The storyline originally involved a more significant plot point about a Wi-Fi password. The writers had planned for Anthony to need the password to help save the company, and since Claire is the IT expert, the password was going to be “Bones.” They eventually simplified the plot, but kept the running joke because they found it amusingly random and silly, as Bernad explained.

The Talent Show

James Marsden was fantastic in Jury Duty, playing a hilariously self-centered version of himself – a role that earned him Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. However, Company Retreat needed a different approach. According to creator Jarrod Szymanski, they unexpectedly found a large audience, and importantly, that audience included singer Sia.

I couldn’t believe what happened in episode six! When Rockin’ Grandma and Triukas went head-to-head in a company talent show, Triukas tried to get an unfair advantage by hiring a celebrity. The writers knew exactly who they wanted – this amazing singer who always wears a wig, keeping her identity a bit of a secret. Apparently, the writer, Bernad, has known her for ages and says she’s hilarious. He told me she immediately said yes when he asked her to be involved – she was totally game!

The team spent about an hour rehearsing with Sia. She developed her own interpretation of the character – a struggling performer convinced to participate in the company talent show thanks to Triukas’s offer. She quickly grasped the storyline and her dynamic with Anthony, and she was aware that Kevin, who was returning to Oak Canyon for the show, would perform a song and experience heartbreak. According to Bernad, many of the witty lines and jokes came directly from Sia herself.

Bernad remembers that Anthony initially didn’t recognize the singer Sia, but later realized he knew some of her songs. He had a much stronger reaction when he met motivational speaker Simon Sinek at a seminar—a scene that didn’t make it into the final version. According to Bernad, Anthony was incredibly excited to meet Sinek, whom he greatly admired. It was, as Bernad put it, like meeting a celebrity he really loved, such as George Clooney.

The Reveal

Before episode seven, Szymanski and King had never actually met Anthony. They watched him from the control room just like the viewers at home, and quickly became fans. “You start to really root for him,” Szymanski explains. “You want things to turn out well for him.”

The actors were also feeling the emotional weight of the situation. According to Szymanski, they just wanted to be honest with Anthony and establish a real connection. Alex Bonifer, especially, had grown close to Anthony. Unlike his character, Bonifer is a father himself, and Anthony also has a son. Szymanski explained that it was difficult for Bonifer to not be able to share that common ground with Anthony. Bonifer was eager to reveal the truth, wanting Anthony to know they had more in common than he realized.

Okay, so the ending of the show totally wrecked me! Basically, Anthony finds out this company buying Rockin’ Grandma’s just wants the land and plans to fire everyone. He’s desperate to save his coworkers, so he literally runs up a mountain – they were having this huge surf and turf dinner paid for by the company that was buying them out! – and tries to stop Doug from signing the deal. When he realizes Doug isn’t even there, he sprints back down and bursts into the room, begging him – father to father – not to do it. Honestly, the producers were as shocked as we were! They said Aaron Tveit’s performance was incredible and they had no idea he’d bring that much emotion to the scene, it was like something straight out of an Aaron Sorkin script!

Following the intense emotional moment, the team carefully planned how to reveal the truth to Anthony. Hauck brought the cast together and called Anthony forward, acknowledging his courage in halting the deal and supporting his colleagues. Then, Hauck explained that they were all actors on a TV show. Bonifer quickly added that while the situation wasn’t real, the friendships they’d formed were genuine, calling Anthony his brother and thanking him for his support of both Dougie and himself throughout the process. Hauck then introduced the rest of the team, and the crew came from the control room to join the cast, cheering for Anthony. According to King, they wanted to ensure the reveal didn’t feel cruel or pointless. They carefully considered how to approach it, wanting Anthony to feel celebrated, reflecting how the team genuinely felt and how the moment was intended.

When King first saw Anthony after the truth came out, he automatically greeted him warmly, as if they’d known each other for years. He quickly realized, though, that Anthony didn’t recognize him at all. “It was a strange feeling,” King explains, “knowing that our connection was completely one-sided. It felt like meeting a famous person and thinking, ‘I’ve seen you on TV so many times, you’ve been in my home!’”

“It’s like, ‘You don’t know who I am,’” adds Szymanski, “‘but I’m a huge fan.’”

2026-04-07 16:58