Jury Duty (2023)

Hilarious, preposterous and absolutely joyous, “Company Retreat” takes the “Jury Duty” concept (which focused on a mark unknowingly cast among comedians posing as jurors inside a fake courtroom in Season 1) to the next level.

In every respect, it’s a more ambitious, amusing, and ultimately moving practical-joke portrait of goodness.

A delightful continuation of Jury Duty—even if it can’t quite capture the same magic that Season 1 produced. .... Fortunately, the show remains hilarious, with tons of comedic gags, like a bonkers talent show and a series of educational seminars that are anything but. And that’s to say nothing of the eccentric characters Anthony must befriend.

When it comes to crafting comedy, Eisenberg knows exactly what he is doing and, as a result, the show is belly-laugh funny from start to finish.

It’s easy to put these niggling ethical questions aside when “Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat” manages to pull off the impossible feat of making lightning strike twice. All while making the subject of its deception look not like a rube, but frankly a saint who brings out the best in everyone around him. And to do that while also delivering some deeply cringe laughs is nothing short of miraculous.

Even though it may not touch the heights of the original Jury Duty, Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat is a pretty funny workplace sitcom wrapped around the conceit that one of the people there have no idea he’s in a sitcom, and he’s buying into all of it.

Even without its central gimmick, “Company Retreat” would still make a decent sitcom; there are funny characters speaking funny lines; there’s some good slapstick. And unlike some some prank shows, its intentions are good, its attitude humane.

Ultimately, if you enjoyed Jury Duty season 1, you're almost guaranteed to enjoy season 2, as it increases the scale of the Emmy-nominated series, while also enhancing it with more entertaining scenarios and memorably hilarious characters.

More than familiar sitcom tropes and reality show shenanigans, Company Retreat highlights the compassion and kindness of one man. Despite only having known these people for less than a week, Anthony weaves himself effortlessly into the Rockin' Grandma's family.

Anthony ends up being the essential piece to Corporate Retreat being watchable, his natural charisma and dedication to helping the team making him a charming screen presence. .... It’s not quite enough, though.

There’s just not much to discover at this “Company Retreat.”

It withers under the force of its own unrelenting sunniness. .... It isn’t hard to buy that Anthony’s a good guy, and he’s so charismatic that you can forget, for long stretches of the season, how little else there is to define him. But even as the rest of the ensemble’s subplots become increasingly complex—and their high jinks increasingly overwrought—he remains a blank slate.