“Jury Duty” pulled off the impossible with its first season.
The show staged an entire jury duty session, sequestering the jurors from the public. Every single person was in on it being a TV show — except one: A 6 foot 6 inch, kind contractor named Ronald Gladden.
The show returned in 2026 with “Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat” for another impossible feat. This time, the premise centered around a small family-owned hot sauce company’s retreat. Anthony Norman, a 26-year-old dad from Nashville, took a job through a temp agency to help with the retreat, which was being filmed for a docu-drama.
Over the course of the week, Norman was put in a series of awkward scenarios (he tells TODAY.com the worst was that HR meeting — if you know, you know). His new colleagues were zany, sweet but definitely not self-aware. This was especially true of Dougie Jr. (Alex Bonifer), the CEO’s slightly unhinged son who is poised to take over.
Still, Norman came to see them as a family, which is what made his actions in the finale so surprisingly moving. Norman goes out of his way to try and stop the sale of Rockin’ Grandma’s hot sauce to a nefarious company, sprinting through the camp and literally putting his hand on the contract to stop Doug (Jerry Hauck, playing the company’s owner) from signing.
After that dramatic sequence, Norman learns what his “colleagues” and the audience already know: This is a show, and he’s the main character. The cast thank him for his consistent and genuine kindness, one-by-one, in a series of emotional exchanges. The actor Stephanie Hodge, who played Helen, cried while telling Norman he made her feel “seen.”
Today, Norman is friends with Bonifer, who joined him for his TODAY interview on April 13, and has also spoken to Gladden. Below, Norman opens up about what the experience showed him about himself, why he thanked his mom and the possibility of a Season 3.
How did you explain the job to your friends and family when you first got it?
It was a temp company called Anywhere Staffing, and basically they reach out to different companies across the United States and fill a need for temporary assistance. That was cool for me because, my schedule with my son, I have a week on, week off schedule. So I look for jobs that I can just kind of mix in my schedule.
Then you came home, were you like, ‘Boy, do I have a story for you’?
Not at first, because I wasn’t allowed to tell anybody. But when I did land, I thanked my mother for raising me the way she did. I kissed her on the head and just told her, thank you for being the great mother that she is. I kind of left it at that. I couldn’t say too much because then she was like, “OK, why are you acting like this?”
What about her mothering? What did she teach you that came through during this journey?
My mom’s a giver. She’ll give you the shirt off her back, and I think that I took that in a way into the show. Just by giving my energy and giving my effort.
I want to talk about that epic finale. Did you surprise yourself in that moment when you (tried to) stop that deal?
Looking back at it, a little bit. But in the moment, no. I think that I just was trying to do whatever I needed to get Doug to look at me and really hear me. Everything else going on around me was just unnecessary.
You said that they felt like your family. Is that true? Did you feel like they were your family in that moment?
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, but way before that moment, I would say I felt like I was a part of the team.
Did finding out that it was fake change that?
No. RGS for life, baby.
Why do you think people online are saying they were crying during the finale? What about the finale, do you think, made people so emotional?
I’m not sure. If I was to guess, I’d probably just say that sticking up for the underdog can make a touching story, and then just, how they embrace me and I embraced them like family. I think that was touching.
You pleaded with Doug at the end, ‘Father to father.’ You have a son. What do you hope he learns from you just like you learned from your mom?
You said it right on the nose. Just being kind and gracious with people, I hope that’s what he takes away.
Have you spoken with ‘Jury Duty’ Season 1 star Ronald Gladden?
Honestly, I look up to him like a big brother. Either the first or second time we met, I told him, “This isn’t all about me. You went through a very, very similar thing. How can I help you?” And he was like, “You know what, brother, don’t sweat it. Don’t worry about it. I’m here for you. Whatever you need.”
What did you need after you found out the truth?
I would say the biggest thing that I needed was just community, to know that I wasn’t in this journey by myself. My Rockin’ Grandma’s crew, and that’s from not even the cast — the crew, the producers, the directors — have been the biggest mental health resource that I could have asked for.
Having been through what you went through, do you think there should be another season of ‘Jury Duty’?
Yeah, for sure. This show shines a light on the positivity in the world, and I’m happy to be a part of that. So I hope that we can find another kind soul out there and shine their light on that person.
Has this show changed how you see yourself?
It’s definitely made me love myself more. The outside reassurance is nice, but just understanding that I wouldn’t have made it through, or made it through in the way that I did, if I wasn’t myself.
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