History Main / JuryDuty

* ''OzyAndMillie'' had a satire of jury selection with [[CloudCuckoolander the smart, but eccentric Llewellyn]] making remarks about he's not against unusual punishment per se, and getting dismissed for knowing law.

* ''TheSimpsons'':

->''When you go into court, you are putting yourself in the hands of twelve people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty.''

-->''Sitting downtown, in air-conditioning, judging people all day, with your lunches paid for? That's the life...''
-->--'''Stanley Hudson''', ''TheOffice''

* Subverted in ''Ernest Goes To Jail'': Ernest is ''happy'' to find he's been called in for jury duty. Unfortunately for him, the defendant happens to be a henchman for imprisoned crime lord Felix Nash - who Ernest is [[IdenticalStranger a dead ringer for]] - and helps his boss hatch a plot to switch places with Ernest.

* The jury duty is never actually shown, but in {{The Grinch}} the eponymous character is shown stuffing the PO boxes of various residents of Whoville with traditionally unwanted bits of mail, including junk mail, jury duty notices, chain letters, and eviction notices.

* The children's book ''{{Trial By Journal}}''. Thanks to a new state law, the twelve-year-old protagonist ends up serving on a jury for a murder trial. [[spoiler: It turns out that the supposed murder victim isn't dead, the defendant was framed, and one of the jurors is colluding with the real villain.]]

* Happens in an episode of ''Series/EarlyEdition''. Complicated by the fact that Gary kept trying to sneak out to prevent the tragedies in tomorrow's paper.
* The ''{{Monk}}'' episode [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Mr. Monk Gets Jury Duty"]]
* Was used as social commentary on {{Becker}}. Becker mentions to his assistant Linda that he always gets out of jury duty by explaining that he's a doctor and needs to be on call 24/7. Linda then complains to the government that her boss always manages to weasel out of jury duty, in a letter written on Becker's stationary. So both of them end up in jury duty. While the ditzy Linda manges to end up on several juries, Becker is excluded from the jury selection process repeatedly because he's openly intelligent. His constant rejection leads to him getting so angry that he goes into a rant about how crap the criminal justice system is in America.

** Sleuth as juror is an interesting subtrope. The titular characters of ''Quincy, M.E.'' and ''Matlock'' both served on juries. The procedural issues were lampshaded in both instances. Quincy forces a mistrial; the Matlock ep works pretty much how you might expect.
* ''{{Leverage}}'' - Parker (or rather, one of Parker's cover identities) gets called to jury duty and stumbles upon a plot by another group to mess with the proceedings.

* Liz Lemon of ''[[ThirtyRock 30 Rock]]'' gets called for jury duty in Chicago and has to fly back to participate (she wanted to keep voting in a swing state, instead of New York). But she has an ironclad method of getting excused: An old Princess Leia costume.
--> '''Liz''' (in court): ''I don't think it's fair for me to be on a jury, since I can read minds.''

* ''{{Veronica Mars}}'' is pretty upset that she has jury duty during her Christmas break. Once she's there though, she uses her detective skills to [[RogueJuror convince the rest of the jury]] in the episode "One Angry Veronica".

* Arthur gets called up for jury duty on an epsiode of ''{{Minder}}'' and ends up trying to emulate Henry Fonda in ''TwelveAngryMen'' with mixed results.

--> '''other guy:''' ''Oh, I think I'm that religion too!''
--> '''religious person:''' ''(thinking) [[HypocriticalHumor What an idiot!]]''

* ''{{Ozy and Millie}}'' had a satire of jury selection with [[CloudCuckoolander the smart, but eccentric Llewellyn]] making remarks about he's not against unusual punishment per se, and getting dismissed for knowing law.

** Homer in ''TheSimpsons'' episode "The Boy Who Knew Too Much". He stalls the verdict in order to keep staying in the hotel where the jurors are sequestered.
-->'''Lisa''': I'm sure he'll be found innocent by an impartial jury.
-->''[cut]''
-->'''Homer''': [[DescriptionCut Jury duty? I'll see that Quimby kid hanged for this!]]

-----

-->''[cut]]''

* Homer Simpson in ''TheSimpsons'' episode "The Boy Who Knew Too Much". He stalls the verdict in order to keep staying in the hotel where the jurors are sequestered.
** Also when Apu becomes an American citizen, one thing in his mail is a jury duty summons. He says that now he is truly an American, and tosses it in the trash. (Ironically, he was on the jury with Homer in the earlier episode).
** Homer also gave tips to Bart on how to avoid jury duty. "Just say you're prejudiced against all races."

* Happens in an episode of ''EarlyEdition''. Complicated by the fact that Gary kept trying to sneak out to prevent the tragedies in tomorrow's paper.

* Peter Griffin in the ''FamilyGuy'' episode "April in Quahog" during the first plot when he was excited being selected for the first time for being special before knowing that everyone does jury duty at some point. He attempts to get kicked out of jury.
** Peter has had jury duty before in a season 4 episode cutaway gag pretending to be racist by stating (at the all white jury) there's "Awful lot of Honkies in here."

** Also when Apu becomes an American citizen, one thing in his mail is a jury duty summons. He says that now he is truly an American, and tosses it in the trash.

* Homer Simpson in ''TheSimpsons'' episode "The Boy Who Knew Too Much"

*** In spite of being on the same jury as Homer in the above episode. And sitting next to him at one point.
*** That just means he was illegally registered to vote.
*** Homer also gave tips to Bart on how to avoid jury duty. "Just say you're prejudiced against all races."

** Peter has had jury duty before in a season 4 episode cutaway gag pretending to be racist by stating (the whole white jury) there's "Awful lot of Honkies in here."

** Peter has had jury duty before in a season 4 episode cutaway gag pretending to be racist by stating there's "Awful lot of Honkies in here."

* Peter Griffin in the ''FamilyGuy'' episode "April in Quahog" who first was excited being selected for the first time for being special before knowing that everyone does jury duty at some point. He attempts to get kicked out of jury.

* The children's book ''Trial By [[strike:Jury]] Journal''. Thanks to a new state law, the twelve-year-old protagonist ends up serving on a jury for a murder trial. [[spoiler: It turns out that the supposed murder victim isn't dead, the defendant was framed, and one of the jurors is colluding with the real villain.]]

* Liz Lemon of ''[[ThirtyRock 30 Rock]]'' gets called for jury duty in Chicago and has to fly back to participate (she wanted to keep voting in a swing state, instead of New York). But she has an ironclad method of getting excused: A old Princess Leia costume.

** Homer also gave tips to Bart on how to avoid jury duty. "Just say you're prejudiced against all races."
* An episode of ''HarveyBirdman'' has him get selected for the jury of a trial he is also the defence lawyer for. Judge Mentok solves this dilemma by using Elliott the Deadly Duplicator's ray to make a copy of Birdman, so one can sit on the jury. He learns that the other jurors don't think very much of his defense style.