Ten Sitcom Characters Who Served Jury Duty
Some people, for whatever reason, look forward to that civic duty most of us dread. Perhaps this rare species looks forward to being part of an exciting story of national interest, one that would put them at the very heart of its outcome.
Most people, of course, know that jury duty is rarely exciting. The cases most always involve low profile crimes, where neither Perry Mason nor Matlock ever appear. Nevertheless, after getting the notice in the mail last month, I prepared myself to drive to the courthouse each morning until my week was up.
To my good fortune, I never even had to start the car that week. As instructed, I called the jury number each night before, only to find out that no jurors would be needed.
Because I was relieved when I heard that message, I differed from some characters on my favorite TV sitcoms. In many of these shows, the people actually enjoy the responsibility of hearing cases. Actually, the ones who feel as I do make up the minority in this list.
Here are ten classic sitcoms that feature an episode about one of the regular characters serving jury duty.
Edith Bunker on “All in the Family”
Archie’s wife (played by Jean Stapleton) is the only one of the jurors to refuse to issue a guilty verdict, and she ends up being right.
Aunt Bee on “The Andy Griffith Show”
The female head of the Taylor household resists what the other eleven of the jury believe, but her reluctance is vindicated.
Homer Simpson on “The Simpsons”
In the episode called “The Boy Who Knew Too Much”, Homer serves jury duty in a case where truant Bart ends up being a reluctant eye witness.
Fred Sanford in “Sanford and Son”
The father (played by Redd Foxx) enjoys his hotel stay and free meals so much that he refuses to arrive at a unanimous verdict.
Lois on “Malcolm in the Middle”
In the same episode where the title character gets to see Kitty unclothed, his mom (played by Janet Kaczemarek) battles with other jurors to analyze their case rather than just say guilty to get it over with.
Peter Griffin on “Family Guy”
In an episode called “121/2 Angry Men”, the jury selected includes Peter, Quagmire and Brian.
Roger on “American Dad”
Roger ends up being on the panel that will decide Stan’s guilt in an episode called “The People v. Martin Sugar.”
Jess on “New Girl”
The title character ( played by Zooey Daschenal) is all pumped up to do her civic duty, until she learns that missing work could jeopardize a new job promotion.
Adrian Monk on “Monk”
The title private detective (played by Tony Shalhoub), while serving on a jury, discovers that one of his peers is involved in a bigger crime than the one in the case they are hearing.
Diane on “Cheers”
The female star at the bar where everyone knows your name (played by Shelly Long) not only has to serve jury duty, but she also is assigned the unenviable responsibility of being the foreman.
