SBS is bringing back true crime series The Jury with a new case that asks 12 Australians to decide the fate of a man accused of manslaughter, despite what the program describes as a near-total absence of physical evidence.
The Jury: Skeleton in the Garden will restage a real Australian manslaughter trial, with professional actors recreating proceedings word for word from the original court transcripts.
Across five episodes, a new jury of 12 everyday Australians will hear the case and determine whether the defendant is guilty or whether the prosecution has failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
At the centre of the trial is the disappearance of a woman whose remains were discovered buried in the defendant’s former backyard a decade after she vanished.
The jury is told there is no confirmed time, location, cause or motive of death. There are also no fingerprints or forensic traces linking the defendant to the death, leaving jurors to consider whether the secret burial establishes his guilt or whether suspicion should fall elsewhere.
With physical evidence largely absent, witness testimony takes on greater importance. Jurors must assess the accounts presented to them, including the credibility and composure of witnesses as the case unfolds.
The series also follows deliberations inside the jury room, examining how individual experiences and perspectives can affect decision-making.
According to SBS, the jury divides along generational lines during deliberations, with younger millennials attempting to adhere closely to the legal rules while older jurors draw on instinct and life experience.
Personal experiences involving addiction, domestic abuse and grief also emerge as the group considers the evidence before reaching a deadlock and eventually a verdict.
Once that decision has been made, the program presents the jury with further information about the case, prompting members to reconsider their conclusions and the process that led them there.
The production follows the first season of The Jury and takes inspiration from the Channel 4 format from the UK.
SBS Senior Commissioning Editor Bethan Arwel-Lewis said the returning series would again explore the influences that can shape decisions in the jury room.
“Following the success of the first season we are really excited to bring The Jury back with this intriguing case.
By taking Australians inside the jury room, it exposes some raw truths about how we make decisions about people’s futures, how personal experience, bias and group pressure can influence the pursuit of justice.
It is gripping true crime that invites us all to become the ‘13th juror’ and consider whether we would trust 12 strangers to decide another person’s fate and invites us to think – what verdict would we deliver if we were in their shoes?”
The Australian production involved 16 actors, 18 cameras, dozens of crew and the 12-member jury during a two-week shoot at Sydney’s Justice and Police Museum.
A 1,700-page transcript from the original criminal trial was converted into a 500-page production script, with more than 520 hours of footage recorded across the courtroom and jury room.
Northern Pictures Executive Producer Karina Holden said the second season delivered unexpected changes in the case and jury dynamics.
“Season 2 of The Jury is full of twists and shifting dynamics that you genuinely don’t see coming.
It surprised us all in production, even after the experience of making Season 1 with its bombshell ending.
I think viewers are going to be taken on an even more unexpected ride as this season constantly challenges your assumptions about the case, the jurors and where the deliberations will ultimately land.”
The Jury: Skeleton in the Garden is a Northern Pictures production developed and produced in association with SBSand financed in association with Screen NSW.
The program was post-produced in New South Wales with assistance from the NSW Government and is based on a format created by ScreenDog Productions and distributed by Blue Ant Studios.
Screen NSW Executive Director Kylie Munnich said the agency was supporting Northern Pictures for the new season following the first instalment.
“The first season of The Jury made for compelling and compulsive viewing, giving audiences a deeper understanding of how the courts and justice system operate.
With its unique blend of factual and dramatic storytelling, Screen NSW is pleased to support the team at Northern Pictures to bring another season of The Jury to SBS.”
The series will also be subtitled in Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.
For streaming audiences, Episodes 1-4 will become available through SBS On Demand from Monday 5 October, with the final episode and verdict reveal available on Tuesday 13 October.
On SBS, the five-night event begins with Episode 1 at 7.30pm on Monday 5 October, followed by Episode 2 at 7.30pmon Tuesday 6 October and Episode 3 at 7.30pm on Wednesday 7 October.
Episode 4 will screen at 7.30pm on Monday 12 October, before the final episode and verdict reveal at 7.30pm on Tuesday 13 October.
