It started with a Craigslist ad, and ended with an Emmy nomination.

Freevee’s original program Jury Duty, a mock reality show that went viral earlier this year, just received an Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy nomination, joining high-profile shows like Apple TV’s celebrated Ted Lasso, Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Prime, and FX’s The Bear in contention for the honor.

Jury Duty followed an unsuspecting man (Ronald Gladden) who thinks he’s been chosen for a regular jury when in reality, he’s on a hidden-camera show, surrounded by actors. Gladden,  a solar contractor from San Diego, applied for the gig by answering a Craigslist ad, not knowing that the producers were only auditioning one role for a non-actor for their new show. Gladden was chosen from thousands of applicants for the gig, impressing producers with his charm and wit.

Gladden, if his choice of emojis is any indication, feels this experience is mind-blowing. “This is probably the craziest sentence I’ve ever said,” Gladden posted to his Instagram. “I’m a part of a TV show that’s nominated for an Emmy because I answered a Craigslist ad.”

One of the actors who was in on the joke was James Marsden, who played himself, albeit a fictional version of himself: his role was that of a self-centered celebrity with the goal of getting out of jury duty. But despite getting punked by, well, everyone, Gladden’s kind personality shone through, making him an unexpected hero on the show.

The series took the world by storm when it was released, gaining attention on social media and garnering praise from critics. Now the show from the little-known streamer, which is operated by Amazon, has earned four Emmy nominations. In additon to the Outstanding Comedy nom, the show was also honored for casting, writing, and Marsden got a nod for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

“This is new territory for me,” Marsden told Vanity Fair. This is his first nomination, and it’s for a mock reality show rather than for his work in TV series like Dead to Me and Westworld.

Marsden said that immediately upon hearing the nomination, he called his friend Gladden. “I wanted to call Ronald immediately, because him having a positive experience was just the most important thing to me,” the actor says. “I’m always just making sure he’s going to be in a good place.”

Besides Marsden, the professional cast of jurors, court employees and judiciary in Jury Duty included semi-familiary faces like Alan Barinholtz (History of the World, Part II), Susan Berger (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Cassandra Blair (Hacks), David Brown, Kirk Fox (Reservation Dogs), Ross Kimball, Pramode Kumar, Trisha LaFache, Mekki Leeper (The Sex Lives of College Girls), Brandon Loeser, Edy Modica (Made for Love), Rashida “Sheedz” Olayiwola (South Side), Kerry O’Neill (Murderville), Whitney Rice, Maria Russell, Ishmel Sahid, Ben Seaward, Ron Song and Evan Williams.

The show, sad to say, may have to be happy just to be nominated. It is up against some seriously prestigious comedy programs. The show is competing with Abbott Elementary, The Bear, the final seasons of Barry, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Ted Lasso, Only Murders in the Building, and Wednesday.

But that’s ok with Marsden, who thinks he and his pal Gladden will still be winners when they attend the ceremony. “If I’m a betting man, if we’re talking about who’s going to be asked for the most selfies, I guarantee you he’s going to be top five for sure. I love it for him that he’s embracing it, because we just didn’t know by the end of this how he would react. Keeping someone in the dark for three weeks of their life is an unconventional way of celebrating someone’s humanity,” says Marsden. “Now that he’s been embraced by the world, I just couldn’t be happier,” he told Vanity Fair.