"The Trial" is but a small fraction (despite it's long running time) of the larger "On Cinema" universe. The Trial, like the rest of the On Cinema universe, is basically a soap-opera revolving around a narrow cast of incredibly dysfunctional people.
On Cinema began as a podcast, then became an independent YouTube show, and was finally picked up by Adult Swim (where it is both shown on television and made available on YouTube. On Cinema is basically just a framework for various story-lines that revolve around Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington--both playing fictionalized versions of themselves. The On Cinema show has produced a number of notable related spin-offs including annual Oscar Specials, five Decker "movies," The Trial, and the theatrical release "Mister America." It is also carried over to social media wherein both Tim and Gregg further interact and advance the various stories. Each of these projects (including The Trial) continues and/or develops further story-lines within the On Cinema universe. It is an incredibly ambitious comedy project that has lasted the better part of a decade and shows no sign of slowing down. It is truly one of the biggest, most successful performance-art projects ever undertaken. None of these projects are presented in a stereotypical "comedic" fashion--they are each played out as surreal dramas (or in the case of Decker as 'action' films).
All of that aside, The Trial is a great watch for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is Tim Heidecker's performance. Tim is a criminally underrated actor--probably because of the absurdity of the subject matter he involves himself in. Still, you can see in The Trial (and much of his other On Cinema projects) how versatile and frightening he can actually be. The Trial is basically played "straight" but there are so many bizarre, unbelievable elements at play it is easy to overlook the real genius on display.
Although you don't necessarily need to watch multiple seasons of On Cinema to appreciate The Trial, it wouldn't hurt to at least watch a few episodes to understand the personalities of Tim (and Gregg) as well as the stressed relationship.
