Greg Garcia is back, and this time with afresh comedyseries!Sprungstreams onAmazon’s Freeveeand reunites Garret Dillahunt and Martha Plimpton from Garcia’s previous sitcomRaising Hope.The two played husband-and-wife duo Virginia and Burt Chance, roles that earned them both Critics Choice Television Award nominations.
This show follows a convicted criminal Jack (Dillahunt) and his early release from prison due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He is left without the proper resources to survive and ends up sheltering with his former cellmate, Rooster (Garcia), Rooster’s mom (Plimpton), and his former prison girlfriend, Gloria (Shakira Barrera). Together, they use their criminal minds for “good.”
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The series has received praise for its clever storytelling and Plimpton’s “mama bear” performance, but the actor tells us that she almost wasn’t part of the production. Five days before the production was set to start filming, Plimpton received a call from Dillahunt and Garcia—who was also the showrunner forMy Name is Earl— asking her to hop on a plane immediately. She recalls, “I got a call. I was in London, where I am now, and I got a call on a Friday night, around nine o’clock, from Garrett and Greg saying, ‘Can you be on a plane on Sunday, and start shooting on Tuesday?’”
Given the trust that she has in the duo, it was a no-brainer. “I had been doing another show and then that show, for better or worse, didn’t end up getting a second season. I was suddenly free. I read the scripts on the plane on Sunday, and I absolutely loved them. I loved the character and I loved what Greg had done," she adds.
Game Rant had the opportunity to chat with Martha Plimpton and Garret Dillahunt about the new series, their character’s journeys, and balancing the show’sserious themes with comedy.
Game Rant: Garret, how did you get involved with the series?
Garret Dillahunt: I got to think about it a little longer than Martha did, but I was coming out of a job that I wasn’t really enjoying, and I felt trapped. I just thought, “What are you doing? When are you going to take control of your own career?” I have always been fortunate to stay busy, and I had substituted that in my mind as being challenged and happy, but it’s like, no, I have to pick and choose a little more carefully.
I’m in the last act in my career, so I wanted to be a little more choosy. The last time I had a great time was with Greg and Martha, so I called Greg and I said, “Let’s do something.” This was during theCOVID lockdown, and we just started jamming on some things. I felt like I dropped a grain of sand into a well. That was my contribution. Greg came back and started locating all these themes in the most bizarre way that I could have never thought of, and I just loved it. Then it was all about trying to get Martha there. We didn’t have her for a while, but I’m so happy it worked out.
GR: Continuing with your journey in the show, we see your character Jack get released from prison, and he’s like, “Oh, I’m going to start my new life. It’s going to be great.” But then he finds that he doesn’t have the resources that he needs to succeed. How would you tease his arc throughout this first season?
Dillahunt:Jack’s a good guy, and I’ve always had a problem with how we just discard people, even ones that have fulfilled the punishment that society demands. It seems like there’s this desire to punish them forever, or have them die. Jack is a great example of that. He’s a good guy. He just sold some weed, he never punched anybody in the face or did anything bad to anyone else. He’s been in jail for 26 years and there’s a lot he’s missed out on, but he took the time in there to educate himself and keep his dream alive. He managed to hold on to it for 26 years in probably one of the worst places in the world.
GR: Martha, your character steps up to the plate and leads this team of recently released inmates. What was the most enjoyable part of stepping into this wild role? How do you balance these serious themes with comedy?
Plimpton:I was lucky to come into this without too much preparation. I could just come into it with gung ho energy, and not really worry about the themes. I know that there’s always going to be something based in humanity, decency, kindness, and love in Greg’s writing. I don’t really have to worry about that. I can just do you know what I do. I can just come in and be this person who is committed to crime, but is also kind-hearted. My character has missed her son, who has always been her partner in crime. Now he’s back, and she wants to have fun doing deeds with him. He steers the car while she’s stealing Amazon packages. When he comes home, it’s like a chance to rebound with her son, as well as an opportunity to grow their crew.
GR: In what ways can you relate to your character?
Plimpton:I don’t know what it is about Greg’s writing, but I relate to all of it. I relate to everything about her. I relate to her loneliness. I relate to her attachment to her son. I relate to her love of privacy and quiet time. Barb isan independent woman. She’s a multifaceted, independent, and professional woman. Single women of a certain age, especially single moms, have had a lot to deal with, and we don’t want anybody messing with us anymore. We want it our way, andwewant to do it.
GR: That’s incredible. We have about 30 seconds left, in one sentence, how would you sell the show to someone who’s never heard of it?
Dillahunt:It’s been a hell of a couple of years. You want to have a laugh? WatchSprung.
Plimpton:I would saySprungis a show about what happens when you throw together very different people with very similar backgrounds into a space where they have no idea what’s happening, and they’ve got to find their way no matter what. And they’re going to do it together.
Sprungis currently streaming on Freevee.
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