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Garret Dillahunt stars as Jack, a convicted felon who finds himself sprung from prison after 26 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in the new comedy, “Sprung,” premiering Friday, Aug. 19, on Amazon Freevee.
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Garret Dillahunt stars as Jack, a convicted felon who finds himself sprung from prison after 26 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in the new comedy, “Sprung,” premiering Friday, Aug. 19, on Amazon Freevee.
Back in 2010, I wrote one of my most scathing reviews ever. I basically said FOX should be ashamed for putting the show on the air. Clearly, no one agreed with me since the comedy “Raising Hope” ran for four seasons, garnering two Emmy nominations.
So you’d think I would’ve stayed far away from another comedy with the same creator and two of the same stars, but curiosity got the best of me. And just when I thought that “Sprung” was leading me down the same road of unredeemable characters, the show took a surprising turn that makes me think these disgusting rascals might actually turn out to be something special.
“Sprung” stars Garret Dillahunt as Jack, an incarcerated felon who finds himself suddenly released in 2020 after 26 years, when the COVID pandemic forces a number of nonviolent criminals to be released. Without anywhere to go, he tags along with his cellmate, Rooster (Phillip Garcia), and his mom, Barb (Martha Plimpton). Along the way, they pick up Gloria (Shakira Barrera), who considered Jack her boyfriend in prison.
Soon, Barb reveals her plans to form a “crime family.” She’s stealing packages off porches and reselling the items to earn money — much of which she uses to buy toilet paper on the black market — but she’s looking to score more, and she’s expecting her new housemates to help her. Jack wants no part of it, as he doesn’t consider himself a criminal. But when he can’t figure out any way to survive on his own, Jack joins the crew. However, Jack’s motives appear to be very different from the others.
You find yourself caring about Jack instantly as he navigates not only a world that has changed so much after his more than two decades away, but also a world gripped by fear of an unknown virus. While COVID is no laughing matter, the show finds a way to mine humor from some of the more surreal aspects of 2020. I totally related to Jack trying not to touch anything at a vending machine and worrying about whether or not to wear a mask.
No doubt the show is crass and a tad raunchy, but it also has a lot of heart, thanks to the outstanding Dillahunt. No one plays disgusting, yet somehow likeable, better than Plimpton. And Phillip Garcia is incredibly appealing as he brings a sense of innocence to the nowhere near innocent Rooster.
For the record, I stand by what I wrote about “Hope” 12 years ago. It doesn’t bother me that no one agreed with me. But it will bother me if no one agrees with me this time as I’d like to see “Sprung” succeed. The first episode completely surprised me, and I’m pretty sure “Sprung” has many more entertaining surprises yet to spring.
“Sprung” premieres Friday, Aug. 19, on Amazon Freevee.
Please visit my Facebook page @angelahbentley for a tribute to one of my all-time favorite actresses, Anne Heche.
Angela Henderson-Bentley writes about television for HD Media. Contact her at ahenderson-bentley@hotmail.com.
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