Sprung

Helmed by My Name Is Earl and Raising Hope creator Greg Garcia, Sprung is set in smalltown USA during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Cellmates Jack (Garret Dillahunt) and Rooster (Philip Garcia), alongside fellow inmate Gloria (Shakira Barerra), have just been released from prison, and with nowhere else to go they move in with Rooster’s mother, a straight-shooting thief named Barb (Martha Plimpton). To earn some money, the unlikely group decide to pull some robberies – but only against those who deserve it.

Garcia’s latest show contains all the same quirks and charms that made his other shows so delightful. From the southern US setting to the ensemble cast of lovable idiots, Sprung proves the formula works just as well as it did in My Name Is Earl. This show may be covering some familiar ground, but the heart and personality evident within each episode makes it an absolute blast.

The weakest portion of the series is the plotline geared towards the main heist the group are planning to execute: though it keeps ticking away in the background, it’s never really the central focus. Likewise, topical references to the pandemic, particularly surrounding Trump’s farcical mishandling of the situation, form the basis of a lot of great gags early on, yet the show never becomes a full-fledged political satire.

Rather, the comedy-drama is at its best when the script is having fun with its central cast. It doesn’t take long for the group to become like one dysfunctional family that continuously bounces off each other’s distinctive personalities. Out of the ensemble, it’s Garcia’s Rooster and Plimpton’s Barb who steal most of the show. Garcia is fantastic as the endearing criminal with arrested development, with the mother-son pairing becoming a major basis of the show’s humour. Filling out the cast are Claire Gillies as the air-headed stripper Wiggles and James Earl as her imposing boyfriend.

While its social satire lacks sharpness, Sprung’s ensemble cast of fantastic characters, and a script written with passion, make Garcia’s latest show a carefree and fun experience to lose oneself in.

Andrew Murray

Sprung is released on Amazon Freevee 19^th August 2022.

Watch the trailer for Sprung here: