{ "id": "ep71mxska3", "slug": "sprung", "title": "Sprung", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv", "label": "Scripted television and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy", "label": "Sitcom and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy.american_sitcom_series", "label": "American sitcoms and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy.american_sitcom_series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy.american_sitcom_series.2020s-cable-and-streaming-comedies", "label": "2020s cable and streaming comedies", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy.american_sitcom_series.2020s-cable-and-streaming-comedies" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy.american_sitcom_series.2020s-cable-and-streaming-comedies", "label": "United States · 2021 and later: 2020s cable and streaming comedies", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy.american_sitcom_series.2020s-cable-and-streaming-comedies", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021", "label": "United States · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv", "label": "Scripted television and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy", "label": "Sitcom and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy.american_sitcom_series", "label": "American sitcoms and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy.american_sitcom_series" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy.american_sitcom_series.2020s-cable-and-streaming-comedies", "label": "2020s cable and streaming comedies", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy.american_sitcom_series.2020s-cable-and-streaming-comedies" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Sprung (2022) is an Amazon Freevee single-camera comedy created by Greg Garcia. Former inmate Jack (Garret Dillahunt), freed early in the pandemic, joins Rooster, Barb (Martha Plimpton), and Gloria in heists for good; one 9-episode season.", "snippet": "Sprung (2022) is an Amazon Freevee single-camera comedy created by Greg Garcia. Former inmate Jack (Garret Dillahunt), freed early in the pandemic, joins Rooster, Barb (Martha Plimpton), and Gloria in heists for good; one 9-episode season.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv_comedy.american_sitcom_series.2020s-cable-and-streaming-comedies", "markdown": "# Sprung\n\n**Sprung** is an American single-camera comedy television series created by Greg Garcia for Amazon Freevee, about a group of formerly incarcerated people who, released from prison early during the COVID-19 pandemic, band together to use their criminal expertise for good.[1](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/sprung/cast/1030929029/) • [2](https://www.c21media.net/news/imdb-tv-gets-sprung-from-amazon-studios) It ran for one season of nine episodes from August 19 to September 15, 2022.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/show/sprung/)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Creator / network | Created, written, and directed (pilot) by Greg Garcia, the creator of *My Name Is Earl* and *Raising Hope*; aired on Amazon Freevee (then known as IMDb TV when greenlit)[1](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/sprung/cast/1030929029/) • [2](https://www.c21media.net/news/imdb-tv-gets-sprung-from-amazon-studios) |\n| Run | One season, 9 episodes, streamed August 19 through September 15, 2022; premiered with two episodes[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/show/sprung/) • [4](https://www.tvline.com/lists/missing-tv-shows-renewed-cancelled/) |\n| Premise | Jack, released early after 26 years in prison over a marijuana offense, moves in with his former cellmate Rooster, Rooster's mother Barb, and his former prison girlfriend Gloria; the group targets people selfishly taking advantage of others during the pandemic[5](https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/sprung/) • [6](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/61862/sprung) |\n| Main cast | Garret Dillahunt (Jack), Martha Plimpton (Barb), Phillip Garcia (Rooster), Shakira Barrera (Gloria), James Earl (Melvin), Clare Gillies (Wiggles), Kate Walsh (Paula Tackleberry)[1](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/sprung/cast/1030929029/) |\n| Production | Produced by Amazon Studios in association with 3 Arts Entertainment; executive producers Greg Garcia, Garret Dillahunt, Michael Rotenberg, and Jonathan Berry[2](https://www.c21media.net/news/imdb-tv-gets-sprung-from-amazon-studios) • [3](https://www.tvinsider.com/show/sprung/) |\n| Reception | 82% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (11 reviews) and 97% on its audience Popcornmeter; Metascore 73; IMDb rating 8.2/10 from about 7,500 users[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/sprung/s01) • [8](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/sprung-2022/critic-reviews/) • [9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14544190/ratings/) |\n| Status | Ended after one season; TVLine reported in May 2025 that the show will not return for a second season[4](https://www.tvline.com/lists/missing-tv-shows-renewed-cancelled/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and setting\n\nThe story is set in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Jack ([Garret Dillahunt](https://www.edgepedia.org/garret-dillahunt)) is released unexpectedly from a state co-ed prison, where he served 26 years for a marijuana offense, after a governor's order releases nonviolent convicts to relieve overcrowding and prevent outbreaks.[10](https://www.tvinsider.com/1056678/) • [5](https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/sprung/) With nowhere to live, he moves in with his former cellmate Rooster (Phillip Garcia), Rooster's petty-criminal mother Barb ([Martha Plimpton](https://www.edgepedia.org/martha-plimpton)), and his former prison girlfriend Gloria (Shakira Barrera).[13](https://au.variety.com/2022/tv/news/kate-walsh-greg-garcia-sprung-amazon-freevee-casting-2288/) • [6](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/61862/sprung) The quartet uses tips Jack learned during his incarceration to pull off heists, deciding to right society's wrongs by targeting people who selfishly take advantage of others during the pandemic.[10](https://www.tvinsider.com/1056678/) • [6](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/61862/sprung)\n\nThe pandemic setting supplies much of the comedy. Dillahunt noted that Jack's 26-year absence means he last knew a world without cell phones or electric cars, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette review points to jokes about early-pandemic phenomena such as toilet-paper hoarding and a president suggesting ingesting bleach could help.[10](https://www.tvinsider.com/1056678/) • [14](https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/tv-radio/2022/08/18/tv-review-sprung-amazon-freevee-greg-garcia-garret-dillahunt-martha-plimpton/stories/202208180012)\n\n### Episodes and structure\n\nThe nine episodes are titled \"Chapter One\" through \"Chapter Nine.\" The season builds toward a planned robbery of a Congresswoman, the crew's largest job, which the finale brings to a head when the timeline of the heist is moved up and Jack comes face-to-face with the target.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/sprung/s01) • [6](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/61862/sprung) Along the way, the crew robs Melvin (James Earl) and must repay him, Rooster courts trouble with a drug dealer while trying to win back Wiggles, and the crew must regroup after an art robbery goes wrong.[15](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/sprung/umc.cmc.2jn1odza2hk1z9htt7ci98kvg) The Post-Gazette describes the show as doubling as a heist series, \"like *Ocean's Eleven* but perpetrated by well-meaning but bumbling petty criminals,\" with slickly edited capers, though it observes that the sitcom and crime elements do not always mesh smoothly.[14](https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/tv-radio/2022/08/18/tv-review-sprung-amazon-freevee-greg-garcia-garret-dillahunt-martha-plimpton/stories/202208180012)\n\n### Ending and cancellation\n\nThe season was written to conclude its story. Garcia was still, as of June 3, 2023, \"waiting to see if Amazon wants to do more,\" according to TVLine; Garret Dillahunt posted on March 23, 2024 that he had received an official call that there would be no second season, and TVLine reported in May 2025 that *Sprung* will not return.[4](https://www.tvline.com/lists/missing-tv-shows-renewed-cancelled/)\n\nThe series also reunited Garcia with two *Raising Hope* leads, Dillahunt and Plimpton, who played married couple Burt and Virginia on that show; TV Insider noted that *Sprung* lets them play off each other again in very different, over-the-top comic roles.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/show/sprung/) • [11](https://www.givememyremote.com/remote/2022/08/16/sprung-raising-hope-reunion-garret-dillahunt-martha-plimpton-greg-garcia/)\n\n## Development and production\n\nAmazon's free streaming service, then called IMDb TV, greenlit the series in April 2021 as a single-camera comedy produced by Amazon Studios in association with 3 Arts Entertainment, with Garcia set to direct the pilot.[2](https://www.c21media.net/news/imdb-tv-gets-sprung-from-amazon-studios) Garcia told TV Insider that he wrote the show around March 2020, when reports that some jails were releasing prisoners early during COVID-19 gave him the premise for an idea he had already had about a character held unjustly for a long time for marijuana.[10](https://www.tvinsider.com/1056678/)\n\nThe series is Garcia's first streaming series after network and cable comedies including *My Name Is Earl*, *Raising Hope*, *The Guest Book*, and *Yes, Dear*.[11](https://www.givememyremote.com/remote/2022/08/16/sprung-raising-hope-reunion-garret-dillahunt-martha-plimpton-greg-garcia/) He said he wanted the show to look different from his previous work and shot it \"like a movie,\" cross-boarding the entire thing, and deliberately cast almost entirely actors new to his productions, including Phillip Garcia, Shakira Barrera, James Earl, and Clare Gillies.[11](https://www.givememyremote.com/remote/2022/08/16/sprung-raising-hope-reunion-garret-dillahunt-martha-plimpton-greg-garcia/) • [12](https://www.haute-lifestyle.com/haute-lifestyle-entertainment/haute-lifestyle-celebrity-new-interviews-pictures/5911-celebrity-interview-greg-garcia-writer-director-of-freevee-s-sprung-talks-on-making-the-series.html) Casting additions of Kate Walsh, Camden Garcia, and Andre Jamal Kinney were announced in May 2022.[13](https://au.variety.com/2022/tv/news/kate-walsh-greg-garcia-sprung-amazon-freevee-casting-2288/)\n\n## Reception\n\nCritical response was generally favorable. Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 73, with five of six collected reviews positive and one mixed.[8](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/sprung-2022/critic-reviews/) Rotten Tomatoes recorded an 82% Tomatometer from 11 reviews and a 97% audience score; its critics consensus said the pandemic setting is sometimes more of a drag than a springboard for fresh ideas, but credited the \"bouncy sitcom\" with Garcia's comedic hallmarks and a \"hilarious Martha Plimpton.\"[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/sprung/s01) Individual critics highlighted Plimpton's performance (the [Pittsburgh Tribune-Review](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh-tribune-review) called her \"a crusty mama bear\" who steals almost every scene) and the ensemble overall, while IndieWire was the dissenting review, giving a C and arguing the show \"seems like it's trying to say something about everything.\"[8](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/sprung-2022/critic-reviews/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/sprung/s01) On IMDb the series holds a weighted 8.2/10 from about 7,500 users, with the finale the highest-rated episode at 8.8.[9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14544190/ratings/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Sprung – Full Cast & Crew, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/sprung/cast/1030929029/)\n2. [IMDb TV gets Sprung from Amazon Studios, C21Media (29 April 2021)](https://www.c21media.net/news/imdb-tv-gets-sprung-from-amazon-studios)\n3. [Sprung – Freevee Series – Where To Watch, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/show/sprung/)\n4. ['Missing' Shows, Found!, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/lists/missing-tv-shows-renewed-cancelled/)\n5. [Sprung – TV Series Review, Plugged In](https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/sprung/)\n6. [Sprung, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/61862/sprung)\n7. [Sprung: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/sprung/s01)\n8. [Sprung (2022) critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/sprung-2022/critic-reviews/)\n9. [Sprung (TV Series 2022) – Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14544190/ratings/)\n10. ['Sprung': Garret Dillahunt & Martha Plimpton on Why 'Raising Hope' Fans Will Like Their New Series, TV Insider (17 August 2022)](https://www.tvinsider.com/1056678/)\n11. [SPRUNG: Garret Dillahunt, Martha Plimpton, and Greg Garcia on the Joy of Their Unexpected RAISING HOPE Reunion, Give Me My Remote (16 August 2022)](https://www.givememyremote.com/remote/2022/08/16/sprung-raising-hope-reunion-garret-dillahunt-martha-plimpton-greg-garcia/)\n12. [Celebrity Interview: Greg Garcia on Making the Series, Haute Lifestyle](https://www.haute-lifestyle.com/haute-lifestyle-entertainment/haute-lifestyle-celebrity-new-interviews-pictures/5911-celebrity-interview-greg-garcia-writer-director-of-freevee-s-sprung-talks-on-making-the-series.html)\n13. [Kate Walsh Joins Cast of Greg Garcia's 'Sprung' Series For Amazon Freevee, Variety Australia (3 May 2022)](https://au.variety.com/2022/tv/news/kate-walsh-greg-garcia-sprung-amazon-freevee-casting-2288/)\n14. [Review: 'Sprung' an uneven but delightful Greg Garcia sitcom, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (18 August 2022)](https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/tv-radio/2022/08/18/tv-review-sprung-amazon-freevee-greg-garcia-garret-dillahunt-martha-plimpton/stories/202208180012)\n15. [Sprung, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/sprung/umc.cmc.2jn1odza2hk1z9htt7ci98kvg)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Sitcom and comedy series › American sitcoms and comedy series › 2020s cable and streaming comedies*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/sprung", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/sprung.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Sprung\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/sprung. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Sprung](https://www.edgepedia.org/sprung)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/sprung](https://www.edgepedia.org/sprung). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Sprung\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/sprung. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Sprung is an Amazon Freevee single-camera comedy created by Greg Garcia." }