It’s been over eight years since the Fox sitcom Raising Hope came to an end, but that’s not stopping the stars from working together. Martha Plimpton and Garret Dillahunt are reuniting for a new series that comes from Raising Hope creator Greg Garcia.
Plimpton and Dillahunt, who portrayed Virginia Slims Chance and Engleburt “Burt” Jebbidiah Chance, respectively, on Raising Hope, are coming together for the new genre-bending comedy Sprung on Amazon’s Freevee. Dillahunt discussed why he wanted to do Sprung with Variety, and it all came down to having fun with Raising Hope and Sprung creator Greg Garcia:
I think [the pilot script] said in an early draft, ‘Barb, a Martha Plimpton type’ — we even had it written in there. I’ve worked with her more than any other actor… I was worried that we’d seem the same, but then you watch it, you’re like, ‘Oh, this guy’s much smarter than Burt. She’s completely different than Virginia.’ It just works. She somehow doesn’t get far from herself, in a way, but then you totally believe whatever character she’s doing.
Even though Dillahunt is reuniting with an actress he shared the screen with over four seasons and nearly 100 episodes, he confirmed that they're not just playing the same kinds of characters. It turns out that this new show has its roots back when the actor called Raising Hope creator Greg Garcia over the summer of pandemic lockdown because he wanted "to have some fun again." Plus, he had nothing but good things to say about Martha Plimpton.
Meanwhile, she praised her co-star, and is clearly excited to be working with him once again. The Goonies actress revealed how fun it was to work with Garret Dillahunt and what it’s been like working on Sprung with new castmates:
As far as I’m concerned, Garret can do anything. He’s my kind of actor: he jumps right in, and he does it, and he commits, and he’s fully present and physically hilarious. And so it was really fun to just try on these new characters together, create this totally new dynamic with these new cast members who are wonderful, and it just felt easy and breezy.
It seems like Dillahunt and Plimpton work very well together, so it seems like the stars aligned for Sprung giving them the opportunity to come together again, and with Raising Hope’s creator, no less. With Raising Hope cancelled after four seasons back in 2014, who could have guessed they'd have the chance to come back together again by 2022?
Sprung follows the story of prison inmates freed during the COVID-19 pandemic due to overcrowding concerns. Garret Dillahunt portrays Jack, who was caught up in a pot bust. Martha Plimpton plays Barb, one of the inmates’ moms, who also houses the low-level prisoners. With an intriguing plot and some hilarious stars, it should be an interesting show to watch. Take a look at the trailer:
Sprung also stars Shakira Barrera, Phillip Garcia, Clare Gillies, James Earl, and Kate Walsh. The series drops on Amazon Freevee on August 19, with ten episodes for the first season. Sprung joins a growing number of originals on Amazon Freevee, which rebranded from IMDb TV earlier this year. Hopefully more seasons will be on the way.
Don’t miss the Raising Hope reunion on Sprung on Amazon Freevee! Check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 TV schedule to see what else to look forward to. You can also revisit Raising Hope streaming with a Hulu subscription.
