SPRUNG’s Greg Garcia on the Balance of Finding Humor in the Show’s Unconventional Premise: ‘It’s a Balance’

In the new Freevee series SPRUNG, a group of convicted criminals are stunned to learn they’ve been released early from prison…thanks to COVID-19.

Unsure what to make of the pandemic, and with the order to shelter-in-place, Rooster (Phillip Garcia) offers up the home of his mother, Barb (Martha Plimpton), to his fellow former inmates. With no place to go, Rooster’s former prison roommate Jack (Garret Dillahunt) and Jack’s (quasi-)prison girlfriend Gloria (Shakira Barrera) bunk with the family. (And, naturally, Barb convinces the group to help her pull off a few heists as “rent.”)

But despite the premise, the series is a comedy—something creator Greg Garcia was aware would be a tricky line to toe. “It’s a balance, right?” Garcia admits in the video below. “We’ve all known people that have really struggled with this [pandemic], and I knew people that passed away early on…How do you have fun with that?”

The solution? “We set it very early on in the pandemic, so that way we could have some fun with perhaps how naive we were about things, looking back on it,” Garcia says. “The whole show only takes place in probably about two or three weeks, so we don’t get deep into the pandemic….[at that time] there were still debates about masks. We have a line in the pilot where it’s like, ‘Should we wear a mask?’ and [Barb]’s like, ‘Eh, depends on what channel you listen to.’ And it was at a time where people were saying masks [aren’t needed]…that was a big part of it, for us.”

“But at the same time, it’s a backdrop,” he continues. “We probably had all 10 scripts done, and then I went back and I said, ‘There’s not enough COVID’—because you don’t want to also just ignore it…So we actually went back through and was like, ‘All right, let’s do just a COVID comedy pass’…just little things, here and there, even if it’s just stuff in the background or a sign in a window; let’s just keep it aware…But certainly in no way do we ever want to look we’re making light of this situation.”

Watch the video for more from Garcia, including the fun he had in crafting his first streaming series…

SPRUNG, Fridays, Freevee

RELATED:

• SPRUNG: Garret Dillahunt, Martha Plimpton, and Greg Garcia on the Joy of Their Unexpected RAISING HOPE Reunion
• SPRUNG: RAISING HOPE’s Garret Dillahunt and Martha Plimpton Reunite in the First Trailer for Upcoming Greg Garcia Freevee Comedy
• SPRUNG: RAISING HOPE’s Greg Garcia and Garret Dillahunt Re-Team for New Series

Follow @GiveMeMyRemote and @marisaroffman on Twitter for the latest TV news. Connect with other TV fans on GIVE ME MY REMOTE’s official Facebook page.

And be the first to see our exclusive videos by subscribing to our YouTube channel.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases made through links/ads placed on the site.