TV Talk: Martha Plimpton replaces Illeana Douglas on filming-in-Pittsburgh comedy ‘Sprung’

Only a week into filming streaming comedy “Sprung” in Pittsburgh and there’s been a change on the call sheet of the IMDb TV series: The role played in scenes shot last week by actress Illeana Douglas will be played going forward (and in re-shoots) by Emmy-winner Martha Plimpton.

Recasting is not unusual in the TV/streaming business as noted in the recent TV Q&A about the recasting of Marisa Tomei with Amy Brenneman in Netflix’s “Sweet Girl.”

Every spring networks make pilot episodes for prospective series and every summer at least a few of those shows have roles recast. Sometimes it’s because producers feel the actor wasn’t right for the part; other times it’s because the actor delivers a sub-par performance. Sometimes recasting happens when producers’ first choice for a role, who wasn’t available when the pilot was filmed, has since become available, particularly if that person is a bigger name. And sometimes it’s because producers don’t want the ongoing headache of an actor they discover is ill-tempered while making the pilot. Almost always the stated rationale for the change is that it was a “creative choice” often resulting from “going in a different direction with the character” regardless of what happened behind the scenes.

Like many streaming series today, “Sprung” did not shoot a pilot. IMDb TV, the Amazon-owned, free, ad-supported streaming service, ordered “Sprung” straight to series. The show, from veteran comedy showrunner Greg Garcia (“Raising Hope,” “My Name is Earl”) focuses on a group of former prison inmates who join up to use their criminal skills for good.

“Sprung” is set during the pandemic and follows Jack (Garret Dillahunt), who spent more than two decades in prison, as he moves in with his former cellmate, Rooster (Phillip Garcia), Rooster’s mom, Barb (formerly Douglas, now Plimpton), and Jack’s former prison girlfriend, Gloria (Shakira Barrera). The group decides to start righting some of society’s wrongs and targeting the selfish who take advantage of the pandemic for their own economic gain.

While Douglas was announced as a series regular, Plimpton is billed as a recurring, season-long guest star following a creative change to the character. The difference in billing may be due to Plimpton still being a series regular on HBO Max’s “Genera+ion,’ which awaits word on a second season renewal.

Garcia, who is currently directing the premiere episode of “Sprung,” worked with Plimpton previously when she and Dillahunt starred in his 2010-14 Fox comedy “Raising Hope.” Plimpton was nominated in the outstanding lead actress Emmy category for her “Hope” performance in 2011 and won an outstanding guest actress in a drama Emmy in 2012 for her recurring role on “The Good Wife.”

Channel surfing

Beginning Friday, Paramount+ subscribers can watch the first three seasons of Showtime’s “Billions” for a limited time as part of their Paramount+ subscription in advance of a new season of the series, premiering Sept. 3 on Showtime, and in advance of a planned Paramount+ and Showtime subscription bundle. … Jane Krakowski has joined the cast of NBC’s “Annie Live!” (8 p.m. Dec. 2, WPXI-TV) which also includes Harry Connick Jr., Taraji P. Henson and Nicole Scherzinger. Krakowski will play Lily St. James, sidekick to Rooster Hannigan (Tituss Burgess). … Reruns of “Seinfeld” will stream on Netflix beginning Oct. 1. … Emily VanCamp has left Fox’s “The Resident” (don’t be surprised if her character, Nic, dies off-screen in the fifth season premiere on Sept. 21). … Free, local streaming service Locast, which arrived in Pittsburgh in July, lost a round in a lawsuit brought by ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC that could imperil its future viability.

You can reach TV writer Rob Owen at rowen@triblive.com or 412-380-8559. Follow Rob on Twitter or Facebook. Ask TV questions by email or phone. Please include your first name and location.