Watch Patton Oswalt on Feeling Unworthy of ‘Mystery Science Theater 3000’ Reboot
Patton Oswalt is thrilled be part of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Netflix reboot – but his younger self would be horrified at the casting, as he told Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday’s Tonight Show.
The comedian plays the bouffant-sporting “TV’s Son of TV’s Frank,” a role first portrayed by Frank Conniff on the B-movie-bashing cult comedy. Watching his revived series now, Oswalt hears a judgmental inner voice from his past. “I’m just very self-conscious,” he says. “I still have the 22-year-old me in my head, going, ‘This is not Frank Conniff. They brought some sitcom actor in to do the part. I can hear the judgment in my head – ’cause that’s what I would do at my age if they had replaced Frank Conniff with me. I’d be angry at it.”
Oswalt also briefed the seemingly baffled Tonight Show audience on Mystery Science Theater 3000‘s basic, absurd plot, which finds a human test subject imprisoned by mad scientists and forced to watch terrible films. “They’re showing horrible movies – you can’t even believe the movie existed,” the comedian said giddily.
MST3K creator Joel Hodgson launched a Kickstarter for the new season in November 2015, raising $5.7 million from over 50,000 backers. Jonah Ray and Felicia Day also star on the reboot, which is available to stream now on Netflix.