"Steve's Son" Wants To Join 'Stranger Things'

To say Netflix's Stranger Things was the surprise hit television show of the summer would be a gross understatement. Even as we inch towards winter, Will and his concerned family and friends have been the focal point of many conversations — and hundreds of Halloween costumes. And with the mass popularity of the '80s-set sci-fi drama comes speculation, anticipation for Season 2, and of course — theories. One of the more outlandish theories to emerge from the hype involves another popular TV show. Could Parks and Rec's Jean Ralphio (Ben Schwartz) be the son of Stranger Things ' Steve (Joe Keery) and Nancy (Natalia Dyer)? Ben Schwartz thinks so. He's so convinced, in fact, that he has plans to crash the set of Season 2 and get himself a part in the series, which is presently filming in Atlanta, which is convenient because..."I'm filming something in Atlanta so I'm gonna try to visit that set. I'm gonna stay there and see if the cameras roll by mistake," the 35-year-old tells me while promoting his latest project, Funny or Die's The Earliest Show . "But no, they didn't invite me," he clarifies, saying that if he could choose a role for himself, he'd probably pick "Steve's older brother."

But it isn't just because of their similarly coiffed hair and eerily matched facial features that Schwartz wants to make a cameo in the series. "I think the Duffer Brothers are amazing, and they were on board with the whole [conspiracy]," he says. "Mike Schur from Parks and Rec was like, 'Yeah, they're related.' So the Duffer Brothers said the same thing, and they were like, 'Of course this is true. Jean Ralphio is of course his son.'"

And if Schwartz makes it to set, the moment will actually be a reunion for Jean Ralphio and his "dad," Steve, as the two have already explored their relationship together in the public eye. "When people came up with that theory it became so popular. It was crazy to me," he says, seeming shocked. "When I did [the Late Late Show with James] Corden their digital guys were like, 'Hey, can I interview you about the Stranger Things articles?' So we did it, and it did so well that they were like 'What if we got the kid? Would you do a short?'"

Schwartz co-wrote a sketch with the Late Late Show team, and the faux father and son duo delighted audiences with their twinning mannerisms and by finishing one another's sentences. Like father like son, right?

"He was so f*cking funny," Schwartz says of Keery. "I have outtakes of us on my phone that I'm gonna release in a little bit."

And yet surprisingly, Schwartz is convinced that he and Keery look nothing alike: "When you see us together it's like 'Oh, they look kind of similar but nothing alike really,'" the actor says.

But it seems fans would disagree. Still, I think we might want to be careful what we wish for. If Schwartz does manage to finagle his way onto the Netflix show, I'm not sure the internet could handle it. Magic that powerful might just be enough cause a disruption that would land us all in the upside down.

Images: Giphy