If you’re not briefed on the theories surrounding doppelgänger duo Joe Keery and Ben Schwartz, I’ll let this interview break it down.
Basically, after season 1 of “Stranger Things” dropped on Netflix, there were whispers across the internet of Steve Harrington’s (Keery) uncanny resemblance to Jean-Ralphio Saperstein (Schwartz) from sitcom “Parks and Recreation.” The two finally met on Corden’s show, and their similarities were undeniable.
The circulating theory is that since “Stranger Things” is set in 1980s Indiana and “Parks and Recreation” was set in present-day Indiana, and the two look scary alike, Steve must be Jean-Ralphio’s father.
As a result, they get super emotional during the meet-up and run off to “catch up” on the years they missed out on together, with the interviewer insisting that they’re being ridiculous since Schwartz is actually older than Keery (by a decade, btw).
They’ve been playing along with the fan theory since it surfaced, as one does when presented with your also-famous doppelgänger, and “Parks and Rec” creator Mike Schur even confirmed the idea, so what other proof do we need?
Yesterday, the two kept up appearances as father and son with this tweet, using a video that Schwartz originally posted to his Instagram in 2016, presumably from the same day as Corden’s video was filmed, according to their outfits.
It’s a two-year joke at this point, and I’m thinking a “Stranger Parks” collaboration is basically inevitable.