If you’ve spent any time on the weird side of Twitch or stumbled into a late-night basement theater in New York over the last decade, you probably already know about the George Lucas Talk Show. It’s exactly what it sounds like, but also, it's nothing like what you’d expect. Imagine a talk show where the host is a legendary filmmaker who created the most successful sci-fi franchise in history, except it’s not him. It’s a comedian named Connor Ratliff wearing a silver wig, a plaid shirt, and enough prosthetic neck-gobble to make you do a double-take.
It shouldn't work. Honestly, the premise sounds like a five-minute sketch that would overstay its welcome by minute six. Yet, here we are, years later, and it’s become a legitimate cult phenomenon that has outlasted many actual network talk shows.
The show basically functions as a long-form improvisational experiment. Ratliff plays "Retired George," a version of the creator who has nothing left to prove and an infinite amount of time to interview real celebrities who are often deeply confused by the situation. Beside him sits "Watto," played by Griffin Newman (star of The Tick and co-host of the Blank Check podcast), who stays in full Toydarian makeup and a gravelly voice for hours on end. Rounding out the trio is Patrick Cotnoir, the producer who somehow wrangles A-list guests into this beautiful, chaotic mess.
How a UCB Sketch Became a Digital Powerhouse
The George Lucas Talk Show didn't start in a studio. It started at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (UCB) in New York. Back then, it was a monthly live stage show. The stakes were low, the budget was non-existent, and the vibe was "let's see how long we can keep this bit going."
Then 2020 happened.
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When the world shut down, most live comedy just sort of evaporated. But Ratliff, Newman, and Cotnoir moved to Planet Scum Live, a streaming platform, and things got weird in the best way possible. They started doing "marathons." We’re talking 12, 15, sometimes 30-plus hours of continuous broadcasting. They weren't just filling time; they were building a universe. During these streams, the line between the parody and the reality of the guests starts to blur. You’d have guests like Jon Hamm, D’Arcy Carden, or Kevin Smith appearing via Zoom, settling into the absurdity until they’re just chatting with a guy pretending to be a billionaire and a guy pretending to be a CGI fly-junk dealer.
The persistence is the joke.
There’s something hypnotic about watching Griffin Newman eat an entire meal through a Watto mask while discussing the nuances of 1970s cinema. It stops being an "impression" and starts being a weirdly sincere tribute to the act of creation. Ratliff doesn't play George Lucas as a caricature of a villain or a hack. He plays him as a guy who is genuinely obsessed with the "digital realm" and the minute details of his own career.
Why the George Lucas Talk Show Actually Matters to Fans
Most parodies are mean-spirited. This one isn't. It’s deeply nerdy. You have to really, truly love Star Wars—and more importantly, the history of filmmaking—to get the jokes. They’ll spend forty minutes talking about the catering on the set of Willow or the specific technical specs of the Sony HDW-F900 camera used for Attack of the Clones.
It’s a specific brand of comedy.
- It rewards deep-cut knowledge.
- The guests are treated with a mix of reverence and total irreverence.
- The internal lore of the show (like the "Bumper" segments) is as dense as the Star Wars Expanded Universe itself.
One of the most legendary moments in the show's history involved a marathon where they watched every single episode of the short-lived 1990s TV show The George Lucas Talk Show—wait, no, that’s not right. It was the "Arli$$" marathon. They watched all seven seasons of the HBO sports agent comedy *Arli$$* for charity. It was grueling. It was nonsensical. It raised thousands of dollars. This is the DNA of the show: taking a task that is unnecessarily difficult and doing it with a smile while wearing a latex mask.
The Guests and the "Real" George Lucas
People always ask: Has the real George Lucas seen the George Lucas Talk Show?
The short answer is: almost certainly. While there hasn't been a formal "meeting of the Georges," the show has hosted nearly everyone who has ever worked for him. We’re talking about people like Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Ahmed Best (Jar Jar Binks), and even high-level Lucasfilm executives. If the "Maker" himself hasn't clicked on a YouTube clip yet, his inner circle definitely has.
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The brilliance of the show is how it handles these guests. When a real Star Wars actor comes on, Ratliff (as George) will often apologize for things or ask for very specific, mundane memories from the set. It creates a space where actors can talk about their work without the PR-heavy fluff of a standard press junket. They're more relaxed because they're talking to a puppet and a man in a wig.
Actionable Ways to Experience the Madness
If you're just diving into the George Lucas Talk Show, don't try to watch everything at once. You'll lose your mind. It's too much. Instead, follow this path to get acclimated to the digital realm:
- Start with the Highlights: Go to their YouTube channel and look for the "Best Of" compilations. This helps you understand the running jokes, like why they’re obsessed with Corvette Summer or the specific way "George" says "digital."
- Watch the "May the 4th" Marathons: These are the flagship events. They usually feature the biggest guests and the most elaborate bits. Even if you only watch two hours of an eighteen-hour stream, you’ll get the vibe.
- Check out the "Dead Eyes" Connection: If you like Connor Ratliff’s humor, listen to his podcast Dead Eyes. It’s a serious (but funny) investigation into why Tom Hanks fired him from a small role in Band of Brothers for having "dead eyes." It provides a lot of context for his approach to comedy and failure.
- Follow Patrick Cotnoir on Social Media: He’s the engine room. He often posts when they are going live or which guests are lined up. Since the show is largely improvised, knowing the guest list ahead of time helps you appreciate the chaos.
- Support the Patreon: If you become a "Little Slut" (the self-assigned name for the show's hardcore fans), you get access to a massive backlog of content that isn't available on the main feeds.
This show is a testament to the idea that if you do something specific enough, for long enough, you will eventually find your people. It’s a comedy show, sure, but it’s also a long-running piece of experimental theater that honors the legacy of one of the most important filmmakers in history by making fun of his plaid shirts. It’s weird. It’s long. It’s often confusing. But in a world of polished, corporate-approved late-night shows, it's a breath of fresh, Tatooine-scented air.