Every state’s Stranger Things fun fact

Iowa: Johnny Carson connections

Iowa, I’m sorry. There is not much of a connection here, but there is a small one. Stick with me on this one. Remember Will’s doctor from season 2 after he comes back from the Upside Down and Joyce is watching him like a hawk for any after-effects? The doctor that seems to check him out once a week? Well, that doctor is played by Paul Reiser.

It just so happens that Reiser was in a Hulu series called There’s Johnny where he played Johnny Carson. Well, guess who’s from Iowa? Johnny Carson. It’s a bit of a stretch for a connection, but we do what we can.

Dr. Sam Owens who Reiser plays in Stranger Things first appears in the season 2 premiere and we last saw him in the season 3 finale, although he played a much bigger role in season 2.

He’s not a huge staple in the show, but he is an important figure in Will’s recovery. He’s from the Department of Energy and in charge of containing the events in Hawkins. He’s pretty much the saner version of Dr. Brenner and the head of Hawkins Lab once Brenner is out.

In season 3 when Dr. Owens and his team show up to get rid of the Russians, he arrives too late, but does provide a story so the world doesn’t know about the Upside-Down and the creatures that are controlling it and trying to destroy the world.

At the Starcourt Mall, he tells the local police that it was simply a fire and that unfortunately, Hopper was a victim of the fire. He even goes so far as to provide fake images.

In the series, Dustin also makes a Johnny Carson reference. He says that Max and Lucas are so funny that they should be on Carson.