10 Things We Learned About ‘The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell’ at Midsummer Scream

During a Sunday afternoon panel at Midsummer Scream Christine McConnell, star of “The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell,” was reunited with some of the cast and crew from her short-lived Netflix series.

Moderated by series co-creator and Muppet director Kirk Thatcher, McConnell was joined by Colleen Smith who voiced and puppeteered Rose in the series and played Cousin Evie, Mick Ignis the suit performer behind Edgar, and Michael Oosterom the voice and puppeteer for Edgar and Darcy Prevost, the show’s production designer. During the hour-long panel, the creators behind the series shared various stories about their time working on the show and answered audience questions. Here are some of the most interesting tidbits we learned from the panel.

While Shooting a 20-Minute Test Pilot, They Set Fire to Christine McConnell’s Living Room

Early during the panel while talking about the origins of the show McConnell revealed that a test pilot for the series was shot in her actual home. While filming they set a fire in the star’s living room, something McConnell apparently encouraged. “It was me instigating it,” explained McConnell. “They were like, I don’t think we can do that and I was like no watch, you just douse it in lighter fluid and it’ll go up.”

Edgar Was a Mouth Breather Because It Was the Only Way Mick Would Be Able to See Out of the Suit

If you ever noticed that the werewolf character Edgar was a mouth breather, it was more than just character development that made that happen, it was a necessity for allowing Mick Ignis the actor in the Edgar suit to be able to see. Ignis had very limited visibility in his suit, so the open mouth gave him a small window to look out of. “The show is absolutely gorgeous,” joked Ignis during the panel. “It was amazing to see for the first time on Netflix when it came out. Because I saw nothing the entire time we were filming.” Ignis went on to explain that most of the time he was just staring at servo motors and gears and had to be told via earpiece by Edgar’s puppeteer Drew Massey where his eye line was.

Rose Was Originally Written as a Rapist

In episode two of the series “Gifts for Nosy Neighbors,” McConnell had originally written a joke that suggested Rose was a rapist, but Colleen Smith was uncomfortable with that direction and it was changed so that she had a consensual relationship with the neighborhood dogs and the neighbor’s lawn gnome, Mr. Grumbles.

The change not only impacted the character but also a joke that was featured later in the episode. In the episode, Christine gives her neighbor Mr. Ketchum Penicillin as an additional parting gift adding, “there’s no telling where that ball gag’s been.” But originally the joke implied that Rose had given someone an STD through non-consensual sex.

Rose is Part Raccoon, Part Skunk, Part Possum…and a fork

If you’ve watched “The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell” you know that Rose was a reanimated raccoon that’s more or less been Frankensteined together, but if you were never certain what Rose was made of, it was revealed during the Q&A portion of the panel. Rose is part raccoon, part skunk, and part possum and of course has a fork for a hand. A hand she apparently lost while trying to rummage food from a garbage disposal.

Production Designer Darcy Prevost Actually Stole Items from Christine McConnell’s House to Use on the Set

During the panel, Darcy Prevost shared that many of the items used on the set were actually items she took from McConnell’s house. In fact, one of the designers’ favorite moments from the show was when she revealed one such instance to McConnell while on set. “We’re looking at the bedroom set and she goes to me, ‘I have pillows just like that,’ and I say, Christine, those are your pillows. I took them from your house.” shared Prevost.

In Addition to Axes Hanging on the Wall McConnell’s Bedroom Was Supposed To Have Handcuffs Hanging on the Bed

The ball gag that appears in episode two wasn’t the only kink that was going to be featured in the series. Originally McConnell wanted her bedposts to have handcuffs hanging on them, but the higher-ups weren’t having it.

Kirk Thatcher Had Two Cameos in the Show

While Kirk Thatcher had a more obvious cameo as one of the doctors who wheels Cousin Evie away at the end of episode four, “A Spirited Tea Party.” He had a less obvious role earlier on as the voice of Lucille the tarantula that appears at the beginning of episode three, “The Dinner Date.”

Christine Wanted Adam Driver or Michael Shannon to Play Norman

Christine wanted a more unique looking person to play Norman. While she was ultimately happy with Adam Mayfield she felt he was too good looking. “I wanted Adam Driver. Something weird like Lurch,” explained McConnell in the panel. “Michael Shannon was the dream guy.” In the end, Mayfield wound up bringing a Ted Bundy like vibe to the Norman character.

They Already Had Ideas for Season Two in the Works

During the Q&A portion of the panel, it was revealed that plans were already brewing in regards to season two with one of the biggest being that the season would open with the existing house burning to the ground in a fire that was of course set by Rose. The reason for destroying the home was so that they could “We kept dreaming about designing our perfect house in the second season,” explained Prevost. “And they said, well how can you justify a new house and we said, well, we have a raccoon that’s prone to arson. Rose burns the first house down.”

McConnell went on to explain that the premise was that the housemates had missed Rose’s bat mitzvah and she burned down the house as an act of revenge.

There May Be Some Cast Cameos in Christine McConnell’s New YouTube Series

While they can’t appear as their actual characters for legal reasons, there is a chance that some of the cast could appear in Christine McConnell’s new YouTube series, “From the Mind of Christine McConnell.” In fact, it was suggested that Colleen Smith could be making an appearance on the series in the near future.

This panel was a lot of fun and it was great to see the cast together to revisit their characters and their experiences. During the panel they played a few clips from the series and it was incredible to hear the collective laughter and appreciation of the show as the scenes were played. I can’t help but wonder if this is one of those shows that we’ll look back on later as one of the shows that was taken from us too soon.