Will Arnett on the unfiltered joy of his new reality show, 'LEGO Masters'

PASADENA, Calif. – Will Arnett plays the stiff-moving LEGO Batman in the popular kids' movies, but that doesn't mean he has any skill building with the plastic bricks. 

When it comes to making jaw-dropping LEGO creations, "I could definitely pay somebody to do it," the comedian and actor said at the Television Critics Association last month. "Do I have the patience? Potentially. Do I have the talent? I don’t think so."

Arnett knows exactly how much talent is involved making LEGO theme parks, movie scenes and space creations as host of Fox's new reality competition series "LEGO Masters" (premiering Wednesday, 9 EST/PST), in which teams of AFOLs  – adult fans of LEGO – build massive creations out of the iconic kids' toy to compete for  a $100,000 prize. 

"After almost 10 years of making LEGO movies, they had this idea for this show and it just seemed so organic for me," Arnett said. "I’ve never done this before. It was a very meta experience. ... A lot of times I felt like I was more a cheerleader" than a host. "I was like a fan who had been let in the room."

Arnett ("Arrested Development," "BoJack Horseman") was clearly awed by the prowess of the builders, referring to them as "artists." And watching the series, it's easy to see why – they exhibit incredible skill with a toy many adults may think of mainly as the worst possible object to step on in bare feet. 

"One of the great things that was revealed to me, really quickly, was how good all of these builders are," Arnett said. "You’d think, as the layman, they’d just be good at building LEGO. But what you find is they all, as artists, have a very different approach. Some are more technical. Some are more purely artists. They all bring a different thing."

Arnett was overjoyed just to talk about the series, but viewers can sense his glee radiating through the screen, along with the upbeat and positive attitudes from the contestants and the LEGO designers who act as the competition's judges. 

"This is not a gotcha show," Arnett said. "We’re not looking to get people drunk and watch them at their worst. We’re taking people who are really good at something and want to see them at their best and get even better."

The series pits paired teams in weekly challenges, such as building motorized theme park rides or structures meant to be destroyed with a baseball bat. Some teammates are close (a father and son, a newlywed couple) while others are strangers who joined for the chance to take their LEGO skills mainstream.

Like "Project Runway" or "Great British Baking Show," the thrill is in the impressive creations.

"We have over 3 million LEGO pieces on set, and when you look at these bins and all these different shapes and sizes and colors and you just think, 'What could I do?'" Arnett said. "Your imagination really takes off."

A slightly more jovial tone and the natural light adopted by shows like NBC's similarly crafty/quirky "Making It" (coincidentally co-hosted by Arnett's ex-wife Amy Poehler) could help the series, which is often literally too dark. But despite the serious aesthetic, Arnett sells the heck out of every over-the-top moment.

Even when it sometimes feels like you're watching a giant LEGO commercial. (You are.)  

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