MST3K Creator Shares Encouraging Update After Season 14 Fundraiser Fails

[TMC]

https://www.cbr.com/mst3k-creator-encouraging-update/

Mystery Science Theater 3000 creator Joel Hodgson shared an encouraging update with backers after the Season 14 fundraiser failed to meet its goal.

[Duster76]

Originally Posted by TMC

https://www.cbr.com/mst3k-creator-encouraging-update/

Mystery Science Theater 3000 creator Joel Hodgson shared an encouraging update with backers after the Season 14 fundraiser failed to meet its goal.

The fundraiser fell well short of the goal raising only 68% of the targeted amount. I've said this before, I think the concept is played. The only thing left to do is try to assemble as many of the original players as possible, go to METV and try to sell it as something they could run after Svengoolie.

[quincywagstaff]

I was a huge fan of the original MST3K and had high hopes for the reboot. But honestly, the revival just didn't begin to approach the heights the original show reached. The talent was not particularly stellar, the writing was only so-so, and the inexplicable decision for season 13 to have multiple hosts and multiple voices for the bots just left me wondering if Joel had lost his touch. I'm glad he's taking his obvious disappointment with the failure of the latest crowdfunding campaign so well. It's time to let go and accept that the original show was lighting in a bottle that comes along only once. And we still have the Rifftrax guys to keep some of the old MST3K vibe going.

[Duster76]

Originally Posted by quincywagstaff

I was a huge fan of the original MST3K and had high hopes for the reboot. But honestly, the revival just didn't begin to approach the heights the original show reached. The talent was not particularly stellar, the writing was only so-so, and the inexplicable decision for season 13 to have multiple hosts and multiple voices for the bots just left me wondering if Joel had lost his touch. I'm glad he's taking his obvious disappointment with the failure of the latest crowdfunding campaign so well. It's time to let go and accept that the original show was lighting in a bottle that comes along only once. And we still have the Rifftrax guys to keep some of the old MST3K vibe going.

Excellent commentary, you really nailed it.

[D-Dey]

I got involved in the crowd funding for the 13th season, but never found a way to see it. I also went under a different screen name there, and I'm still debating how I wanted to be identified.

[Charles Knox]

Originally Posted by D-Dey

I got involved in the crowd funding for the 13th season, but never found a way to see it. I also went under a different screen name there, and I'm still debating how I wanted to be identified.

13th and 14th season episodes are showing up on the MST3K channel on PlutoTV.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by Duster76

The fundraiser fell well short of the goal raising only 68% of the targeted amount. I've said this before, I think the concept is played. The only thing left to do is try to assemble as many of the original players as possible, go to METV and try to sell it as something they could run after Svengoolie.

I was just thinking a lot about MST3K recently because I try to make a conscientious effort to watch the annual Thanksgiving Day marathon on YouTube, which was of course previously a tradition on Comedy Central.

I then went and checked out SF Debris' seasonal breakdowns through Season 10 (the final season on Sci-Fi Channel as well as its original run). You're probably right that maybe in a way, the concept for MST3K is played.

I really don't know how well a show like that could fly in its original form today when we have the internet, particularly YouTube, social media, and podcasts to riff on, mock, and make fun of bad movies. MST3K was in its original concept, meant to be like one of those Creature Features type of shows (or the type of shows that were hosted by Cassandra Peterson as her Elvira persona or Joe Bob Bridges) with the twist being that you actually saw the hosts (Joel and later Mike) actively watching the movie with you.

[quincywagstaff]

Originally Posted by Charles Knox

13th and 14th season episodes are showing up on the MST3K channel on PlutoTV.

There is no season 14, the episodes currently airing on Pluto are from season 13. Apparently the episodes from seasons 11 and 12 which aired on Netflix are not available for streaming (outside of Netflix, I would imagine).

[TMC]

Good Bad Flicks looks into the history of some movies that would be forgotten if not for Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Good Bad Flicks looks into the history of some movies that would be forgotten if not for Mystery Science Theater 3000. These are the movies from the Mike Nelson years.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by quincywagstaff

I was a huge fan of the original MST3K and had high hopes for the reboot. But honestly, the revival just didn't begin to approach the heights the original show reached. The talent was not particularly stellar, the writing was only so-so, and the inexplicable decision for season 13 to have multiple hosts and multiple voices for the bots just left me wondering if Joel had lost his touch. I'm glad he's taking his obvious disappointment with the failure of the latest crowdfunding campaign so well. It's time to let go and accept that the original show was lighting in a bottle that comes along only once. And we still have the Rifftrax guys to keep some of the old MST3K vibe going.

A look back at the Netflix seasons of MST3K in contrast to classic MST3K which compares the classic episode Space Mutiny and the Netflix episode Cry Wilderness.

• 0:00 Intro
• 6:19 Research
• 9:19 The Episodes
• 14:32 Riff to Riff
• 16:33 The Obscure
• 20:16 Running Jokes
• 22:21 Best Riffs
• 23:32 Worst Riffs
• 25:40 Botched Riffs
• 30:45 Verbosity/Delivery
• 33:18 The Host Segments
• 40:16 The Hosts Themselves
• 47:23 The Writing
• 58:20 The Poly Ticks
• 1:02:31 The Gizmoplex
• 1:09:11 Misc thoughts
• 1:13:41 Conclusion

[TMC]

Originally Posted by quincywagstaff

I was a huge fan of the original MST3K and had high hopes for the reboot. But honestly, the revival just didn't begin to approach the heights the original show reached. The talent was not particularly stellar, the writing was only so-so, and the inexplicable decision for season 13 to have multiple hosts and multiple voices for the bots just left me wondering if Joel had lost his touch. I'm glad he's taking his obvious disappointment with the failure of the latest crowdfunding campaign so well. It's time to let go and accept that the original show was lighting in a bottle that comes along only once. And we still have the Rifftrax guys to keep some of the old MST3K vibe going.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 emerged out of a very specific cultural context that's long since disappeared. How did the shifting TV landscape affect MST3K, and what will happen with the launch of the brand new GIZMOPLEX?

Also featured: An overlong discussion of local kids TV show hosts.

[TMC]

Mystery Science Theater 3000 Season 14: Crowdfunding Campaign & Everything We Know

Joel Hodgson is bringing Mystery Science Theater 3000 season 14 to the show's exclusive home on the Gizmoplex - here's what we know.

[TMC]

MST3K Remains in Stasis, but Turkey Day 2024 Lives on with Celebrity Guest Hosts

By Jim Vorel | November 13, 2024 | 1:27pm

It’s hard to say where fans of cult classic movie riffing series Mystery Science Theater 3000 stand these days, but at least one of their beloved holiday comforts can still be counted on: Turkey Day. The series is still hanging in limbo, a year after the failure of another large-scale crowdfunding campaign to produce a 14th season of the series stalled out. MST3K has had four or five distinct, different homes or eras at this point, and its pop-cultural relevance has never really faded, but its future is very much in doubt. Still, it’s unabashedly good news to see that the iconic Turkey Day celebration will still return for 2024, complete with a cavalcade of celebrity fans/guest hosts. You can see a little trailer for the event below, which will be hosted on Shout! TV and The MST3K Channel, dubbed the 2024 Turkey Day Potluck of the Stars.

Jonah Ray, the third generation host of the show’s Netflix era and beyond, will intro a collection of 11 episodes of the series spanning various eras, including some that are rarely seen as part of these marathon viewings. Various guest hosts will then introduce some of their own favorite episodes, including David Dastmalchian, Mike Flanagan, Bryan Fuller, Mark Hamill, Matthew Lillard and Kumail Nanjiani, joined by series mainstays including Joel Hodgson, Felicia Day, Emily Marsh, and Mary Jo Pehl. The full schedule can be seen below, and includes some genuinely kooky selections, like Matthew Lillard hosting The Castle of Fu-Manchu, widely regarded as one of the worst/most painful films in MST3K history. Also notable is the return of fan-favorite, Rowsdower-starring The Final Sacrifice, which hasn’t been seen in streaming for years thanks to licensing issues. Personally, I think it will be very charming to see the likes of Mike Flanagan introducing Hobgoblins, or David Dastmalchian waxing poetic on the Mexican-produced mess that is Samson vs. The Vampire Women. We can’t expect much from these segments–probably just someone sitting on a couch, giving a 30-second address–but that’s still worthy of celebration, given that MST3K fans weren’t certain there would be any Turkey Day festivities at all in 2024. A true Mistie will always take what they can get.

The Turkey Day Potluck of the Stars will begin at 5 a.m. ET on Nov. 28, and proceed with the schedule listed below, which includes each episode’s guest host. Perhaps series creator Joel Hodgson will swing in at some point with some kind of update or hint at the show’s future, or potential avenues for producing new episodes? You never quite know with Turkey Day, given its status as the holiest day in the MST3K canon. Regardless, it will simply be nice to see some other Hollywood luminaries sharing their fondness for a series that has brought us so much good-natured joy over the years. Check out the 2024 Turkey Day Potluck of the Stars schedule below. All times are in Eastern Standard Time (EST).

• 5:00 AM: The Killer Shrews [Emily Marsh]
• 7:00 AM: Overdrawn at the Memory Bank [Kumail Nanjiani]
• 9:00 AM: Werewolf [Bryan Fuller]
• 11:00 AM: The Castle of Fu-Manchu [Matthew Lillard]
• 1:00 PM: Space Mutiny [Mary Jo Pehl]
• 3:00 PM: Hobgoblins [Mike Flanagan]
• 5:00 PM: Samson vs The Vampire Women [David Dastmalchian]
• 7:00 PM: Gamera vs Jiger [Mark Hamill]
• 9:00 PM: The Final Sacrifice [Joel Hodgson]
• 11:00 PM: Manos: The Hands of Fate [Felicia Day]
• 1:00 AM: The Mask [Jonah Ray]