|
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ct0Z2bQndM My friends, from 1988 until 1999, there was a little show that touched all of us in one way or another. A show that showed all of us just how fun bad movies could really be if you had some friends to watch them with you...or at least a pair of snarky robot sidekicks. And now, almost 17 years later, we stand here about to receive the greatest gift we could have ever asked for. But let's cut to the chase. I've been living under a rock for the past 30 years, what is Mystery Science Theater 3000? Well, I'm glad you asked. MST3k follows a relatively simple premise: A mad scientist decides that in order to rule the world he has to suck out everyone's will to oppose him by subjecting them to the worst movie ever made. But in order to find that movie, he first sets up a test subject in orbit around Earth. That test subject takes parts of the satellite he is held hostage within and builds robot companions to sit through the movies with. A series of misunderstandings occur which allow the original test subject to escape the satellite, forcing the scientist to replace him with a guy he got from a temp agency. Eventually, the scientist's mother takes over the experiment along with her sidekicks, a Bottom line, schlubs are sent into space to watch the best worst movies of all time. And some of the absolute worst films of all time, I'm looking at you, Monster-A-Go-Go. And it's been immensely influential, popping up in things as random as Futurama to Arrested Development....and what may be the most out of left field reference of all goddamned time. Your premise interests me. Where is a good place to get started on this series? Glad you asked. Really, you can start in just about any era, whether it be right at the beginning in Season 1, or when the series was sort-of-not-really-rebooted on the Sci-Fi channel in Season 8. Personally, I recommend starting earlier, and getting a feel for the show before you tackle some of the truly legendary terrible movies the series featured. No man should venture into the depths of Manos: The Hands of Fate unprepared. No matter what, you'll start to pick a favorite era for each of the hosts. Ok, so what are some episodes you recommend from each of these eras? Well, that's gonna differ from person to person, but I'll sum up my own personal picks of good entry-level episodes.  The Joel Era Featuring: Joel Hodgson as Joel Robinson, Kevin Murphy/J. Elvis Weinstein as Tom Servo, Trace Beaulieu as Dr. Clayton Forrester/Crow T. Robot, Frank Conniff as TV's Frank The Crawling Eye Robot Monster Godzilla Vs Megalon Gamera (and all the sequels) The Amazing Colossal Man & War of the Colossal Beast It Conquered the World Teenagers from Outer Space Bride of the Monster Eegah!  The Mike Era Featuring: Michael J. Nelson as Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy as Tom Servo/Professor Bobo, Trace Beaulieu as Dr. Clayton Forrester/Crow T. Robot, Bill Corbett as Brain Guy/Crow T. Robot, Frank Conniff as TV's Frank, Mary-Jo Pehl as Pearl Forrester. The Brain That Wouldn't Die Beginning of the End Zombie Nightmare Escape 2000 MST3K The Movie/This Island Earth Revenge of the Creature The Final Sacrifice Space Mutiny Werewolf Joel's era as host does have more jumping-on points, but honestly, you can't go wrong with This Island Earth. Hang on, does the thread title say something about a "return"? What's going on there?  DEBUTS APRIL 14th, 2017! drat right there's a revival happening! With that, we begin the "Jonah Era" of the show. Show creator and original host Joel Hodgson announced a Kickstarter drive in November of 2015 to fund a new season of the show, with the hope that it might be picked up by one of the networks or streaming services. The drive raised over 6.3 Million Dollars, making the MST3k Revival the largest Film/Video Kickstarter of all time. Preproduction began January 4th, 2016 with a target of 14 New Episodes with the new cast...and who are these lovely people?  Well, we have stand-up Jonah Ray as Jonah Heston, Hampton Yount as Crow, Baron Vaughn as Tom, Felicia Day as Kinga Forrester (daughter of Clayton), and Patton Goddamned Oswalt as TV's Son of TV's Frank! In addition, many celebrity fans of the show have expressed interest in appearing during host segments such as Jack Black, Neil Patrick Harris, Bill Hader, and - no joke - Mark Hamill! In addition, several original cast members (notably Mary Jo Pehl, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett) will be reprising their roles. Finally, at San Diego ComicCon 2016, Joel officially announced the series will return via Netflix and will first appear on the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand versions of the streaming platform! An official start date is yet to be announced. How can I get caught up on the old episodes? Well the good people at Shout! Factory regularly issue boxsets of at least 4 episodes a few times a year (generally you get 2 Joel and 2 Mike episodes per), and are now re-releasing the older sets originally published by Rhino Video. In addition, you can buy episodes from iTunes...but then they only work on your iOS device. For more flexibility, I personally recommend either the DVD's, or the good people and former cast members/writers of MST3k at RiffTrax release a new digital episode of classic MST nearly every Monday for about $10 USD. Finally, you can go to The Official YouTube Channel to stream select episodes for free. (My advice is to turn annotations off because holy poo poo do they get inane and annoying.) Also, there are people hosting various episodes on their personal YouTube channels...but whether this is  or not is kind of up in the air as the original series usually had a message to "KEEP SHARING THE TAPES", meaning tape the episodes and share them around with friends. Basically, there are ways to view the episodes without owning them, but best not to overly advertise them. So please, sit back, grab some friends, catch up on one of the greatest shows of all time. Around here we mostly just quote it endlessly, with occasional interludes, but with work on the new episodes starting soon, we all have something to look forward to. Wait, if they're on a satellite, where do the air and food come from? Buddy, it's a television show, you should really just relax. Ensign_Ricky fucked around with this message at 02:04 on Mar 23, 2017 |
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 06:57
|
|
|
|
| # ? Mar 15, 2025 05:07 |
|
|
So now that Netflix has picked it up, what are the chances we'll see more seasons beyond the 14 new episodes?
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 07:04
|
|
|
All in, ground floor, let the riffing begin. I really hope we get a good giant monster movie this season. Nothing's quite as good as MST3K roasting a giant monster film.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 07:04
|
|
|
I was already really hyped about this, but getting Kevin, Bill, and Mary Jo involved just pumped my excitement level to the stratosphere. I pooped mah drawers I'm so excited!
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 07:05
|
|
|
Sanzuo posted:So now that Netflix has picked it up, what are the chances we'll see more seasons beyond the 14 new episodes? I would say very very good. Netflix knows how to promote a show, plus as long as the riffing is on point it should be a slam dunk.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 07:06
|
|
|
With netflix they can ignore the nightmare of google and amazon are angry at each other for streaming.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 07:10
|
|
|
Ensign_Ricky posted:I would say very very good. Netflix knows how to promote a show, plus as long as the riffing is on point it should be a slam dunk. Yea I should probably reserve my excitement until we hear some jokes, but with a cast and crew like this I'm cautiously optimistic!
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 07:14
|
|
|
If you're worried about the future of MST3k, just keep these words of wisdom in mind; don't crap in your hand, crap in your poopy suit.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 07:21
|
|
|
I'm really excited for this and have been rewatching the whole series with some friends and having good times. Even picking up a few episodes I've held off on for too long: The Hellcats - I'm flummoxed. Presumably something happened but I'm not sure what or why or who was involved. Mass confusion. Pod People - Easier to follow, still a mess. Little furry potatoes.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 07:22
|
|
|
I hope they do "Death Bed, the Bed that Eats".
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 07:27
|
|
|
Was the original episodes ever available on Netflix streaming? I swear I saw them there once but couldn't find them last time I looked. I may be insane.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 08:00
|
|
|
Now that Netflix is on board I am pretty sure we will see multiple seasons. This is the best news.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 08:15
|
|
|
Is this going to be available only in the US? No idea how US Netflix works (if at all) in the UK -- will be gutting if there's no way to see the new series in the UK (and I'm not into dodgy streaming and that...)
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 08:37
|
|
|
Ms Boods posted:Is this going to be available only in the US? No idea how US Netflix works (if at all) in the UK -- will be gutting if there's no way to see the new series in the UK (and I'm not into dodgy streaming and that...) According to the Hollywood Reporter article about the deal, it'll be on Netflix in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 08:45
|
|
|
BaronVanAwesome posted:Was the original episodes ever available on Netflix streaming? I swear I saw them there once but couldn't find them last time I looked. I may be insane. Some select episodes were once. Then Hulu got them, but with this news it's safe to say they'll be back. RandomPauI posted:I hope they do "Death Bed, the Bed that Eats". I would've been on board with this until I found out that DB:TBtE is actually a pretentious art film, and not a horror per se. A pretentious art film about a cannibalistic bed, but my point remains. Despite the awesomeness of the title, DB:TBtE is loving boring with one or two moments of "Wait, what?"
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 08:55
|
|
|
Ensign_Ricky posted:Some select episodes were once. Then Hulu got them, but with this news it's safe to say they'll be back. I know that you can make a pretentious art film about anything, but how do you make one about a bed that eats people?
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 09:17
|
|
|
drat, good news. Never thought they would all realize that now is their chance to make it happen in the prime of making fun of things for a living, except with a little class and setup compared to the others. Wonder if it will be season 12 or whatever it would be officially, or if it will be season 1 "new" MSt3k. If they had the old seasons as well it would justify Netflix a little more which is increasingly becoming a only sometime subscription.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 10:52
|
|
|
What are Kevin and Bill doing?
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 12:07
|
|
|
Nobody Interesting posted:What are Kevin and Bill doing? Playing Bobo and Brain Guy
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 12:09
|
|
|
Nobody Interesting posted:What are Kevin and Bill doing? Bill and Mary Jo Pehl and joining the writing team. Biill, Kevin and Mary will all be back to make a cameo in at least one episode. I would assume they pop in for the first episode to pass the torch and away you go, but they could go another way with it. Oh, and if you haven't heard the head writer for the show is a former head writer for the Daily Show, I think they're gonna be just fine. Glad they ended up with the most natural pairing ever, put the movie riffing show on the streaming service that primarily hosts movies and does licensing deals constantly. Hopefully they're able to use that Netflix connection to get some extra legit movies to riff in future seasons, I'm sure there are fairly modern films that still have the proper amount of MST3K style cheese to them.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 12:17
|
|
|
I want them to riff Foodfight.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 12:30
|
|
|
I'm not one to complain about best of lists, but how can you make a list of the best Mike era movies and not include Final Sacrifice!? I can't believe this show is actually coming back. I can't wait.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 12:50
|
|
|
Sanzuo posted:So now that Netflix has picked it up, what are the chances we'll see more seasons beyond the 14 new episodes? Watch Netflix pick up all the movies mst3k spoof and include them in their libraries with a button to turn on the mst3k 'overlay' if you want to watch it like that.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 13:25
|
|
|
I wanted to chime in and say that the OP is great, and the recommended watch list is good. I'm an original MST3K fan from way back when Comedy Central was Mork and Mindy re-runs and MST3k, and I approve. There are a lot of great episodes as the OP states, so if someone has interest in a particular genre or flavor they can post and maybe some of us can make a recommendation.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 13:38
|
|
|
grahf987 posted:drat, good news. Never thought they would all realize that now is their chance to make it happen in the prime of making fun of things for a living, except with a little class and setup compared to the others. While doing the Kickstarter reward thing they had an option to buy a box set of the new season and they listed it as Season 11. Sanzuo posted:Yea I should probably reserve my excitement until we hear some jokes, but with a cast and crew like this I'm cautiously optimistic! Joel and Jonah did a short at the Rifftrax MST3K reunion show and it was really funny.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 13:57
|
|
|
I still wonder why not have new bots instead of recasting Crow and Tom again, but I trust Joel knows what he's doing, and excitement is winning out over doubt.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 15:05
|
|
|
Rollersnake posted:I still wonder why not have new bots instead of recasting Crow and Tom again, but I trust Joel knows what he's doing, and excitement is winning out over doubt. Branding. Crow and Tom are the mascots of MST3K. They're the most recognizable characters.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 15:35
|
|
|
Rollersnake posted:I still wonder why not have new bots instead of recasting Crow and Tom again, but I trust Joel knows what he's doing, and excitement is winning out over doubt. The nerd rage would cause a tear in space time, and the Prince of Space would jump out and prance about the place.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 15:50
|
|
|
This is the best place to put MST3k. And the writers they got and the old crew coming back are all great. Yay! 
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 16:37
|
|
|
Joel also said it's possible that Crow and Servo might accidentally reboot with the Bill and Kevin personalities during host segments, so they can play Crow and Servo as well as Bobo and the Observer.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 16:42
|
|
|
Diabolik900 posted:According to the Hollywood Reporter article about the deal, it'll be on Netflix in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K. Thanks for the info! To coin a phrase: 'Huzzah!' or, 'ATCHKA!'
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 16:57
|
|
|
egon_beeblebrox posted:I want them to riff Foodfight. Foodfight is so bad it legit traumatized me, I don't want them to do it. I also couldn't get through the rifftrax of the last airbender because the movie was just too drat bad to tolerate even with a riff going.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 16:57
|
|
|
Ms Boods posted:Thanks for the info! AADJKAH! remains my favorite exclamation of pain ever.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 17:12
|
|
|
Diabolik900 posted:According to the Hollywood Reporter article about the deal, it'll be on Netflix in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K. Yessssssssssssss! I was worried since the show aired on the Sci Fi channel back when cable and satellite were available for a small percent of the population.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 17:21
|
|
|
RandomPauI posted:I know that you can make a pretentious art film about anything, but how do you make one about a bed that eats people? To be honest, poorly. NowonSA posted:Foodfight is so bad it legit traumatized me, I don't want them to do it. I also couldn't get through the rifftrax of the last airbender because the movie was just too drat bad to tolerate even with a riff going. I'd like to see Foodfight as a Rifftrax Live event personally. If only because then they can give it the R-rated teardown that loving piece of poo poo deserves.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 17:45
|
|
|
Ensign_Ricky posted:To be honest, poorly. I wonder how "blue" the new MST3k will go. I'm guessing not at all (which is fine) but maybe to the level of the MST3k movie with the occasional 'poo poo' thrown in.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 17:50
|
|
|
The Ape of Naples posted:I wonder how "blue" the new MST3k will go. I'm guessing not at all (which is fine) but maybe to the level of the MST3k movie with the occasional 'poo poo' thrown in. I think the beeping they do on Rifftrax is funnier than actually hearing the swears. Watched the Kingdom of the Spiders Rifftrax on Hulu, and hearing Mike give out a long, angry "You're BEEPing kidding me" after Shatner explained the origins of his character's name of "Rack" is one of the funniest things I've heard.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 17:57
|
|
|
I wonder if each episode will be the same length, or if they won't edit the movies and just let them flow for however long they are.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 17:58
|
|
|
The Ape of Naples posted:I wonder how "blue" the new MST3k will go. I'm guessing not at all (which is fine) but maybe to the level of the MST3k movie with the occasional 'poo poo' thrown in. I remember Joel saying that he wants kids to be able to watch this with their parents, which meant he didn't want to litter it with R-rated riffs. He felt more comfortable in a zone where it was mostly family-friendly with a little subtle edge that would safely go over the heads of younger viewers. I think this riff from...I wanna say Agent for H.A.R.M.?...represents how far they'll go: Beautiful woman: "Are you coming? Or do I sleep alone?" Crow: "Yes, and yes!" Ensign_Ricky posted:I'd like to see Foodfight as a Rifftrax Live event personally. If only because then they can give it the R-rated teardown that loving piece of poo poo deserves. I don't think that's gonna happen; Mike doesn't necessarily like to work blue either. He and the guys will crank it up for Sketchfest because it's an older crowd of comedy nerds, but I suspect they like to keep things clean at RT Live-branded events for the sake of the families who might be watching.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 18:02
|
|
|
|
| # ? Mar 15, 2025 05:07 |
|
|
Davros1 posted:I think the beeping they do on Rifftrax is funnier than actually hearing the swears. That's true though they do curse sometimes. I know Kevin dropped the F-bomb in that one Christopher Walken movie.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2016 18:02
|
|