One of my top 5 all time favorite TV shows is MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000.   I was a devoted MSTie that keep circulating the tapes.   I followed the show from Comedy Central, to the SiFi Channel to it’s eventual cancellation.  I saw the feature film in the theater, I mourned and cheered the cast changes, and sequestered myself away from family and friends each Thanksgiving so I could enjoy the Turkey Day marathons.

So as you might imagine I was thrilled to hear that series creator Joel Hodgson had launched a Kickstarter campaign to make all new episodes OUTSIDE of the standard TV system.  It looks like they will be changing up the cast to give it a “modern twist” but all of the cast members of every incarnation of the original show have been invited to come back on participate in this relaunch.   They are looking to make up to 12 original episodes if they can get the funding.  They have already passed the original $2mil asking for 3 episodes, so no matter what we know we will be getting those first 3 episodes.  Check out more details below:

Hello, People of Earth.

Welcome! I’m Joel Hodgson.

Once upon a time, a television series called MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 was born. We debuted on Minneapolis’ KTMA, local television, on Thanksgiving Day 1988, as the world was in the final throes of Teddy Ruxpin-mania. That was almost thirty years ago, but for some reason, people still seem to like the show – it’s a mitzvah!

Our show has had a long, strange run. Across a UHF channel, a cable network, cancellation, a feature film, then another cable network, the show lasted for 12 years, two generations of hosts and puppeteers, 2 Emmy nominations and a total of 197 episodes before we got canceled again for good in 1999. Sadly, it was just as Prince predicted.

But maybe that’s not where it all ends.

Starting today, we finally get a chance to bring back MST3K.

With your help, we can create a new season of MST3K, prove there’s still an audience, and maybe even convince a network to bring us back for more.

Great question.

The simplest answer is that there are a lot of cheesy movies left to riff, and a lot of people who would still enjoy watching them with us.

Plus, I think there’s a place for us. Nowadays, riffing is everywhere! Many people claim thatMST3K created a shift in the way people watch TV shows, and that now, as a result, the fields of entertainment have been plowed and readied for a riffing renaissance.

I mean, look at the influence it’s had… Everyone riffs on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Hell, there are ten to twelve people who are still, unironically, riffing on MySpace and Friendster.

In a world where riffing has become as common as our national pastime, baseball, it makes sense: like baseball, everyone knows how to play, but sometimes it feels good to just sit back and watch the original movie riffing team take a whack at it. And if we came back, imagine all the riffs we could make about things like Uber or Cards Against Humanity!

Also, there’s a pile of scriptural evidence in whichever sacred text that you hold dear to prove that we need more seasons of MST3K… so when you share on social media, you know you’re not going to offend anybody.

You know, I just read that last sentence… and actually, I’m pretty sure you’re going to offend everybody. But at least you can rest assured that you’ll offend everyone equally.

We do, and here’s why: I think it’s because MST3K is more than just movie riffing. It’s a stranger and denser recipe than just saying smart aleck things to a forgotten movie, but I think this is the secret ingredient: we believed that it’s easiest to survive the cheesy movie that we’re living in with friends who keep us from taking it all too seriously.

Now, I don’t want to get too maudlin about it, because being too serious is the enemy of comedy. We weren’t trying to send a message: job #1 was always to make a funny show. But while we were doing that, I hope we also helped show the kids that society, and the stupid things we say and do to each other, are “just a show, and you should really just relax.”

Yeah, this is what I was afraid of. Now I’m starting to sound like the Dr. Bronner’s label. Next question?

The simplest answer is: until now, we couldn’t bring MST3K back.

I’ve been thinking about ways to re-animate MST3K for over a decade… and over the last 15 years, I’ve met thousands of you who said that you wanted MST3K back too. But two things have finally changed that make this the right time. And I’m not talking about the legalization of marijuana or the proliferation of water jet pack use.

1. Crowdfunding gives fans the power to get what they want.

In less than two years, I’ve watched fans use crowdfunding to bring back Veronica Mars,Reading Rainbow and Super Troopers – all cult favorites, like us – and it made me wonder how MSTies would respond if we had the chance to return. Now we’re going to find out… and then maybe LeVar Burton can finally stop acting like he’s so much better than us.

2. We had to work through some complicated legal issues.

Even though we’ve always wanted to bring MST3K back, it wasn’t that easy. Thanks to the Last Will and Testament of one eccentric old heiress, the rights were tied up for years. It took time to work those issues out, but with the help of my friends at Shout Factory, a special chokehold I perfected in WuDang that I like to call “The Persuader,” and a night I had to spend in a haunted house as a term of the the old lady’s will, we succeeded.

This summer, we finally got all of the rights cleared up… and now, like Orpheus, we can now descend into hell to hang out with a couple of wisecracking robots.

Now we’re talking!

Our Kickstarter campaign has two really important goals.

As soon as we reach our minimum goal of $2,000,000, we’ll be able to make three new feature length episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000. But then, for each additional $1.1 million we raise, we can make three more… up to a full season of 12 episodes!

(If you’re wondering why new episodes cost so much – especially the first three – keep going down the page to “HOW WE’LL USE YOUR MONEY,” or take a look at the Backer Update where I explained the budget in detail.)

Here’s a simple diagram to help you remember our goals:

If we can raise even more than that, I’d love to shoot some (or all) of the new season LIVE in front of an audience – and maybe even stream the show live on the internet! (Oh yeah: I just saw your eyes light up.)

Finally, if we raise $1 BILLION – stay with me on this one – we’re going to adopt a real live teenage boy and “Truman Show” him into believing he is the Pumaman!

Hear us out, because this goal is just as important: we’re not just crowdfunding because we need funding.

We’re also doing it because we need the crowd!

If we want a lot more MST3K, we need to work together to prove that there’s still an audience out there that wants MST3K – and that this isn’t all some pitiable delusion – so that we can find a network or online platform who will agree to pick up the show and keep it going… hopefully foranother 200+ episodes.

Even if you can only spare $5 or $10, every extra backer helps us send a message to the networks: it’s time to #BringBackMST3K.

____

Okay. It’s time for me to put away the grease gun and give you your marching orders.

If any of this rings true to you, we need your help now to spread the word. Back in the day, every episode of MST3K ended with a message that encouraged fans to “Keep Circulating the Tapes.” And you guys did.

Those grassroots efforts helped MST3K find friends and fans at a time when the rest of show business didn’t quite know what to make of us. It was social media in its most primitive form… and because of you, it worked.

Today’s, it’s time to update that phrase for the internet age. If you’re with us, this is your call to action, MSTies.

And while you’re at it, you can help out even more by taking a minute to follow us on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram. (Apparently those matter more than Nielsen ratings, now!)

Listen, I know this Kickstarter idea isn’t for everyone. Neither was Mystery Science Theater 3000. But just like MST3K itself, I know the right people will get it.

Thanks for reading. I hope you’ll join us.

Joel

Head over to the Kickstarter campaign for LOTS more information, video, rewards and details on the return of MST3K!