“In the not-too-distant future, next Sunday A.D., there was a guy named Joel, not too different than you or me…”
Mystery Science Theater 3000 first premiered on November 24, 1988, and aired for 11 seasons, becoming one of the most beloved cult TV shows of all time.
In 2015 – almost 20 years after the last episode of the classic series aired – fans of MST3K united behind the record-breaking #BringBackMST3K Kickstarter to revive the show for a brand new, 14-episode season that premiered on Netflix in 2017.
This new iteration of MST3K ran for two seasons and 20 episodes on Netflix before being canceled, only to be revived again in 2021 via the even more successful #MakeMoreMST3K Kickstarter, which raised over $6.5M – enough for Joel and the Alternaversal team to make a thirteenth season and build a first-of-its-kind independent direct-to-fans streaming service: The Gizmoplex.
While MST3K has changed cast members several times over its run, the premise has remained the same: a trapped human host is subjected to an endless stream of cheesy movies at the whim of their mad scientist overlords. To survive, the host and their robot pals riff the movies they are forced to watch, making MST3K a communal celebration of laughing in the face of life’s absurdities.
If you enjoy irreverent comedy, wisecracking robots, cheesy movies, and human resilience, Mystery Science Theater just might be a place for you.
This year, not one, but three hosts – Jonah Heston, Emily Connor, and original host Joel Robinson – will be forced to endure some of the cheesiest movies ever to appear on MST3K, including our first-ever Halloween special, our first-ever 3D movie, and a holiday special finale so big it’ll take all three hosts to riff it.
See for yourself. Join us!