Mystery Science Theater 3000 (web series)

Last updated
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Created by Jim Mallon
Written by Paul Chaplin
Voices ofPaul Chaplin
James Moore
Jim Mallon
Production
Animators"Puny"
Maxeem Konrardy
Victor Courtright
Mike Owens
Amanda Peters
Julia Vickerman
Shadi Petosky
Release
Original releaseNovember 5, 2007 (2007-11-05)

Mystery Science Theater 3000, also referred to as "The 'Bots Are Back!" is an Internet cartoon created by Best Brains, Inc. It was inspired by BBI's original Mystery Science Theater 3000 TV series, and was directed by former Executive Producer Jim Mallon. The series featured the robot characters from the original series in a variety of brief sketches taking place at an undetermined point during the original show's fictional timeline. However, no human character (Joel or Mike) is present. [1]

Contents

Cast

History

The animated version of MST3K was first announced on the Satellite News website (formerly BBI's official website and was to be the home website for the new installment) on October 29, 2007. [2] The new cartoon was described as a "weekly series of animated adventures," and would debut as part of an all-new MST3K website. This new site would also feature content from the original series as well as a new online store. The website went live on November 5, 2007, along with the first installment of the animated series.

New episodes were scheduled to be posted every Monday. However, despite regular updates to other parts of the site, no new episodes of the cartoon have been posted since November 26, 2007. In June 2008, the website was redesigned and the cartoons removed for unspecified reasons; however the Flash likenesses of the characters were still present on some pages. On July 18, MST3K fansite Satellite News posted an interview with Jim Mallon, who explained that the cartoons cost more to produce than was initially estimated. He also stated that the existing cartoons will return to the site, and expressed hope that the series may continue at some point in the future. [3] Animation producer Shadi Petosky responded that the costs were low and flat rates that never changed from the original estimates, she suspects that the revenue was the problem and the mouse pads, post-it notes, and T-shirts being sold to pay for the show did not sell as fans did not like the poorly designed and written animated characters. [4]

Reactions

Initially, response to the new website on both of the major fan discussion boards was largely negative. [5] Michael J. Nelson, star and head writer of the original series, called the animated series "cute" but felt it was an "after-the-fact" idea. [5] Viewers of the flash series had said that the animation was poor and the voice actors did not fit with the characters.

Episodes

  1. "Reel Livin'": Crow goes fishing and discusses the benefits of his "incredibly stable" kayak before being capsized by Servo on a jet ski.
  2. "Feels Like": Gypsy and Servo discuss actual temperature versus the wind chill factor. Servo then begins translating everything Gypsy says into "feels like..." statements, much to her annoyance.
  3. "Thanksgiving Clown": Servo dresses up as a clown, thinking it to be a Thanksgiving tradition. Crow consults an old World Book encyclopedia to verify.
  4. "Solitaire": Crow plays solitaire while Servo advises. Eventually Crow becomes fed up with Servo's pestering and leaves. Servo sees a fantastic move, but can't play as his arms don't work. Desperate, he unsuccessfully tries to move the cards using telekinesis, but in the process breaks himself.

Related Research Articles

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Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. It then moved to nationwide broadcast, first on The Comedy Channel/Comedy Central for seven seasons until its cancellation in 1996. Thereafter, it was picked up by The Sci-Fi Channel and aired for three more seasons until another cancellation in August 1999. A 60-episode syndication package titled The Mystery Science Theater Hour was produced in 1993 and broadcast on Comedy Central and syndicated to TV stations in 1995. In 2015, Hodgson led a crowdfunded revival of the series with 14 episodes in its eleventh season, first released on Netflix on April 14, 2017, with another six-episode season following on November 22, 2018. A second successful crowdfunding effort in 2021 will bring at least 13 additional episodes to be shown through the Gizmoplex, an online platform that Hodgson will develop for future MST3K works that launched in March 2022. As of 2022, 218 episodes and a feature film have been produced as well as three live tours.

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GPC (<i>Mystery Science Theater 3000</i>) Fictional character in the American comedic film review series

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Paul Chaplin is an American writer and comedian, known for his work on the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000, for which he wrote and played the recurring characters of an Observer, Ned the Nanite, Pitch the Demon, and Ortega, along with several other bit roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shadi Petosky</span>

Shadi Petosky is a television show runner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonah Heston</span> Fictional character

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References

  1. ↑ 15 Fun Facts About Mystery Science Theater 3000|Mental Floss
  2. ↑ Mystery Science Theater: 15 Things Only Hardcore MST3K Fans Know - CBR
  3. ↑ Mallon, Jim (July 18, 2008). "JIM MALLON SPEAKS!". Satellite News: The Official Mystery Science Theater 3000 Fan Site (Online). Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  4. ↑ Petosky, Shad (February 22, 2008). "Topic: MST3K.COM". Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Discussion Board. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2020. Shad refers to Shadi.
  5. 1 2 Ellis, Mary Beth (November 14, 2007). "Ex 'MST3K' stars, writers fill hole left by show". MSNBC . Archived from the original on March 21, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
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