Mystery Science Theater 3000

Watch Mystery Science Theater 3000

  • TV-14
  • 1989
  • 13 Seasons
  • 8.7  (25,116)

Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) is a comedic television show that premiered in 1988 and aired until 1999. The show originally aired on KTMA in Minneapolis, Minnesota, before being picked up by Comedy Central and eventually moving to Syfy (previously known as Sci-Fi Channel). MST3K follows the story of a man named Joel Robinson (played by Joel Hodgson), who is trapped aboard a spaceship called the Satellite of Love. He is forced to watch B movies by his captors, two mad scientists named Dr. Clayton Forrester (played by Trace Beaulieu) and Dr. Laurence Erhardt (played by Josh Weinstein). To cope with the terrible movies, Joel and his robot companions, Tom Servo (voiced by Kevin Murphy) and Crow T. Robot (voiced by Trace Beaulieu), provide running commentary and jokes throughout the film. The concept of the show is simple, yet effective. As Joel and the robots watch the terrible movies, they make amusing and clever comments, often poking fun at the film's plot, acting, dialogue, and special effects. They also perform skits and musical numbers during breaks in the film, adding to the humor and keeping things fresh. Throughout the show's run, the cast of characters evolved, with Joel being replaced by Mike Nelson (played by Michael J. Nelson) in the fifth season. The team of robots surrounding Mike also shifted, with new additions like Pearl Forrester (played by Mary Jo Pehl) joining the cast in later seasons. Aside from the humor and witty commentary, MST3K also had a devoted following due to the types of movies they featured. The films were often low-budget, poorly made, and obscure, making for a unique viewing experience. Some of the movies featured on the show include The Brain That Wouldn't Die, Manos: The Hands of Fate, and Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. MST3K was not without its controversies. In 1995, Comedy Central canceled the show due to low ratings, but after a massive letter-writing campaign from fans, it was brought back for a sixth season. Additionally, some of the films featured on the show were not public domain, leading to legal issues and the removal of certain episodes from DVD releases. Despite these obstacles, MST3K became a cult classic and has continued to resonate with audiences over the years. The show's unique brand of humor and love of all things cheesy and ridiculous has inspired countless other comedy shows, movies, and podcasts. In conclusion, Mystery Science Theater 3000 is a beloved comedic television show that is still celebrated by fans today. Its clever commentary, live-action skits, and quirky characters made for a one-of-a-kind viewing experience that has stood the test of time.

Mystery Science Theater 3000
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Seasons
Tom & Crow's Unsupervised Year-End Review Revue
29. Tom & Crow's Unsupervised Year-End Review Revue
March 3, 2023
Celebrate our first 365 days in the Gizmoplex!
A Tribute to I Accuse My Parents
28. A Tribute to I Accuse My Parents
February 10, 2023
Join us as we celebrate the Gizmoplex's DOOMED LOVERS month with a live watch-along tribute screening of I Accuse My Parents! Plus, the premiere of an all-new short riff (Doing Things For Ourselves In School), brand new bonus sketches, and live commentary from Emily, Kelsey, Yvonne, and Tim!
A Tribute to Overdrawn at the Memory Bank
27. A Tribute to Overdrawn at the Memory Bank
January 20, 2023
Join us for a live watch-along tribute screening of Overdrawn at the Memory Bank! Plus, the premiere of an all-new short riff (Better Breakfasts, USA), brand new bonus sketches, and live commentary from Jonah, Baron, Hampton, and Rebecca!
A Festival of Shorts
26. A Festival of Shorts
January 6, 2023
We'll revisit some classic shorts, complete with new host segments, and we'll also debut two brand new short riffs... and trust us, we've got a short you won't want to miss!
The Christmas Dragon
25. The Christmas Dragon
December 16, 2022
This momentous holiday extravaganza features our first-ever triple riff spectacular, in which hosts Joel, Jonah, and Emily all share riffing duties! Join our heroes for a vaguely medieval tale about a pack of precocious orphans hoping to save a dying Father Christmas in The Christmas Dragon! After the premiere, stick around for a post-show discussion with the entire cast of season 13 (almost!), led by producer Matt McGinnis.
A Tribute to The Christmas That Almost Wasn't
24. A Tribute to The Christmas That Almost Wasn't
December 15, 2022
Join Jonah and the bots for a heartwarming tale about Santa and his lawyer trying to pay overdue rent on the North Pole in The Christmas That Almost Wasn't. After the episode, stick around for a panel discussion with the cast, hosted by producer Matt McGinnis, recorded in front of a live studio audience.
A Tribute to Santa Claus
23. A Tribute to Santa Claus
December 14, 2022
Come along with Mike and the bots as they watch Santa Claus pit his holiday forces against Satan in a battle for children's souls in Santa Claus. But first, we'll be premiering Yet another brand new short riff, Bicycle Driver. And after the episode, you're invited to a very special MST3K holiday singalong featuring our cast and the musical accompaniment of Paul & Storm!
A Tribute to Santa Claus
22. A Tribute to Santa Claus
December 14, 2022
Come along with Mike and the bots as they watch Santa Claus pit his holiday forces against Satan in a battle for children's souls in Santa Claus. But first, we'll be premiering Yet another brand new short riff, Bicycle Driver. And after the episode, you're invited to a very special MST3K holiday singalong featuring our cast and the musical accompaniment of Paul & Storm!
A Tribute to Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
21. A Tribute to Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
December 13, 2022
The premiere of a new short and live aftershow and discussion
The Bubble
20. The Bubble
November 11, 2022
JOEL ROBINSON RETURNS! Again! This time, Joel and the bots watch as an innocent couple wanders into an eerie town trapped under a clear dome, whose residents seem drugged or otherwise incapacitated. You'll wish you were incapacitated too! Then, hang out after the premiere for a live post-show discussion with our cast, as we debate the worst movie ever to appear on MST3K. (You'll understand why.)
The Mask 3D
19. The Mask 3D
October 28, 2022
Join us for the LIVESTREAM PREMIERE of MST3K's first ever Halloween special AND first-ever 3D riff! Grab your Kingavision 3D glasses and prepare yourself to face... THE MASK, in 3D! Then, stick around for a live post-show Halloween hangout with our cast, and we'll reveal the winners of the first-ever MST3K HALLOWEEN COSPLAY CONTEST!
A Tribute to Devil Doll
18. A Tribute to Devil Doll
October 14, 2022
The premiere of a new short and live aftershow and discussion
HG Wells' The Shape of Things to Come
17. HG Wells' The Shape of Things to Come
September 30, 2022
In this week's episode, post-apocalyptic space colonists fight a villain bent on destroying their home, featuring the imposing Jack Palance! Join Emily and the bots as they suffer through episode 1310: THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME.
A Tribute To Secret Agent Super Dragon
16. A Tribute To Secret Agent Super Dragon
September 16, 2022
Follow the exploits of a suave spy with a tribute to the fifth season episode SECRET AGENT SUPER DRAGON! Joel and the bots watch Bryan Cooper AKA Super Dragon unravel a hallucinatory international journey involving deadly drugs and chewing gum. (Also featuring the introduction and abrupt departure of new robot, Minsky!) Before the tribute event, we'll also be premiering a new short, "Cavalcade," and you won't want to miss this one. Trust us.
The Million Eyes of Sumuru
15. The Million Eyes of Sumuru
September 2, 2022
In this week's premiere, a beautiful supervillain leads her all-lady army to world domination with liberal doses of intrigue and murder. Plus, stick around after the show for a LIVE DISCUSSION featuring writers and cast from the episode.
The Batwoman
14. The Batwoman
August 19, 2022
A wealthy socialite/professional wrestler dons a vaguely batlike (and definitely unlicensed) costume to confront a mad scientist building an army of killer fish men. Then stick around after the show for a live discussion featuring the newest crew to grace an SOL on MST3K.
A Tribute to Pumaman
13. A Tribute to Pumaman
August 5, 2022
Join us on AUGUST 5 to kick off NOT-SO-SUPERHERO MONTH with our next livestream special event, as MST3K pays tribute to the awkward heroism of THE PUMAMAN! And no matter how many times you've seen this episode, you've never seen it like this, because we'll be featuring our new SURGICALLY ENHANCED print, presented in glorious upscaled HD! This event also includes the premiere of an all-new short riff (THE WONDER OF REPRODUCTION), new bonus sketches, and a special post-show extra: an interview with Pumaman star Walter Alton, first created for the Pumaman DVD release!
Crow vs Servo JackBox Special
12. Crow vs Servo JackBox Special
July 27, 2022
Join us live for the first GIZMOPLEX JACKBOX SHOWDOWN, as we honor MST3K's Mega Monsters with a kaiju-sized battle between the robot titans of TEAM CROW (Corbett, Yount, & Brady) vs. TEAM SERVO (Vaughn, McGiffin, Ryder). Who will win? YOUR votes will decide!
Gamera vs. Jiger
11. Gamera vs. Jiger
July 22, 2022
It's the biggest, most lumbering Gamera yet, as Gamera confronts fellow kaiju, Jiger, in the shadow of the Expo ‘70 World's Fair – and yes, there are more Gamera-loving children around to save Gamera from certain doom and cause general chaos – in GAMERA VS JIGER!
A Tribute to Gamera vs Guiron
10. A Tribute to Gamera vs Guiron
July 8, 2022
The SOL revisits the classic monster movie, Gamera vs Guiron. We will also premiere a brand new short and don't miss the post-show JackBox showdown: Crow vs Servo!
Demon Squad
9. Demon Squad
June 24, 2022
Joel Robinson makes his long-anticipated return to host MST3K with this movie about a paranormal investigator scrambling to keep an artefact of unthinkable power from falling into the wrong hands. Prepare yourself for ... Demon Squad. After the movie, join us LIVE after the premiere for a post-show discussion with Joel Hodgeson, J Elvis Weinstein, and special guests Deemon Squad director, Thomas Smith and screenwriter/star Erin Lilly Smith.
Doctor Mordrid
8. Doctor Mordrid
June 10, 2022
Summary is not available.
Munchie
7. Munchie
May 27, 2022
Summary is not available.
A Tribute to Hobgoblins
6. A Tribute to Hobgoblins
May 13, 2022
LIVE TRIBUTE EVENT // Join MST3K on Friday the 13th as our crew revisits this classic episode from Season 9, where the crew watches as a horde of murderous goblin-like creatures terrorize a group of teens in "Hobgoblins" (1988), and Crow presents his film "Let's Talk Women!" PLUS: We'll premiere SHORT RIFF #1303!
A Tribute to Future War
5. A Tribute to Future War
May 12, 2022
Join MST3K as we pay tribute to FUTURE WAR and revisit this classic episode from Season 10, where Mike's crew watched as cyborgs and tiny dinosaurs hunt down an escaped slave in a dystopian future, and Tom Servo challenged Gypsy to a kickboxing match. Plus, we'll premiere the SECOND NEW SHORT RIFF of Season 13!
Beyond Atlantis
4. Beyond Atlantis
April 29, 2022
In the theater, the crew watches as a team of jewel thieves discover a mysterious island and the bug-eyed civilization living there, in "Beyond Atlantis" (1973). Meanwhile, a new test subject is trapped in the Simulator of Love with an animatronic Tom and Crow.
Robot Wars
3. Robot Wars
April 1, 2022
Jonah and his crew find themselves caught in the middle of "Robot Wars," a 1993 sci-fi featuring Barbara Crampton and endless stop-motion robot battles.
A Tribute To Manos
2. A Tribute To Manos
March 18, 2022
A Tribute to Manos The Gizmoplex LIVESTREAM SPECIAL EVENT series kicks off with an MST3K watch-along and tribute to one of the most infamous experiments of all time... Manos: The Hands of Fate!
Santo in The Treasure of Dracula
1. Santo in The Treasure of Dracula
March 4, 2022
SEASON 13 BEGINS, as Jonah and his crew endure their newest experiment: "Santo in the Treasure of Dracula" (1969). Outside the theater, Kinga and Max unveil their newest diabolical plan for world domination... the Kingadome!
Description

Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) is a comedic television show that premiered in 1988 and aired until 1999. The show originally aired on KTMA in Minneapolis, Minnesota, before being picked up by Comedy Central and eventually moving to Syfy (previously known as Sci-Fi Channel).

MST3K follows the story of a man named Joel Robinson (played by Joel Hodgson), who is trapped aboard a spaceship called the Satellite of Love. He is forced to watch B movies by his captors, two mad scientists named Dr. Clayton Forrester (played by Trace Beaulieu) and Dr. Laurence Erhardt (played by Josh Weinstein). To cope with the terrible movies, Joel and his robot companions, Tom Servo (voiced by Kevin Murphy) and Crow T. Robot (voiced by Trace Beaulieu), provide running commentary and jokes throughout the film.

The concept of the show is simple, yet effective. As Joel and the robots watch the terrible movies, they make amusing and clever comments, often poking fun at the film's plot, acting, dialogue, and special effects. They also perform skits and musical numbers during breaks in the film, adding to the humor and keeping things fresh.

Throughout the show's run, the cast of characters evolved, with Joel being replaced by Mike Nelson (played by Michael J. Nelson) in the fifth season. The team of robots surrounding Mike also shifted, with new additions like Pearl Forrester (played by Mary Jo Pehl) joining the cast in later seasons.

Aside from the humor and witty commentary, MST3K also had a devoted following due to the types of movies they featured. The films were often low-budget, poorly made, and obscure, making for a unique viewing experience. Some of the movies featured on the show include The Brain That Wouldn't Die, Manos: The Hands of Fate, and Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.

MST3K was not without its controversies. In 1995, Comedy Central canceled the show due to low ratings, but after a massive letter-writing campaign from fans, it was brought back for a sixth season. Additionally, some of the films featured on the show were not public domain, leading to legal issues and the removal of certain episodes from DVD releases.

Despite these obstacles, MST3K became a cult classic and has continued to resonate with audiences over the years. The show's unique brand of humor and love of all things cheesy and ridiculous has inspired countless other comedy shows, movies, and podcasts.

In conclusion, Mystery Science Theater 3000 is a beloved comedic television show that is still celebrated by fans today. Its clever commentary, live-action skits, and quirky characters made for a one-of-a-kind viewing experience that has stood the test of time.

  • Premiere Date
    November 19, 1989
  • IMDB Rating
    8.7  (25,116)