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In the increasingly distant past, Mystery Science Theater 3000 was ground-breaking television. Part send-up of 1950s kid’s programming, part puppet show, part showcase for co-creator and prop comic Joel Hodgson, MST3K became a cult sensation, especially after it moved from a Minnesota public access channel to what would become the cable channel Comedy Central in 1989. So enduringly appealing was the concept of watching a human host make fun of cheesy movies with his robot pals that MST3K endured a change of hosts from Joel to Mike Nelson in its original run, a Netflix reboot in 2017 that brought comedian Jonah Ray on as new host, and a Kickstarter-funded second reboot in 2022, in which puppeteer Emily Marsh joined Jonah and a returning Joel as new hosts.
In fact, MST3K continues to be a favorite, so much so that it’s coming back this fall for yet another season. MST3K: The Rifftrax Experiments reunites Mike Nelson with Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett, who perform Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot, as well as Professor Bobo and Brain Guy with Mary Jo Pehl’s evil Pearl Forrester. The Rifftrax Experiments will consist of four new episodes, including the 1966 creature feature Sting of Death and the 1983 Roger Corman-produced sci-fi adventure, Space Raiders.
But to truly understand the appeal of MST3K, we need to go back to these foundational 10 episodes, which taught us all that the series was, in fact, far more than just a show.
Pod People
Season 3 Episode 3
Once the hottest topic on nerdy internet message boards, debates about the merits of Joel vs. Mike don’t matter as much, especially now that Jonah and Emily have entered the fold. But there’s no question that the two original hosts have their own distinct personalities and unique ways of interacting with the movies they mock. Where Mike has a sharper tongue, Joel tends to be more laid-back and kind, setting a tone matched by his puppeteers J. Elvis Weinstein and Kevin Murphy, who performed Servo, and Crow’s Trace Beaulieu, who also portrayed the mad scientist Doctor Forrester alongside Frank Conniff as TV’s Frank.
The one glowing exception may be the bit he does in the middle of Pod People, when he mocks a jerky rock star in the film by throwing up an “okay” sign and declaring, with maximum snark, “It stinks!” Of course, Pod People truly deserves any ire it receives. An off-brand E.T. directed by Spanish schlock auteur Juan Piquer Simón (he of Pieces and Slugs), Pod People melds a straight-forward alien invasion movie about monsters from the stars attacking stupid teens with a heart-warming kid’s story about a boy who bonds with the kindly Trumpy. The results are baffling and lackluster, as when Trumpy shows off his powers by levitating a bunch of knick-knacks, prompting the (again, uncharacteristicly mean) Joel to quip, “Trumpy! You can do stupid things!”
Gamera vs. Guiron
Season 3 Episode 12
Classic kaiju movies have been fodder for riffing long before Hodgson pitched his show to KTMA in Minneapolis. So it’s no surprise that the mad scientists who send movies to Joel, Mike, Jonah, and Emily would often choose pictures about people smashing models in silly rubber suits. But no monster better fit the MST3K aesthetic better than Gamera, the giant fire-breathing turtle.
The show would cover many Gamera movies, starting with Gamera at the top of season 3. But the best of the entries is easily Gamera vs. Guiron, if only because it debuts the all-time classic bit, “The Gamera Song.” Sung to the tune of the theme song that plays across the Gamera movies, “The Gamera Song” includes lyrics like, “Gamera is really neat! / Gamera is filled with meat! / We’ve been eating Gamera!” The silly lyrics capture the original movie’s mixture of kaiju horror and family-friendly bits with percocious young children, perfect for the good-hearted ribbing that Joel did so well.
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
Season 3 Episode 21
Few genres are more outlandish than holiday films, which make them perfect fodder for MST3K. Yet, even by that standard, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians stands out. The 1964 children’s sci-fi movie leans all the way into its ridiculous plot, in which a Martian overlord tries to get the children of his planet out of their stupor by kidnapping Ol’ Saint Nick and bringing him to Mars.
With its cardboard robots and desperate attempts at broad humor, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians give Joel and the ‘Bots plenty of inspiration for jokes. And they take every opportunity, mercilessly mocking the child actors’ wooden performances and calling for the death of the comedic relief character, Droppo. Yet, the holiday spirit still gives the episode a certain sweetness, best illustrated by the song, “Patrick Swayze Christmas,” in which correctly identifies Roadhouse as the greatest gift of all.
Mitchell!
Season 5 Episode 12
Surprisingly, most of the people who made the movies mocked by MST3K didn’t take it personally, and were just glad that people found some way to enjoy their films. That was not the case with Joe Don Baker, who turned in solid performances in Walking Tall and GoldenEye, but who also starred in some shabby action films. Two of those movies got the MST3K treatment, 1985’s Final Justice and 1975’s Mitchell!.
Of the two, Mitchell! makes for the better episode, thanks to its incompetent construction and the slovenly lead performance by Baker. What’s supposed to be a thriller about a gritty cop instead meanders along in dull car chases and stilted action scenes. Worse, Baker plays Mitchell as a guy who just got out of bed, which prompts the movie’s best riff. When Mitchell’s car pulls up a driveway in the middle of the night, Joel whispers, “Michell, honey, put your shoes on. We’re at grandma’s house.”
Laserblast
Season 7 Episode 6
After Joel left the show midway through season 5, he was replaced by Mike Nelson. Nelson was no stranger to the show, having served as head writer and frequent on-screen actor. But he brought with him a more sarcastic sensibility, which often resulted in more mean-spirited jokes. Few episodes demonstrate the change in tone, and Mike’s comedic skills, better than Laserblast from season 7. A production of the notorious schlock purveyor Charles Band, 1978’s Laserblast follows a teenager who becomes corrupted by an alien pendant and cannon he finds in the desert.
Laserblast isn’t good by any means, but it has some fun decisions, including a pair of stop-motion alien lizards and a pretty nasty sensibility. The film’s big swings leave the movie open to some hilarious riffs, most of all those directed at a deputy tracking the teen’s violent activities, a deputy who happens to look just like Hank Williams Jr. It’s funny enough when Mike or the ‘Bots shout “Are you ready for some football?” every time he appears on screen. But the best bit comes when the deputy gives a sullen look to his partner, prompting the riff, “You know, sometimes I think you aren’t ready for some football.”
The Giant Spider Invasion
Season 8 Episode 10
MST3K worked so well in part because it stems from the Midwest. The affability of Joel, Mike, and the various robot puppeteers softened some of their insults, making the whole thing feel like good fun. So it’s somewhat surprising that the Midwest also gave the show one of its most unpleasant films in The Giant Spider Invasion. There should be something charming about a bunch of Wisconsinites making a movie about a town terrorized by a massive arachnid. But director Bill Rebane makes the material so mean and nasty that we actually feel sorry for the audience, even despite the jokes that Mike and the ‘Bots make at its expense.
Fortunately, the jokes are pretty spectacular. The best running gag occurs every time the movie cuts to a mob gathered on screen, prompting shouts of “Packers! The Packers won the Super Bowl!” Likewise, every scene in which Alan Hale of Gilligan’s Island fame stumbles onto screen gets a laugh, especially as he tries to play an authority figure. Yet, not even Mike and the ‘Bots know what to do with a scene in which a teen girl makes a dirty joke to her father, forcing them to scream, “The movie hates us!”
Space Mutiny
Season 8 Episode 20
While all the movies on this list are great, most fans put two at the top, starting with Space Mutiny. The 1988 sci-fi thriller stars Reb Brown, a generic hunk of muscle, as Dave Ryder, a soldier who resists the villain Kalgan’s (John Phillip Law) attempts to take over the massive ship on which his people live. Also, there are space witches, and B-movie icon Cameron Mitchell, looking like Santa Claus.
Directed by David Winters, Space Mutiny has ambition to spare. It does not, however, have much in the way of budget, resulting in all sorts of mistakes for Mike and the ‘Bots to laugh at. They make jokes about everything from space witches who look like Stevie Nicks impersonators to an editing error that allows a character killed in one scene to reappear on the bridge in the next. But the best gag comes with the ridiculous names that Mike, Servo, and Crow give Brown’s character, calling him Blast Hardcheese, Crunch Buttsteak, and, uh, Bob Johnson.
Werewolf
Season 9 Episode 4
As this list shows, it generally takes at least a decade for a movie to show up on MST3K. It’s a lot more fun to mock an older film than it is to tease a new one, as the dated elements lead to better gags. Yet, the 1996 horror movie Werewolf was so bad that it only took two years for Mike and the ‘Bots to start making fun of it, showing up on a 1998 episode of the show.
On a plot level, there’s nothing particularly awful about Werewolf. It follows a guy who starts turning into a wolfman after being scratched by the skeleton of someone infected by the same curse. But the execution of the movie leaves everything to be desired, including its awkward attempt to integrate Native beliefs, the presence of Martin Sheen’s brother Joe Estevez, and every garbled line delivered by Adrianna Miles. Her mush-mouthed performance earns enough laughs by itself, but are even funnier when reinterpreted by the hosts.
The Final Sacrifice
Season 9 Episode 10
The other accepted favorite among MST3K fans is The Final Sacrifice, the 1990 adventure film directed by Tjardus Greidanus. The Final Sacrifice a.k.a. Quest for the Lost City, stars Christian Malcolm as Troy, a young man who comes under attack by cultists looking for his father’s knowledge of a hidden city. Troy’s only help comes in the form of Zap Rowsdower (Bruce J. Mitchell), perhaps the world’s least convincing tough guy.
The Final Sacrifice is the most Canadian movie ever made, which does not go unnoticed by Mike and the ‘Bots. Rowsdower in particular gets a lot of their jabs, as they joke about him thinking only of beer. Making matters worse for the movie, but better for the jokes, The Final Sacrifice pairs Rowsdower with Troy, who is played like a guileless, perfect angel. The combination prompts some of the sharpest riffs that Mike and the ‘Bots ever made, starting them taking the tone of a disapproving parent who will allow one more sacrifice, “But that’s the final sacrifice!”
Mac and Me
Season 12 Episode 1
The revival seasons of MST3K didn’t just bring on a new host. They also brought new sensibilities and a new set of films, aimed more at millennials instead of the late-boomer and Gen X audiences of the original series. Thus, Jonah and the ‘Bots got to set their sites on Mac and Me, 1988’s Coke and McDonald’s commercial masquerading as a wholesome comedy about a boy who befriends an alien.
The Netflix era was marked by faster-paced riffing, as new performers Baron Vaughn (Servo) and Hampton Yount (Crow) come from the world of stand-up comedy. That style particularly suited Mac and Me, which fills the screen with such nonsense that it’s hard to keep up. Jonah and his ‘Bots can’t catch all the insanity they see, but they get a lot of mileage out of the awkward way the protagonist’s family declares their new home “Pretty nice!”
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