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Mystery Science Theater 3000 Kickstarter Record-Breaking Performance Guarantees Reboot

By Toni Matthews
Published on: 23:23 PST, Dec 12, 2015

Get excited, Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans! The Kickstarter project meant to help revive the popular series was a huge success. How huge?

Well, according to CNN, the Kickstarter for Mystery Science Theater 3000 was a record-breaking affair. Reportedly, the page managed to raise a whopping $5,764,229 in a single month. There was also a significant amount of money earned outside of the Kickstarter fund. One source said $425,000; another claimed the amount earned outside of Kickstarter was closer to $600,000.

In either case, this brings total earnings to well over $6 million and means that a new season of the cult classic will be in the works very soon.

Joel Hodgson created Mystery Science Theater 3000, a series that first appeared on air in 1988. If you don’t know what the series is about, well, it’s pretty much explained in the famous theme song seen below.

If you didn’t understand the catchy lyrics, the gist of MST3K involves Joel and his “robot friends” mocking the crap out of the worst movies ever made in a bid to hang onto their collective sanity. Despite the setup, the show really did pay tribute to the hilariously godawful nature of B-movies. The long-running series also demonstrated that a show could look “low-budget,” but still draw millions of loyal fans through its wit and humor.

CNN writes that Mystery Science Theater 3000 started off on a small local station in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. It was eventually picked up by Comedy Central and then the Sci-Fi channel. Even though MST3K ended its run in 1999, it never really lost its popularity; a dedicated cult following kept interest in Mystery Science Theater 3000 alive and thriving.

With this in mind, the overwhelming success of the show’s Kickstarter shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. Nostalgia can be a powerful factor in trying to revive or reboot favorite shows. That was certainly the case for the previous Kickstarter record holder, Veronica Mars. That series managed to raise $5,702,153, proof that when fans put their mind to it, they can pony up the cash needed to make those much-desired reboots or new seasons happen.

Following the success of the “Bring Back MST3K” Kickstarter fund, it’s clear to see Hodgson was pretty moved by the record-breaking result. There was an update crediting the 48,270 backers for their contribution to the donation drive’s success.

“You did it: you brought back MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000! Thanks to you, MST3K will be able to shoot FOURTEEN NEW EPISODES next year, including a new holiday special!”

Joel Hodgson also reached out to MST3K fans on Twitter.

It’s understandable that Joel is “exhausted” after weeks of worrying about the success or failure of this heartfelt project. With the money raised, there’s little time for rest since the real work starts now.

The new cast behind the reboot is already set. CNN writes that it will be Jonah Ray of Nerdist Podcast and Comedy Central’s The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail in the starring role. Comedian Patton Oswalt and actress Felicia Day are also signed onto the project. In even more exciting news, there may be big-name cameos throughout the 14 episodes.

Joel said he’s invited actors Jack Black, Neil Patrick Harris, Jerry Seinfeld, Mark Hamill and Bill Hader to do cameos. Seinfeld did promise to appear on Mystery Science Theater 3000 if the goal was met. Hopefully other proposed cameos will happen.

Even though the Kickstarter fund managed to break the site’s fundraising record, Joel Hodgson wanted to remind everyone that the point was never to best anyone on Kickstarter: The goal was always about reviving Mystery Science Theater 3000 so that it could be brought to a new generation of fans.

“It’s about convincing a ‘conference table full of executives’ to give our show a home, so that we can make a lot more seasons.”

Of course a new season of Mystery Science Theater 3000 means we will get the cast picking apart a new wave of terrible movies. Following the Kickstarter success, which bad movies do you hope to see featured in the new season? Share your suggestions below!

[Image Via MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 Official YouTube Channel]

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