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‘Mystery Science Theater 3000’: Netflix Picks Up Cult Series Revival That Will Star Patton Oswalt And Felicia Day

By Nicole Giacobone
Published on: 14:15 PST, Jul 24, 2016

If people missed watching a TV show where the hosts and his robots mocked cheesy movies, they can now join in on the fun again. The cult classic TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000 is being revived thanks to Netflix.

Netflix made the announcement before the show’s San Diego Comic-Con panel on Saturday, July 23, according to the Wrap. The streaming giant posted an image on their Netflix U.S. account that may seem familiar to MST3K fans.

Netflix posted a GIF that shows some of the original cast members sitting in a dark movie theater while the Netflix logo flashes across the movie screen.

The revival of Mystery Science Theater 3000 first started with a Kickstarter campaign back in November 2015 launched by the show’s creator, Joel Hodgson. The show’s fans had no trouble donating to the cause, eventually giving $6.3 million to the campaign, which surpassed the original projected $2 million goal and made it Kickstarter’s biggest crowdfunded video project.

After the Kickstarter campaigned ended, Hodgson announced that the money was enough to produce 14 new episodes with a new Mystery Science Theater 3000 cast. Comedians Patton Oswalt, Baron Vaughn, Hampton Yount, and The Guild’s Felicia Day signed on to be a part of the revival series. Nerdist podcast co-host Jonah Ray will be the new lead host.

Oswalt and Day will star as the offspring of characters from the original series. Oswalt will play TV’s Son of TV’s Frank, who was played by Frank Conniff. Day’s role will be Kanga Forrester, daughter of Dr. Forrester, a character played by Trace Beaulieu. Vaughn and Yount will be the voices of the robotic sidekicks.

Community star Joel McHale, who is said to be one of the guest stars in the new episodes, is going to be part of the writing staff. Oswalt and Community creator Dan Harmon are also part of the show’s new writing staff.

While it was originally reported that the original Mystery Science Theater 3000 cast was not going to be a part of the revival series, the Wrap has reported that three of the original cast members will participate in the latest episodes. Bill Corbett, who voiced Crow/Observer; Kevin Murphy, who played Tom Servo/Professor Bobo; and Mary Jo Pehl, who played Pearl Forrester, will be a part of the writing staff and do cameos.

Netflix claimed that they will air the revival series in several countries besides the U.S. market, including Canada, the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand. As of July 24, there is no official premiere date for Mystery Science Theater 3000.

MST3K once started out as a local TV show in Minnesota in November 1988, with Hodgson as the host with two robot sidekicks. Hodgson played a janitor who was being held hostage by two mad scientists that wanted to take over the world. As a distraction, Hodgson and the two robots would watch B-movies while adding snarky commentary over the movie’s quality, bad acting, and cheesy dialogue.

Comedy Central ended up picking up the series to air on its network in 1989, when it was originally The Comedy Channel, until the show’s cancellation in 1996. Sci-Fi Channel decided to revive the series on its network, and Mystery Science Theater 3000 aired for another three years before the show ended in 1999.

Once Joel Hodgson reacquired MST3K rights with a joint venture with Shout! Factory, he launched his Kickstarter campaign as a way to show potential distributors that the show was still popular enough to create new episodes.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 will be a part of Netflix’s growing quality of original programming. This year, Netflix has invested $5 billion in its original series that include Marvel’s Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, The Defenders, and The Punisher; Chuck Lorre’s show Disjointed; Zachary Levi’s Alias Grace; Dear White People; and the Lost in Space revival series.

[Image via #MST3K/Twitter]

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