An old sci-fi series is coming back bigger than ever before.
The TV revival of a classic ’80s sci-fi series has generated over $1 million in its Kickstarter campaign on its first day, surpassing all expectations. While there have been plenty of classic sci-fi shows throughout the decades, some that defined the ’80s include the likes of Quantum Leap and Max Headroom. But one show in particular stood out from the crowd.
This was Mystery Science Theater 3000, a sci-fi comedy series that follows a space-faring janitor and his robot companions providing commentary on sci-fi B movies. The series has come and gone in various forms since it first premiered on KTMA-TV in 1988. Its latest rendition took place on Gizmoplex in 2022.
Now, Variety reports that Mystery Science Theater 3000‘s new Kickstarter campaign has earned $1.17 million after just 24 hours of being on the site. The campaign, whose original goal was $20,000, is for four episodes of the show under the title “Mystery Science Theater 3000: The RiffTrax Experiments, produced under a partnership between RiffTrax and Shout! Studios.
The new rendition of Mystery Science Theater 3000 will see Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett return, presumably in their respective roles as Mike Nelson, Tom Servo, and Crow T. Robot respectively. Mary Jo Pehl, who previously portrayed Pearl Forrester, is also set to come back to the series. The Kickstarter’s original goal was $20,000, and it runs until March 16.
The four movies that will be the subjects of the upcoming episodes won’t be revealed until the episodes themselves come out. However, filming will take place later in 2026, with all episodes being shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota. All episodes will be released this year as well on the RiffTrax website.
Cast members from Mystery Science Theater 3000 regularly commentate over films under the RiffTrax banner, without using their personas from the sci-fi series. However, the high level of anticipation for the new episodes underscores the level of support the comedy series has, even after such a long time. The campaign is a good sign for the forthcoming episodes.
With Mystery Science Theater 3000 far surpassing expectations during its Kickstarter campaign, it sounds like the show could come back far bigger than anticipated. While only four episodes are planned right now, it seems inevitable this amount of money will go into bringing the sci-fi series back in full-force, perhaps with far more episodes than anticipated.
- Release Date
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1988 – 1999-00-00
- Showrunner
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Joel Hodgson
- Directors
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Joel Hodgson
- Writers
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Joel Hodgson
