The List: #30 Mystery Science Theater 3000

#30
Number of Seasons: 11
Years Active: 1988 - 1999
Networks: KTMA-TV (Minneapolis Local Station), Comedy Central, Sci-Fi

Mystery Science Theater 3000 is the first series on the list to revisit a show that I've already written about, but as we get closer to #1, there will be plenty more.

Usually for a show with such low productions values, I'd say that the series works in spite of that fact, but with MST3K, the show works BECAUSE OF the low budget. The three main characters watch the worst movies imaginable and tear them to shreds. One aspect of these movies that make them terrible is the low budgets, and the crappy sets of the frame story helps send up the films shown. Of course, while the movies take themselves too seriously, the show knows exactly what it is, and does not aspire to be anything beyond a group of friends having cheap fun.

Unfortunately, there are some movies that are so incredibly bad that no amount of ribbing will make them any better (and it's not for lack of trying; the jokes-per-minute frequency is extremely high). But those are rare cases. I thought that I'd seen bad movies before I saw the likes of Girl In Gold Boots, Time Chasers, Overdrawn At The Memory Bank and Space Mutiny. These were god-awful, shitty movies. But I watched a few of them twice because the jokes were that incredible.

The show ran two hours (one and a half on DVD), and the show is repetitive in style, so it is hard to watch more than two or three episodes at a time. But with MST3K, that isn't as bad as it is for most series. This is a series that has to be taken in slowly, since many jokes can be missed in the first viewing, especially if you are focusing more on getting through the episode in order to continue on to the next.

Up next: #29...