TV Series Debates #5 [Mystery Science Theater 3000] - The Cable Era, Netflix Era & RiffTrax

[RH | 4,903]

This week we are going to diverge a bit and rate one show that has been well loved but morphed into multiple projects over the years.  Today, we rate the Mystery Science Theater 3000 and it's spin off!

MST3k first launched as a cable access show but quickly gained numerous fans and was eventually picked up by Comedy Central and later The Sci-Fi channel.  After being cancelled by the Sci-Fi channel, the existing writers and show runners decided to make their own online series of movie and shorts riffs called RiffTrax. 

RiffTrax was originally a series of podcast-like releases of voice overs to modern movies. The idea is that you download an mp3 and start it when you started watching the film.  With time, the service has expanded to a more MST3k-style approach of riffing on older, poor quality films and shorts along with modern films as well.  Today, RiffTrax can be viewed on streaming services such as Amazon Prime and Pluto.tv where audio has synced up with older films, and the live shows can also be streamed on these services.

Later in 2017 Netflix worked with the shows original creator, Joel Hodgsen, to re-invent MST3k.  In 2017 and 2018, two new seasons were released, but with an entirely new cast.  The show not only continued to tradition of riffing on old b-movies but also continued the tradition of containing scripted portions of the show involving a new space captive, Jonas, who was being tortured by a new cast of from-Earth adversaries.  Currently, MST3k has left Netflix and is working to start it's own streaming service called "The Gizmoplex" with the hope of releasing MST3k content as soon as it's created.

For this series of polls, we will be rating the various iterations of MST3k and the RiffTrax spinoff.

This Weeks TV Shows

 

Mystery Science Theater 3000

Air Dates: November 24, 1988 – November 22, 2018

Total Seasons: 12

Total Episodes: 211 & 1 movie (weird, I know.)

 

RiffTrax

Air Dates: Original site launch in 2006.

Total Seasons: N/A

Total Episodes: Continually turning out new content for new and old films and shorts, plus multiple live events have been held across the US.

Edited May 28, 2021 by RH

[Reed Rothchild | 9,522]

Love the originals, was super impressed with the reboot.  Never seen any of the Rifftrax.

Unpopular opinion(?) - many of the best episodes are in the reboot

[RH | 4,903]

19 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Love the originals, was super impressed with the reboot.  Never seen any of the Rifftrax.

Unpopular opinion(?) - many of the best episodes are in the reboot

Well, I try to hold back my opinion and votes for at least a day but since your brought it up, I personally like Rifftrax better. Mike, Bill and Kevin have really honed their abilities over the years, plus they have some really solid writers.

I only saw the first season of the Netflix run. Good stuff, but I just liked the days of Mike on the Satellite of Love the best. I might like Jonah better than Joel, though.

[Tanooki | 4,933]

I've done quite a bit of all 3, actually done all of the first two and some of the last.  I still think the original eeks out the best score, and I dropped it a point from each 9 down to 7.  Rifftrax is fine and all, but it loses some of the punch of it all in how they handle it and the lack of the set piece style the show it broke off from is known for.  Not bad, not truly awesome, just different but in a mostly good way.

[JamesRobot | 5,800]

It's alright I guess.

[RH | 4,903]

9, 8, 10 for me.  I really like the original series with Joel and Mike over the Jonas episodes, but Jonas still gets an 8.  RiffTrax gets a 10.  It's the original cast (well, it's Mike, Kevin and Bill) and they cover old movies, new movies, good movies, bad ones, shorts and the painfully long.  Plus, as I mentioned, they are older and wiser in their craft so I give it a 10 as it's one of my favorite streaming shows of all time.

[JamesRobot | 5,800]

10, 10, 7

Love MST3K of course and I think the Netflix shows are just as good as the originals.  Keep em coming. 

I do like RiffTrax but it's just not the same without the extra narrative of being stuck in space.  Somehow it's not as funny if they're choosing to watch bad movies instead of being forced to as some mad experiment. 

My favorite episodes are Mitchell and The Brain That Wouldn't Die which are Joel's last episode and Mike's first episode respectively. 

[Robot_Ninjutsu | 122]

I've not watched the Netflix version so I cannot comment on that at all.

The original MST3K - I have no problem with Mike, but Joel was totally deadpan.  His deadpan comments made some things usually 100x funnier.  Sometimes the skits they did worked, sometimes not.  The "Ape Fashion Show" from that Planet of the Apes rip off movie was pure gold.

Rifftrax (streamed)- I appreciate the "no skits, just watch and comment" approach. The level of hilarity varies depending on the movie (or even type of movie). Some I watched I wasn't getting into it, then there are gifts like "Cool As Ice".

As with any of these (save the Netflix), I think the more the guys hate the movie, the funnier their comments are.

[JamesRobot | 5,800]

3 hours ago, Robot_Ninjutsu said:

Cool As Ice

Probably my favorite RiffTrax movie.  Though I enjoy Cool as Ice on its own...

[Robot_Ninjutsu | 122]

Admittedly, "Cool As Ice" is an Oscar contender compared to some of the other movies they have done (It's a Talking Cat).

But I have to ask, if not to make fun of it, what exactly is the appeal of "Cool As Ice"?

 

[RH | 4,903]

All, I've not accumulated the votes on this one.  I'm a little surprised this has received so few votes.  I try to get at least 10 numbered votes before it's considered "enough votes" to go on the rated master list.

I'm just throwing it out there.  None of these have received 10 numeric votes yet, so if you haven't voted, please do.  I'll learn from this experience but it's MST3k!  I really thought that at least the OG and the Netflix ones would have received numerous votes because who doesn't love this show.

[JamesRobot | 5,800]

On 5/31/2021 at 1:06 PM, Robot_Ninjutsu said:

But I have to ask, if not to make fun of it, what exactly is the appeal of "Cool As Ice"?

Well it does have Vanilla Ice.  Also, it's a 90s remake of Rebel Without a Cause.  I think if it had more serious actors and wasn't used as a showcase for Ice's rapping/dancing, it could've  been an acclaimed film.  Even so I think it holds its own.  But don't get me wrong, it's perfect fodder for RiffTrax.

Edited June 8, 2021 by JamesRobot

[Reed Rothchild | 9,522]

2 hours ago, RH said:

All, I've not accumulated the votes on this one.  I'm a little surprised this has received so few votes.  I try to get at least 10 numbered votes before it's considered "enough votes" to go on the rated master list.

I'm just throwing it out there.  None of these have received 10 numeric votes yet, so if you haven't voted, please do.  I'll learn from this experience but it's MST3k!  I really thought that at least the OG and the Netflix ones would have received numerous votes because who doesn't love this show.

I have to generally stay away from cult bands/movies/games for this very reason.

Professor Layton got 14 votes, and it's a first party title that launched a franchise, and the game debates always get the biggest turnout.

[RH | 4,903]

31 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

I have to generally stay away from cult bands/movies/games for this very reason.

Professor Layton got 14 votes, and it's a first party title that launched a franchise, and the game debates always get the biggest turnout.

Thanks.  Obviously I'm new to organizing these types of things.  I might throw one or two into the mix in the future since I post trios, but I won't ever post them together in one poll.

[Robot_Ninjutsu | 122]

On 6/8/2021 at 12:35 PM, JamesRobot said:

Well it does have Vanilla Ice.  Also, it's a 90s remake of Rebel Without a Cause.  I think if it had more serious actors and wasn't used as a showcase for Ice's rapping/dancing, it could've  been an acclaimed film.  Even so I think it holds its own.  But don't get me wrong, it's perfect fodder for RiffTrax.

Vanilla Ice is really a deal breaker.  I didn't loath the guy back then, but I also didn't like him.  I couldn't really put to words why I didn't like him back then, but I can now: He's a douchebag. If my younger self had known that term, I'm sure I would have used it often.

 

But having seen other movies on Rifftrax, I can say that "Cool as Ice" is an 7 time Academy Award winner compared to some of the other movies they've riffed.

[RH | 4,903]

12 minutes ago, Robot_Ninjutsu said:

Vanilla Ice is really a deal breaker.  I didn't loath the guy back then, but I also didn't like him.  I couldn't really put to words why I didn't like him back then, but I can now: He's a douchebag. If my younger self had known that term, I'm sure I would have used it often.

 

But having seen other movies on Rifftrax, I can say that "Cool as Ice" is an 7 time Academy Award winner compared to some of the other movies they've riffed.

• The Cat that Could Talk
• Birdemic
• Samurai Cop
• Anything related to Santa Claus

These are all excellent RiffTrax episodes but 15 minutes into most of them, I look at my wife and ask "Seriously, how and why were any of these ever made?"

[Robot_Ninjutsu | 122]

You mean "It's a Talking Cat?"

Yeah, I describe that one as "Eric Roberts literally phoned in his contribution, and the house used in it looks like a place they film porn movies."

You forgot "Rollergator".  That movie makes "Samurai Cop" look like a great movie.

[RH | 4,903]

3 minutes ago, Robot_Ninjutsu said:

You mean "It's a Talking Cat?"

Yeah, I describe that one as "Eric Roberts literally phoned in his contribution, and the house used in it looks like a place they film porn movies."

You forgot "Rollergator".  That movie makes "Samurai Cop" look like a great movie.

Yes I did forget about the ole Rollergator, and I did't care enough about It's a Talking Cat? to remember the name.  Oddly enough, on some commercial for a Disney Documentary, they were talking about the old Tom Sawyer movie and they showed show a couple second segment, followed by the actor who played Tom Sawyer in an interview.  Turns out he's the older rich guy in the film.  I guess when your movie is that bad, you try to get as many people that might be noticeable in it as possible, although I'm not sure how anyone would have noticed "Tom Sawyer" was in the film.

[Robot_Ninjutsu | 122]

I think the "Santa's Summer Home" one was better if only for the quip:  "There are three martial artists in this film, and somehow nobody is getting punched in the face."

[guitarzombie | 924]

How did I miss this?  Mst3k has been my fav tv show since I was a kid.  Have seen every episode multiple times.  I think their absolute best is halfway thru season 8 up to the end of the show.  I think its because the movies they used had so much to work with, aside from a lot of the dry/dull ones from season 2/3/4 etc.  I think "Lost Continent" is legitimately their worst episode because it has NOTHING.  Its 90% rock climbing, as the mads taunt them with.  I still watch it frequently.  When the reboot happened I dug it but didn't have the same chemistry till about half way into the season IMO.  I personally liked Mike/Bill/Kevin because they seemed to be a lot meaner to the movies.  I was a part of both kickstarters too. 

 

Rifftrax is amazing!  It finally gives you a chance to hear them riff on anything regardless of license.  Their selection is HUGE with movies I love legitimately and also terrible B/Z movies.

For anyone thats a fan of the late era cable MST3k stuff, I have to say the episode that had the most chemistry like that era was "Killers from Space" by "The Film Crew" which was Rifftrax before Rifftrax.

 

https://mst3k.fandom.com/wiki/TFC_-_Killers_from_Space

 

Also, side note.  Trace follows me on twitter.  

[Reed Rothchild | 9,522]

3 hours ago, RH said:

Yes I did forget about the ole Rollergator, and I did't care enough about It's a Talking Cat? to remember the name.  Oddly enough, on some commercial for a Disney Documentary, they were talking about the old Tom Sawyer movie and they showed show a couple second segment, followed by the actor who played Tom Sawyer in an interview.  Turns out he's the older rich guy in the film.  I guess when your movie is that bad, you try to get as many people that might be noticeable in it as possible, although I'm not sure how anyone would have noticed "Tom Sawyer" was in the film.

Eric Roberts?

edit: No wait, he was the cat.  I've only seen this

 

[guitarzombie | 924]

Whats everyones favorite episode?  Mine's Overdrawn at the Memory Bank.  I mean there are so many more, probably close to 20.  Heck I have 2 XBLA accounts PrinceofSpace and ElusiveRobDenby

[Robot_Ninjutsu | 122]

"Master Ninja 1&2".  Joel was prime deadpan with these.

A later one with Mike "Werewolf".  The impromptu lyrics over the end credits song was magical.