Mystery Science Theater 3000: A Cultural History

by Matt Foy, Christopher J. Olson

A fun and fascinating deep dive for "devoted and loyal MST3K fans" (Library Journal) that reveals the impact and creation of the cult-hit television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 .

Few television shows can boast the long-term cult popularity and cultural influence of Mystery Science Theater 3000—or MST3K to its legions of devoted fans, known collectively as MSTies. Created by quirky standup comic Joel Hodgson and producer Jim Mallon, Mystery Science Theater 3000 was a low-budget and altogether unconventional comedy series about a man trapped in space and forced to watch the worst movies ever made alongside a pair of homemade, wisecracking robots named Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot.

In Mystery Science Theater 3000: A Cultural History, Matt Foy and Christopher J. Olson explore the vast cultural influence of the cult television series, charting how the show’s aesthetics, style of humor, and distribution innovations heralded shifts in popular culture and media production and criticism. The show also engaged viewers in the do-it-yourself media subculture of the 1980s that blurred the lines between media producers and consumers and introduced the art of media “riffing” into popular culture.

Beginning with the humble origins of MST3K, Foy and Olson dig into everything from the show’s journey across networks to the must-watch episodes. Also discussed are the endeavors of cast members after the show’s cancellation, including RiffTrax, Cinematic Titanic, and the Mads Are Back, as well as the show’s second life through a Kickstarter campaign and a Netflix revival. This is an essential guide to all things MST3K for fans both new and old.

Genres: Nonfiction, Tv, Media Tie In, History, Film

182 pages, Hardcover

Published August 20, 2024

Reviews

[Books_the_Magical_Fruit]

I absolutely love MST3K. So I was disappointed to find that this book is a bit meh. Yes, you learn facts you might not have previously known, but the format in which they are presented made it difficult for me to sustain long periods of attention. I kept going to other books. The synopsis made it seem like there would be more episode analysis, but that’s not the case—that’s shoved to the very end of the book, along with Rifftrax and the renewal of MST3k of Netflix.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Rowman & Littlefield, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published August 20, 2024.

The low budget show, a beloved cult hit was created in Minneapolis by its first star Joel Hodgson and producer Jim Mallon. It featured a man (briefly a woman) trapped in space by dastardly comic book villains (for various reasons, depending on the season of the show.) He is forced to watch the worst movies of all time and does so alongside robots he created from spare parts lying around his ship, Tom Servo and Crow (there are also Gypsy and Cambot, but they don’t watch the movies.) The trio comment on the movies while they are watching them and are seen in shadow in the lower right hand corner. It’s genius and hysterically funny.

This book is a deep, deep dive into the show and its cultural influence. While it is certainly thorough, and for MST3000’s biggest fans a chance to revisit some of their best riffs, it’s also very dry and academic, sucking some of the life right out of this gloriously fun show. It didn’t have to be this way; one need only look to the wonderful SEINFELDIA by Jennifer Armstrong to understand that one can make a great book from a great show.

Plus, if these guys described Minneapolis as “cow town” one more time…. I think they teach at places like Northern Iowa University, hardly located on upper Broadway. And you couldn’t think of any other way to describe “rural” Minneapolis other than “cow town?”

I love the show (even though I’ve never seen any episodes featuring anyone but Joel and Mike) and I wanted to like this book more than I did.

[Hobart · Rating 5 out of 5]

★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 300: A CULTURAL HISTORY ABOUT?
This is a retrospective of the show—its history, development (highs and lows), spin-offs, and latest formats. It's also an examination and consideration of the impact the show has made to its viewers and on the industry of entertainment, and the ripple effects it has had on pop culture.

It looks at how MST3K was shaped by the upbringing of its cast and writers—focusing on the tone and style of the hosts—as well as the network (or lack thereof) that brought the show to the audience.

It wraps up with an Appendix listing twenty episodes that best capture the show for new viewers—between the riffs, the movies themselves, and hosting segments—with each host being represented. They truly picked some gems—good for new viewers and established fans to go back and revisit some highlights.

THE WORST WE CAN FIND
"Hey, wait a second, H.C.," I can hear some of you thinking, "you talked about this book last July." Well, no. But I can understand the confusion. That was actually the book, The Worst We Can Find: MST3K, RiffTrax, and the History of Heckling at the Movies by Dale Sherman.

I haven't done this a lot, but every now and then I read a book that is someone taking all/part of their doctoral dissertation and reworking it/part of it for a wider/popular audience. In many ways, that's what this felt like—Foy and Olson's work was the technical/academic book for those of a more scholarly persuasion, and Sherman's was the version for the wider audience. Except that Sherman's was longer, and it usually goes the other way.

This is not a criticism of either book—at all. They both over their respective emphases and quirks. They're both dependent on interviews and articles produced by others; both are written by fans who've dedicated a good deal of time to both the research and production of the book—propelled by a greater deal of time developing an appreciation of MST3K; and both are the kind of things that die-hard fans will sink their teeth into. One's just a bit more highbrow than the other.

DISSECTING SOME FROGS

Analysts have had their go at humor, and I have read some of this interpretative literature, but without being greatly instructed. Humor can be dissected, as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process and the innards are discouraging to any but the purely scientific mind.

The idea has been variously ascribed, but it seems that E. B. White and Katharine S. White first put it into print. Whoever said it first, the idea floated through the back of my mind at more than one point while reading this book.

There were repeated explanations of various jokes throughout the book—and not one of them was necessary (if you ask me, anyway). Maybe one or two of them will help younger readers who are not familiar with the pop culture of the 90s or earlier, but I think context alone will take care of the questions a reader will have. And you understand the authors' impulse to explain them and maybe even admire their attempt while rolling your eyes at the outcome.

FLIRTING WITH SEMANTIC SATIATION
The term Intertexuality appears so often in this book, that you can imagine Tom Servo and Crow riffing on it. But it's not like there are a lot of synonyms available, and it's a real focus of the authors and a strong point of the book. Still, the SOL crews would hammer them on it.

The consideration of how MST3K has trained a couple of generations in approaching intertextuality, media consumption, and responses to them is the intellectual core of this book. The show, in all its various incarnations, has shaped both the viewers and other shows, internet content, and general internet discussion in ways that are larger than the show's ratings may suggest. The cultural footprint is oversized given viewership (the tapes did keep circulating, at least metaphorically).

I, for one, had given this very little thought until Fry and Olson pointed it out—along with their discussion of MST3K and its spin-off projects being at the forefront of newer delivery systems for media and programming. Given their humble beginnings, it's really quite remarkable.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOU MYSERY SCIENCE THATER 3000: A CULTURAL HISTORY?
I've read two other books in this series (and keep meaning to read others), Friends and Gilmore Girls, comparing this to those, I'd say it captures the strengths of both and avoids what I recall as the shortcomings of the Friends volume and the spirit of the Gilmore Girls book. If nothing else, the diversity in these three installments demonstrates a strength of the series. You're not going to get cookie-cutter approaches to the various series in consideration. Each author/team of authors is going to approach the show in question differently, reflecting the preferences and focus of the authors.

The only shortcoming I can think of (outside the attempted academic explanations of humor) is the lack of space given to Emily's hosting/riffing style compared to the other hosts. I'm certain that this is a function of how few episodes she has appeared in, but it would've been nice to get a little more about her.

I was entertained by the book—both due to the authors' style and the memories it conjured. I thought about the show and its legacy in ways I hadn't before. I kicked myself for not taking part in the crowdfunding efforts I didn't participate in. I was inspired to watch a couple of episodes I'd somehow missed—and just to make time for the show in general. Mostly this was an exercise in getting to know more about old friends, and seeing them in a different light.

I'm a sucker for anything MST3K related, so you know this worked for me. Do I know if you'll appreciate this book if you're not a fan or a media studies student? I doubt it's for you. But if you're either of those things—you'll get something out of it.

What do you think, sirs?

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Rowman & Littlefield via NetGalley—thanks to both for this.

[MB KARAPCIK · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember the first time I saw Mystery Science Theater 3000. It was Christmas Eve during college. We'd gone to church, had a nice dinner, and then went to our separate quarters. Me in front of the TV when I came upon a really strange sight to my wondering eyes--Santa Claus battling a bunch of aliens. What intrigued me most were the comments being uttered during this deranged Christmas movie. That was my introduction to this hit cult show. Now you can read about it in the book by the same name, which is a cultural history by professors and fans, Matt Foy and Christopher J. Olson.

This book chronicles the long and storied history of the creation of this whimsical show, otherwise known as MST3K that has a human host banished from Earth and punished to watch bad movies with his cohorts, Tom Servo and Crow and Gypsy. During mostly Z-list movies, they make comments on everything about the movie or short, from the bad acting, poorly drawn or constructed sets, ridiculous dialogue and plots, and more. In between the movies, the breaks featured the host, whether it was Joel Hodgson, Michael J. Nelson, or Jonah Ray, were featured with other writers/actors in season-long storylines.

That's the first thing that struck me. I never watched these movies in order so I never realized that there was actually a coherent storyline during the season. I actually thought it was a one-off for each movie. Also, I loved hearing how it came about from a tiny show in rural Minnesota to appearing on Comedy Central and the Sci-Fi Network. It amazes me how it came about and how, through the years, it became more expensive to get the rights to even some of the most inane and poorly produced movies.

I liked how the differences between the two first hosts were addressed. Joel was more laidback and less snarky; Mike was the snarkier of the two (and, frankly, whom I preferred, partly because I found him nice to look at). Their approaches and how the puppets interacted with them was interesting to read about and understand. I didn't realize the depth behind it all. You also get a look at the inspirations behind the shows and their hosts like Svengoolie and others from the past who hosted monster movies and the like.

Of course, the book covers the movies that were commented upon, and it's fun to relive some of those wacky moments from the films. For instance, Manos: Hands of Fate. If you've seen that flick with the commentary from the MST3K cast, you wouldn't forget it. My college friends and I used to refer to it one time too many. It's pretty amazing that more actors and those involved with the movie didn't come after these guys and gals! But it's all in good fun, and it's great to hear the different cultural references made during the commentaries.

Some parts of the book read at a slow pace, though. I liked hearing about the cultural significance of this show and about how the mores and sociological landscape changed throughout the years and how it affected the show. At times, it was almost too slow, and if you're not looking for a more intellectual look at the show, you may want to skip over those passages. Same with if you really don't want to hear about technical things like ratings and costs. Those are really the only things that slowed the book down and caused my interest to drift. If you don't mind or even enjoy those kinds of topics I mentioned, you will enjoy this book. Plus, if you've ever considered yourself a fan and still try to catch a flick or watch Rifftrax or any of the other shows spawned from this one, you may want to give it a try.

Thank you, Rowman & Littlefield | Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! It was a pleasure!

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers for an advanced copy of this look at a show that has brought joy and groans to so many film fans, and one that keeps going on and on, no matter how many times big media gets in its way.

I remember it was a comic book convention and I was looking at a table loaded with anime and movies that had yet to make to VHS, ie bootlegs, and I heard two other customers talking about a show that one of them had seen traveling to role playing convention on that had a bunch of robots making fun of bad movies. The guy explained it was literally these robots sitting in front of a movie while it played, cracking jokes, and was darn near the funniest thing he had seen. I had no idea what this guy was talking about. A show about watching robots, watching a movie. Why? I put it on my mental list of things to look for, but being the pre-Internet days I never did. Until I saw a show on Comedy Central, one of the few that wasn't old HBO specials, that blew my mind. Yes robots making fun of movies. Well puppet robots making fun of movies with a human, drolly making comments. And I was hooked. Mystery Science Theater 3000 was a gateway drug that I needed so desperately, combining my love of bad films, and humor. Mystery Science Theater 3000: A Cultural History by Matt Foy and Christopher J. Olson is a look at the show, the history and the many iterations, told in a more scholarly rather than episode guide.

The book begins with a comedian getting burned out, and coming home. However coming home to Wisconsin didn't mean a death to his creativity. Slowly, based on Joel Hodgson's career as a stand-up along with producer Jim Mallon an idea appeared, and a channel in need of content was happy to put it on TV. The idea was simple. A man is kidnapped, his soul needs to be crushed, so bad movies are shown to do so. The only problem is the man makes robots for friends, and these robots and the man make fun of the films. So instead of breaking, the man thrives, at least for that week. And Mystery Science Theater 3000—or MST3K as many call it was born. Soon Comedy Central, at the time a niche channel, again in need of product would come calling, but getting bigger meant growing pains, as in Joel and others leaving. A move to the SYFY channel would come, along with a movie, and then cancellation. Other projects, books and Internet watch-a-long ideas, until finally a return to streaming, and streaming again.

The book does a very good job of telling the history of the show, and does not get caught up in gossip as many books would. This is again more of a cultural look at the show, more than an episode guide, so there is a lot more outside influences and discussions of things dealing with the show, rather than the show itself. The idea of riffing on movies, making up jokes to fit what is said, unsaid or shown. The book looks at how smart the humor has to be even when the movie is as dumb as can be. That said there are some dry points of the book and a bit of repetition of themes. However these are minor quibbles, what does come across is the love that everyone had and has for the show, coming back and working hard to make us laugh. And in these times we really need to laugh.

Fans of the show will like the history, and probably the analysis of the humor, and how the different hosts treated the subject matter. A good gift for someone who watches, or a good introduction to someone who you want to share the show with.

[Logan Kedzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about Mystery Science Theater 3000 (heretofore MST3K), the 90's television show that invented modern culture. The book is a history of the show's production, up to the failed crowdfunding in '23, a discussion of the show's fiction, and a critical analysis of the show's function: how it does what it does and why it works. This is not the first critical look at MST3K, but it is the most affordable.

The book has problems, but it accomplishes what it intends to do. It is a general, well-rounded history of MST3K, including the new seasons. It creates a taxonomy of the jokes (heretofore riffs) of the program, categorizing them by form and function, and thinking about their meanings and what sort of humor they are. It looks to explain the show's history in relation to the authors' theory of the show's methods, and the ways in which that is distinctive to the show or as part of comedy as a whole.

There are two problems with the book, one major and one minor.

The minor problem is the structure. Blending together the history and the crit produces few insightful juxtapositions and is moderately distracting. It has the result of giving insufficient attention to the recent seasons, or distancing the analysis of them in a way that is at least unfair to them and frustrates the authors' thesis of something that we can talk about as a MST3K riff.

The major problem is that I do not think that the authors understand comedy.

I do not mean that the authors are not funny. With a few exceptions in the end notes, they are not making jokes. This is fine.

I do not mean Hodgson's Law. It is valid to question how any given riff works, or how they fit together as a sort of message about the world.

I might mean how the authors use 'problematic' in an idiosyncratic way, even with an invocation to Merriam-Webster.

Comedy is subjective, and in reviewing a book, I try to skew towards the coherence of the argument rather than my agreement with the argument, but a lot of the interpretations here are weird. The book identifies correct readings to the corpus of riffs, then picks out examples that do not support it.

I think that a book like this needs performers, or at least cultural critics with a focus on comedy. Like when the book discusses the leveling effect of the jokes, there is no discussion of this type of joke elsewhere. Specifically in terms of referential humor the authors assert MST3K as being unique, but do no work with that other material to show the difference. And while MST3K was conscientious about the targets of its jokes - woke before it was cool - it is clearly a case of what targets are acceptable, which is different than the authors' even Homer nodded view. And while more conscientious interpolaters are mentioned, some discussion ought to go to the more negative ones.

The appendix is a list of essential episodes. With the amount of detail put on the jokes in the body of the text5 it feels like this is the book that the authors wanted to write. Like if the history was summarized and observations about the jokes mixed with this 'best of,' it would be an insightful guide. Instead it ends up a book trying to do both too many things and not enough.

My thanks to the authors, Christopher J. Olson and Matt Foy, for writing the book, and to the publisher, Rowman & Littlefield, for making the ARC available to me.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Rowman & Littlefield for the ARC of this title.

I absolutely devoured this book. This knocks it out of the park on every level - I've picked up a few of the other academic-minded books on MST3k and felt left at arm's length as a layman, but the writing here is deeply readable and manages to hit the perfect high-/low-culture blend that's a trademark of the show it's providing cultural context to.

Beyond pulling the myriad how-did-this-show-happen sources into one timeline, this also does some really essential work of putting MST3k in the cultural context of what allowed it to be created and thrive in the wild west of UHF/early cable, and explaining what it's contributed to overall media culture and toolkit. I also love how this contextualizes the show's humor in both the ways it succeeds (the deep Midwestern nature of the show) and fails (in particular, a series of jokes from _The Incredibly Strange Creatures..._ that were in poor taste at the time of airing and have only gotten worse with time).

All in all, this is a concise, thoughtful explanation of why this show won a Peabody Award and created a full paradigm of movie riffing that continues today that's compulsively readable.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives both a history of the show from start to just a few months ago intertwined with sub-sections of analysis on the role it played in shaping media engagement. The structure is a bit unorthodox and requires some getting used to but once you get used to it the two sections being both distinct and intertwined make sense.

The authors make a strong case that riffing as an art is basically a unique triangulation of media experience that creates an inherently subversive genre. Also funny robots mock bad movies.

I went into further detail here, including creating a Ligottian thought experiment of imagining we all live in some horrible Coleman Francis B-movie for the entertainment of Gnostic demons who riff on us:
https://geotrickster.com/2024/08/25/b...

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have the best memories of waking up early on Saturday mornings in the mid-1990s and watching Mystery Science Theater 3000 on TV, often with my sons who were just becoming old enough to get why this show was funny. I was very interested to read this cultural history of one of my favorite shows and I enjoyed it. The book was more serious and scholarly in tone than I expected, but I did appreciate learning about the show's history and how it reflected the counter-culture. I will have to say, though, that my favorite parts of the books were the authors recounting some of their favorite riffs. Many made me laugh all over again and made me want to get online and rewatch old favorite episodes. The target audience for this book is obviously true fans of the show, and for those readers, I'd recommend this one.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Do the people who write these books about wonderful hit TV shows get paid extra to make them seem dull as dirt? I could not wait to get into this book and was immediately like NO CRAP. Just like Reading Rainbow-- lots of details that literally nobody cares about (wgaf about how much snow was on the ground when Joel thought of Crow?!) and almost no history or reminiscences about the actually funny stuff that anybody would care about. Lord, save us from doofs who need to make funny things academic.

[Lizzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The history elements are well-researched with interesting facts and references. The analysis and episode discourse is repetitive and underwhelming. Mixing these two categories together makes the book feel like a jumbled mess and for such a short book, it feels academic but not particularly insightful and wasn’t much fun to read.

[James Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot give you a review because I am very biased and have loved this show since I was a teenager. If you like the show this is a great recap book on the history of the show and the people involved.

[Kat in Stacks · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** Received and E-ARC***
As a fan of MST3K, I really enjoyed the history of not only how the show started. But, also the creators and their lives