‘MST3K’ Starts Kickstarter to Fund New Season And Online Theater
In the not-too-distant past, after more than a decade without any new episodes, Mystery Science Theater 3000 creator Joel Hodgson decided to revive the beloved TV series with a bold Kickstarter. If backers would pay upfront via crowdfunding, Hodgson would create a whole new season of MST3K with a new cast including Jonah Ray, Felicia Day, and Patton Oswalt. The Kickstarter was a huge success, raising $5.76 million from over 48,000 backers. The revived MST3K then got additional funds from Netflix, who released two full seasons of the show.
That was enough new MST3K for Netflix, but Hodgson thinks there is still life in the concept — and that there might be enough fans out there in the magical, futuristic world of the “InterNet” to fund more episodes without a network or streaming service. This week he launched a new Kickstarter — this one dubbed #MakeMoreMST3K — designed to create not just new episodes, but an entire “online theater for live screenings & special events.” It’s called the “Gizmoplex,” and backing the Kickstarter would get you a pass to the Gizmoplex where...
Each month for our first year, The Gizmoplex will host at least* one live event, where you can join me, our cast and writers, and some special surprise guests. Each live event will be like a night at the theater, and will have a lot of fun surprises. Our live events could include new sketches, trailers (done "MST3K style"), live Q&A panel discussions, interviews, contests... even the return of the MST3K "viewer mail" segment.
Fans will also be able to get “on-demand access to a new selection of episodes, and the ability to host” live screenings in the Gizmoplex. As of this writing, the Kickstarter is less than 24 hours old and already closing in on its initial $2 million goal. There are additional stretch goals up to $5.5 million, though, that would unlock more new episodes, and more features for and in the GIzmoplex:
It’s kind of astonishing that MST3K has been around for 30 years now, and after hundreds of episodes across those decades, there is still appetite for new shows and live events. (These new Kickstartered episodes would constitute the 13th season of Mystery Science Theater.) There’s not too many franchises with that kind of staying power. Never underestimate the lure of a man and two puppets watching bad movies in space.
UPDATE: In just about one day, the Kickstarter reached its minimum goal of $2 million. The campaign now has 29 more days to raise another $3.5 million to fund an entire new season of episodes.
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