If You Want Mystery Science Theater 3000 Season 14, You Gotta Help Joel Hodgson Pay For It
Against all odds, "Mystery Science Theater 3000" manages to keep surviving thanks to a dedicated fanbase who never gets tired of seeing awful, old movies get mocked relentlessly. After the show disappeared for awhile, a crowdfunding campaign in 2015 promised to bring it back with a vengeance, and Netflix jumped on board to bring it to the masses in 2017, ending an 18-year hiatus. After that, creator Joel Hodgson got fans to help fund the show's 13th season, as well as the creation of the Gizmoplex, a dedicated website and distribution platform to give fans more new episodes of the show. Season 13 was released last year, and it even made it over to the "MST3K" channel on PlutoTV. Now, Hodgson is hoping to come back for more.
Today, Joel Hodgson announced a new crowdfunding campaign to help make "Mystery Science Theater 3000" season 14. This new campaign is being launched under the show's new in-house crowdfunding platform, The Showmaker, powered by Crowdfundr, which will host campaigns to fund each new season going forward. That means Hodgson and company are hopeful that fans will want to keep seeing more "MST3K," and as long as they keep showing up with their credit cards, there will be new episodes to enjoy.
For "MST3K" season 14, Hodgson is looking to raise $4.8 million, and here's what that will fund:
- Six new feature-length episodes of "MST3K"
- Six new shorts
- 18 new "surgically enhanced classic episodes upgraded to 1080p from the original 480p"
- Further development of the Gizmoplex online theater for distribution
But wait, that's not all! Because if fans are able to raise more than $4.8 million, they'll get even more "MST3K" for their buck. If fans are able to hit $6.1 million, then season 14 will expand to nine new episodes, nine new shorts and 27 surgically enhanced old school episodes. At $7.4 million, the new season will grow to 12 new episodes, 12 new shorts, and a whopping 36 surgically enhanced classic episodes, all set to premiere in the Gizmoplex. That's quite a lot of movie mocking!
MST3K is turning 35!
The most recent season of "MST3K" targeted movies like "Gamera vs Jiger," "The Christmas Dragon," "Robot Wars," "Demon Squad," and "Munchie." And since there are infinitely more bad movies out there than good ones, you can be sure that Hodgson and the crew will have a superb new line-up to poke fun at this time.
In a press release announcing the new campaign, Hodgson had this to say:
"I'm thrilled that next year, 'MST3K' turns 35. Someone recently asked me if I ever imagined the show would be around for 35 years when I created it, and I had to pause and say, 'No. I didn't.' Our status as a long-running comedy series with robot puppets riffing on B-movies was ridiculous when it started, and now, 35 years later, it borders on ludicrous. That being said, in all seriousness, the enduring success of the show is a tribute to the collaboration between our many talented writers, performers, and craftspeople, and our generous, loyal audience."
As for who will star in "MST3K" season 14 besides Hodgson himself, that has yet to be confirmed. But Hodgson has said that all the major cast members from "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return," "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Gauntlet," and "Mystery Science Theater 3000" season 13 will all be invited to come back in some capacity. So we'll have to see who's available and willing to return for more terrible movies.
It took only a year between the crowdfunding campaign announcement for new "MST3K" episodes and the official debut of season 13 on the Gizmoplex. So if this goes successfully, by this time next year, we could be enjoying some big laughs as the expense of awful, old movies.
If you want to help support "Mystery Science Theater 3000" season 14, just head over here to contribute and get more information.