Mystery Science Theater 3000 Launches Kickstarter for More Episodes

Don't count Mystery Science Theater 3000 out just yet. The fan-favorite series was canceled at Netflix in 2019, but thanks to a new Kickstarter campaign it just might rise again. Creator Joel Hodgson has launched a new MST3K Kickstarter campaign to create new episodes of the beloved series, but this time with a twist. No longer with the series be beholden to a specific network and instead, the plan is for an online virtual theater where fans can watch new episodes, live events, host group watch parties, and more.

This new Kickstarter is actually the second for MST3K. Back in November 2015, Hodgson ran a similar campaign to resurrect the series which had been, at that time, "in hibernation" for 15 years. That campaign was wildly successful, breaking a number of Kickstarter records and raising over $6 million that ultimately led to the series being picked up by Netflix for 20 new episodes (Seasons 11 and 12) that were well-received by both critics and fans. This time around, the Kickstarter seeks to revive MST3K in a new way, which Hodgson broke down on the Kickstarter's campaign page.

FINALLY, SOME GOOD NEWS: We want to #MakeMoreMST3K, but we need your help to do it. We just launched a Kickstarter campaign for a new season, plus our most ambitious plans yet to keep MST3K going well into the future. https://t.co/k3WAbo49W2 pic.twitter.com/FpsQFvB9Dd

— Mystery Science Tweeter 3000 (@MST3K) April 7, 2021

The goal of the Kickstarter is to raise $2 million and with that, they'd have enough money to make three new episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 as well as enough to build the Gizmoplex -- their own virtual online theater to host screenings, premieres, and events. The campaign then breaks down plans for the stretch goals, which include a total of six new episodes and Gizmoplex apps at the $3.3 million level, a total of nine new episodes and a year of live events at the $4.4 million level, and all of that as well as a total of 12 new episodes overall and 12 new shorts at the $5.5 million level. There are some additional ideas as well should things go well.

And it seems like there's a solid shot for this Kickstarted to succeed. At the time of this article's writing -- and still within the first day of the campaign's launch -- the Kickstarter has already raised over $963,000, nearly half of the first goal.

Are you excited about the prospect of more Mystery Science Theater 3000? Will you backing the MST3K Kickstarter? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.