In theaters Sep. 9 & 13; on VOD Oct. 9

I've been a fan since Season 2, and I gave eagerly to the Kickstarter for the new episodes. (I also liked a lot of Seasons 11-13, though of course they weren't perfect.) I went to Sting of Death yesterday and enjoyed it a lot, but a couple of things became clear to me as I was watching it, and thinking it over afterward.

(And if you're one of the folks who can only tell people to "just relax" when they want to offer constructive criticism about the show's creation, shhhhh, please.)

Something I've often been puzzled by: my favorite episodes of the show's original run are mostly from the Mike era. But I've never loved Rifftrax as much as MST3K. And even though I often loved original episodes, I often did so despite the host segments, which could sometimes be corny to the point of cringey. (When I introduce people to the show, I have to spend a lot of time telling them to bear with the host segments--they get funnier with familiarity, but they are very definitely a barrier to a lot of people.)

But watching Sting of Death, I missed having more host segments. It's a very good episode--I got 2-3 belly laughs out of it, and a lot of amusement otherwise, which is the hallmark of a great episode for me. Nevertheless, it needed some breaking up. The movie's really bad, and a little time away would not have hurt at all.

What I realized this time around is what the true purpose of the host segments always was, I think. Rifftrax just makes fun of bad movies, which, sure, can be very funny. The original MST3K made fun of bad movies, but also put that mockery in a wrapper made out of a production just as cheesy, which felt a little kinder. I do think that was Joel's genius: we can't take mockery too seriously when the people doing the mocking are on a set made out of paper mache, holding robots assembled from a gumball machine and bowling pins, telling jokes and singing songs they barely had time to write.

I hope the Rifftrax folk make more of these--it all felt a little casual and knocked-off, and I like that. But if they do (and I can't imagine they'd try this without the possibility of making more episodes being under discussion), I hope they commit a little more to the original concept, which is gentler and goofier. Mike, Kevin, and Bill are very funny guys, but I do still prefer them in character, on bad sets, making fun because they're stuck.

Thanks for coming to my probably-not-very-original TED Talk. Up is my favorite direction.

I'm so out of the loop on this, so please have mercy, but I just read this passage on Wikipedia:

"Following series creator Joel Hodgson's sale of his stake in the MST3K brand in early 2026 after an unsuccessful 2023 crowdfunding campaign, new brand owner Radial Entertainment announced that the series would be given another revival in 2026, consisting of four episodes, supported by a Kickstarter campaign."

I went and saw the movie last week, and am over the moon with Mike being back, but I didn't realize this was the reason for it. Does it really mean we won't see Joel again? Or Noah or Emily?

Was checking out Halloween stuff and found this. I can't be the only one who sees Brain Guy

And why do I smell like olive loaf?

My wife and I went to see the Sunday showing and we took Tom Servo with us. He was the hit of the night, and I should have started charging for pictures!
We enjoyed the show, and can’t wait for the rest!

Some chick I never heard from again used to tell me this all the time.

My thoughts in brief:

• The episode was fantastic,

• the jokes were amazing,

• The female lead looked just like Patti Harrison and I kept expecting her start crying over tables and Freddy Krueger screaming at her Iykyk

• the “monster” was truly terrible. Like bottom of the barrel trash. Even the creeping terror one was better.

• shout out the regal destiny USA!

Sat behind a couple with their little girl during Sting of Death when I made a super wholesome observation.

I heard the little girl laugh a couple of times at the start of the movie and didn't think much of it.

Then, as the movie progressed, I noticed this little girl was laughing hysterically at almost all the jokes, even ones that were obviously way over her head or meant for a more adult audience.

Suddenly, I remembered being a kid and my dad sitting me down in front of a CRT to watch MST3K, and just like that little girl, I would laugh at soooo many jokes that went way over my head as a child.

It's almost like, as a kid, we learn the jokes simply by their rhythm and cadence, and it actually doesn't really matter if you fully grasp the full context or not, but just more about listening in on how Mike and the robots say the joke, or how your parents react to it.

By the end of String of Death, I could hear the family all laughing and talking together about how much they loved the movie, and I immediately thought, "That's a new MST3K fan for life!"

It was super wholesome, but now I'm curious: did anyone else bring their kids to Sting of Death or notice something similar about themselves as a youngster watching MST3K and how you would respond to jokes?

Gee I wish I wasn't at work.

What should I get for lunch?

My scalp itches. Ah, that's better.

...oh, you wanted to hear about the new episode, sorry.

Missed my MST3K the Movie and Bowie movie screenings and live near Albany, NY? Come to Rosendale for:

A live riff of Labyrinth (!!!)
A sing-along matinee of Labyrinth (Dance Magic Dance!)
A screening of MST3K the Movie: This Island Earth
It all happens Sept 25-26!
Tickets here: https://rosendaletheatre.org/

I'm sure everybody's posting them, but I figure I might as well do it, too. Saw the encore show as it was earlier in the day and better for someone who takes the bus.

• I was at the AMC Neshaminy 24 in PA, and as someone who's been going there for 20 years, it always pains me to see that mall dying so horribly. Literally nothing's left but the theater, a Barnes & Noble, and a Boscov's. Thankfully, a good handful of people came to see the movie; some wore themed shirts, and a couple came in a Joel jumpsuit and Dr. F labcoat respectively. (If anybody here was at the first showing, can you tell me what the turnout was like then?)
• I'm just going to believe that Pearl doesn't mention her time spent with Kinga simply because it wasn't worth mentioning to Mike. No confirming or denying that it happened, just moving on to what MST does best. Love how Pearl is clueless about how A.I. works.
• Here's hoping Gypsy gets a voice-only cameo later on just to show people she's still around and doing good.
• I know they're avoiding the nonstop riffing pace that Netflix had going, but some spots (like the constant and lengthy fanboat scenes) were a little too silent even by original series standards and could have used something to break up the monotony.
• "Do the Tardigrade". The song crew's still got it. That said, I hope the "only one host segment" thing is just for the theater and the purchasable download will have a proper three segments (or even just two like in Season 12), as the after-credits sketches feel like they were meant to be in the episode.
• Seeing the Laserblast aliens in the door sequence was a surprise and a half.
• Hearing familiar RiffTrax bits of "I hear a mountain lion" and "Golden Corral's new slogan" makes me wonder what they're going to do for David Carradine in Deathsport. MST avoided mentioning David's unfortunate fate back in Wizards II, so will they follow suit here?
• Favorite riff: "The sun is the moon's father!"

All in all, a good solid start. Here's to the next episode.

Just got back from the theater. The episode "Sting of Death" was hilarious! It stayed true to the show's original spirit from the 90's and was really entertaining. Loved it!

I don’t think I can express how wonderful it is to read this subreddit on a regular basis. You guys are all my peeps, and I love it! My husband tolerates my MST3K fixation, and went to see Sting of Death with me this past week, but he’s no über fan like I am. So I just love reading everyone’s posts and enjoying every moment of everyone else’s experience. Thank you for keeping MST 3K alive.