June 25, 1996
Fans of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" were glum last February when Comedy Central dropped the show.
Now they can cheer. The Sci-Fi Channel has rescued the show from cancellation, adding MST3K to their lineup with 13 original episodes beginning in February. It's even going international on the Sci-Fi Europe Channel and the Sci-Fi Channel block on USA Network Latin America, where the cast's nonstop wisecracks will be dubbed.
" 'Mystery Science Theater' transcends the category of a good cable program," said Barry Schulman, Sci-Fi's vice president for programming. "It won a Peabody Award and it became a major motion picture. Very few programs do either. When there's an opportunity to keep alive an extraordinary program like 'Mystery Science Theater,' you keep it going."
The Sci-Fi Channel reaches about 33 million cable households in the United States, roughly the same as Comedy Central.
MST3K had been in exclusive negotiations with the Sci-Fi Channel for two months. In the interim the cast traveled cross-country to promote the show's new episode guide, from Bantam Books, and to publicize its theatrical film from Gramercy Pictures. But a pall of uncertainty hung over their efforts. When word of the agreement reached the series' production studio in Eden Prairie, the reaction was one of enormous relief.
"It's been a struggle," said Michael J. Nelson, the head writer and star. "I celebrated by calling credit card companies and telling them it won't be long now."
"I heard a sigh all over the office. The doors fluttered," said writer Kevin Murphy.
The series will have a somewhat glossier look and a new focus. Forsaking the spy flicks and drag-strip epics that filled out its schedule on Comedy Central, MST3K will draw from the Sci-Fi Channel's library for films to lampoon. "We'll have access to a higher class of bad movie now," said producer Jim Mallon.
Comedy Central will rerun MST3K through next February, and more old episodes will be released on video as part of an MST3K series on Rhino Video.
The series' new lease on life will give visitors to its fan convention Aug. 30 to Sept. 1 at the Minneapolis Convention Center reason to celebrate.
"Had this not come through, they would have woken me up in the gutter, given me a quick talc bath and propped me up in front of all the people," said Nelson. "We'd all have been there with hanging heads talking about how we used to have that show."
Copyright 1996 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.