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Season 1 – Mystery Science Theater 3000

Play trailer Poster for Season 1 – Mystery Science Theater 3000 Nov 1989 Comedy Sci-Fi Fantasy Horror Mystery & Thriller Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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75% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 92% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Forced by evil scientists to watch bad "B" movies until he breaks, a host and a bunch of captive robots comment on the films to keep sane. During each movie, the host and robots perform skits or songs, known as host segments, that are usually related to that episode's film.

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Mystery Science Theater 3000 — Season 1

Mystery Science Theater 3000 — Season 1

What to Know

Critics Consensus

After a shaky start, Mystery Science Theater 3000 finds its footing in low-budget cheese while paying endearingly homemade homage to the beloved B movies it showcases.

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Critics Reviews

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Henry Hanks CNN.com 05/10/2018
MST3K and bad dubbing go hand in hand, but there was something extra special when the crew took on Japanese monster and sci-fi movies from the 1960s. Go to Full Review Erik Adams AV Club 05/10/2018
B
The show was still finding its groove... but the campy, Barbarella-lite fun of the feature presentation makes up for the long gaps between the episode's jokes. Go to Full Review Tom Shales Washington Post 04/17/2018
One of the many endearing things about the program is its Midwestern grass-roots ambiance. MST3K is clearly homemade and not a store-bought cookie. Go to Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 04/23/2020
3.5/4
The 15 Best MST3K Episodes. Go to Full Review Nick Venable CinemaBlend 05/16/2018
Rapid-fire wit and deep-cut pop culture references on a seemingly endless scale. The fact that there are 197 episodes is still baffling. Go to Full Review Bill Keveney Hartford Courant 05/16/2018
The best lines, however, develop from a frenzied free association of references that crisscross the cultural grand canyon: from Baywatch to T.S. Eliot. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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12/30/2019 Before the show became truly funny (i.e. before Michael J. Nelson became head writer in season 2), this was simply a goofy little production transitioning from UHF television to a fledgling cable network. Joel Hodgson had a great idea, but really needed someone to turn it into a show that would keep people tuning in week after week, and that person was Mike Nelson. Joel was a fine host with stand-up / prop comic experience, but it was Mike Nelson's wit that took MST3K to a whole new comedic level that would go on to be nominated for various awards, going on to win the Peabody Award in 1993 for "producing an ingenious eclectic series." That's not to say that there are no episodes worth watching in season one. In fact, if I had to guess, I would say that they allowed Nelson to flourish more towards the end of the 1st season since by comparison, the first 2/3 of the season are almost unwatchable. Also, having Frank Conniff join the cast in season 2 as TV's Frank, replacing J. Elvis Weinstein as mad scientist Dr. Clayton Forrester's bumbling assistant was an improvement as I found Weinstein's performance grating at best, and Kevin Murphy taking over the role of bot Tom Servo from Weinstein was an improvement as well. See more Read all reviews
Mystery Science Theater 3000 — Season 1

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Cast & Crew

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Joel Hodgson

Creator

Jim Mallon

Executive Producer

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Nov 18, 1989 The Crawling Eye "The Crawling Eye" (1958) Horror. With Forest Tucker, Laurence Payne. Details Episode 2 Aired Nov 25, 1989 The Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy "The Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy" (1959) Horror. Mad Dr. Krupp sends his homemade robot to rob the treasure of a Mexican mummy's tomb. With Ramon Gay, Rosita Arenas, Crox Alvarado. Details Episode 3 Aired Dec 2, 1989 The Mad Monster "The Mad Monster" (1942) Horror. A reporter's girlfriend's father injects a farmhand with wolf blood. With Johnny Downs, George Zucco, Anne Nagel. Details Episode 4 Aired Dec 9, 1989 The Corpse Vanishes "The Corpse Vanishes" (1942) Horror. A mad botanist drains kidnapped brides to keep his 80-year-old wife looking young. With Bela Lugosi, Luana Walters, Elizabeth Russell. Details Episode 5 Aired Dec 16, 1989 The Crawling Hand "The Crawling Hand" (1964) Horror. A medical student finds the deadly hand of a lost astronaut sought by scientists. With Peter Breck, Kent Taylor, Rod Lauren. Details Episode 6 Aired Dec 23, 1989 Robot Monster "Robot Monster" (1953) Science fiction. Earthlings flee from the Ro-Man, a martian in a gorilla suit with a diving helmet. Originally 3-D. With George Nader, Claudia Barrett, Selena Royle. Details Episode 7 Aired Dec 30, 1989 The Slime People "The Slime People" (1963) Science fiction. Waked by nuclear tests, earth-core humanoids dome Los Angeles to make it slimier. With Robert Hutton, Les Tremayne, Robert Burton. Details Episode 8 Aired Jan 6, 1990 Project Moonbase "Project Moonbase" (1953) Science fiction. The president is a woman and so is the captain of a lunar space station in the year 1970. With Donna Martell, Hayden Rorke, Ross Ford. Details Episode 9 Aired Jan 13, 1990 Robot Holocaust Survivors of devastation enter the Power Station to fight the Dark One after billions of robots revolt against humans on New Terra. Details Episode 10 Aired Jan 20, 1990 Moon Zero Two "Moon Zero Two" (1970) Science fiction. Miners stake claims on the moon, and fight usurpers. With James Olson, Catherina Von Schell, Warren Mitchell. Details Episode 11 Aired Jan 27, 1990 Untamed Youth "Untamed Youth" (1957) Railroaded sisters are sent to a work farm run by a clod. With Mamie Van Doren, Lori Nelson, John Russell. Details Episode 12 Aired Feb 3, 1990 The Black Scorpion "The Black Scorpion" (1957) Science fiction. Monster scorpions emerge from a volcano in Mexico. With Richard Denning, Carlos Rivas, Mara Corday. Details Episode 13 Aired Feb 20, 1990 Women of the Prehistoric Planet "Women of the Prehistoric Planet" (1966) Science fiction. Alien astronauts land on a strange place, but it's only the beginning of Earth. With Wendell Corey, Keith Larsen, John Agar. Details

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Season Info

Creator
Joel Hodgson
Executive Producer
Jim Mallon
Network
Comedy Central
Rating
TV-PG
Genre
Comedy, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date
Nov 18, 1989
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