For more than three decades, Mystery Science Theater 3000 has been the little cable access TV show that could. The exceedingly simple premise—a man trapped in space is forced to watch (and mock) bad movies alongside his robot co-hosts—has transitioned through three hosts, two cable networks, and a major streaming service since it debuted on a local Minneapolis TV station in 1988. After two years on a shoestring budget, the show ran on Comedy Central for seven seasons (before being canceled), moved to the big screen (where it flopped, though through no fault of its own), and later found a home on what was then The Sci-Fi Channel for three seasons (canceled again). A few years ago, creator Joel Hodgson launched a hugely successful Kickstarter that resulted in two more seasons released directly to Netflix, which, uh, later cancelled it a third time. Yet currently, Hodgson is running another Kickstarter that seems poised to ensure the show’s future for many more years to come.
Where to stream the original: Select episodes on Shout TV, Fubo, DirecTV, AMC+, Sling, Tubi, and Plex
Where to stream the reboot: Netflix
