# Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1989)

> A stranded spaceship pilot and his robot friends are forced to watch terrible B movies and riff on them to survive.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/1844

## Facts

- Seasons: 10
- Episodes: 176
- Episode runtime: 92 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, science fiction
- Created by: Joel Hodgson
- Network: Comedy Central, Syfy
- Cast: Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu, Frank Conniff, Kevin Murphy, Mary Jo Pehl, Jim Mallon, Bill Corbett, Michael J. Nelson
- TMDB rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094517/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: irreverent, breezy, campy, goofy, affectionate

## What critics say

Acclaimed as a clever, endlessly rewatchable riff on cheesy B movies, praised for its quick wit and affectionate robot characters.

## Synopsis

Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1989-1999) is a United States cable sci-fi comedy series created by Joel Hodgson for Comedy Central, later continued on Syfy. Joel Robinson (Joel Hodgson) is a stranded spaceship pilot held captive by mad scientists who force him to watch an endless parade of cheesy B movies aboard the Satellite of Love. To keep his sanity he builds robot companions Crow T. Robot (Trace Beaulieu) and Tom Servo (Kevin Murphy), and the trio riffs on every film in real time, cracking jokes at the screen while the scientists scheme in the background. Each episode is a self-contained movie night built from the same cramped set, puppetry and deadpan banter, with the captive crew's warm camaraderie giving the show its heart. Its tone is irreverent, breezy and gently absurd, with a cult following that loves its low budget charm. Fans of Rifftrax, Red Dwarf and Futurama will find similar resonance in its mix of genre parody and affectionate sci-fi silliness across ten seasons and 176 episodes.

## Shows like Mystery Science Theater 3000

- [Final Space (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/64666)
- [Other Space (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/55476)
- [Space Goofs (1997)](https://ember.film/tv/10988)
- [Futurama (1999)](https://ember.film/tv/581)
- [Tremors (2003)](https://ember.film/tv/4156)
- [Lost in Space (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/65677)
- [Tripping the Rift (2004)](https://ember.film/tv/4364)
- [Robot Chicken (2005)](https://ember.film/tv/672)
- [Lost in Space (1965)](https://ember.film/tv/2902)
- [Mystery Science Theater 3000 (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/65796)

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