Write On with 'Mystery Science Theater 3000' Creator Joel Hodgson

Write On: A Screenwriting Podcast

MST3K is back! Originally running from 1988 to 1999, Mystery Science Theater 3000 was revived in 2017 due to a crowdfunding campaign led by the show's creator, Joel Hodgson. The show follows a human test subject who is forced to watch "B" movies by evil scientists alongside a group of captive robots who provide colorful commentary on the films. Hodgson explains, "We have kind of a unique relationship with the audience because it's a unique format, and it behaves differently than most shows. For some people, that's very disorienting, and for what we call the 'right people,' it just totally makes sense." Hodgson goes on to describe what each episode looks like on the page and how they come up with each side-splitting jab: "We use about 10% of what we write. It's more like 7000 riffs that we start with... that kind of gets melted down to about 700 riffs in total. But when we brainstorm... it's wide open, and we're not necessarily looking for great ideas as much as more ideas, and out of those come the good ideas." You can check out season 13 of MST3K on their new exclusive streaming service, The Gizmoplex!

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes! Now available on Google Podcasts!