Mystery Science Theater 3000: A Cultural History

A fun and fascinating deep dive into the impact and creation of the cult-hit television series Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Few television shows can boast the long-term cult popularity and cultural influence of Mystery Science Theater 3000--or MST3K to its legions of devoted fans, known collectively as MSTies. Created by quirky standup comic Joel Hodgson and producer Jim Mallon, Mystery Science Theater 3000 was a low-budget and altogether unconventional comedy series about a man trapped in space and forced to watch the worst movies ever made alongside a pair of homemade, wisecracking robots named Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot.

In Mystery Science Theater 3000: A Cultural History, Matt Foy and Christopher J. Olson explore the vast cultural influence of the cult television series, charting how the show's aesthetics, style of humor, and distribution innovations heralded shifts in popular culture and media production and criticism. The show also engaged viewers in the do-it-yourself media subculture of the 1980s that blurred the lines between media producers and consumers and introduced the art of media "riffing" into popular culture.

Beginning with the humble origins of MST3K, Foy and Olson dig into everything from the show's journey across networks to the must-watch episodes. Also discussed are the endeavors of cast members after the show's cancellation, including RiffTrax, Cinematic Titanic, and the Mads Are Back, as well as the show's second life through a Kickstarter campaign and a Netflix revival. This is an essential guide to all things MST3K for fans both new and old.

Matt Foy, PhD is an associate professor of communication at Upper Iowa University. He studies popular culture at the intersections of rhetorical, cultural, and performance studies.

Christopher J. Olson, PhD, is assistant professor of English and digital media at Dickinson State University. An avid MSTie, his books include The Greatest Cult Television Shows of All Time (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020), 100 Greatest Cult Films (Rowman & Littlefield, 2018), and Possessed Women, Haunted States: Cultural Tensions in Exorcism Films (2016).