Variety

‘Mystery Science Theater 3000’ Returns for 13th Season on New Indie Streaming Platform

Mar 24, 2022

Mystery Science Theater 3000” is returning for a 13th season, this time on a new indie streaming platform, Gizmoplex.

Created by Joel Hodgson in 1988, the cult show “MST3K” follows a series of ordinary humans captured by mad scientists who subject them to a series of terrible B-movies. To keep their sanity, the humans create a series of companion robots to riff on the films they watch, which are presented on the show in their entirety. “MST3K” has gone through several iterations, initially airing on KTMA-TV Minneapolis, then on Comedy Central and the Sci-Fi channel, for a total of 10 seasons. It was revived for a two season run on Netflix in 2017. The show has been highly acclaimed since its creation, winning a Peabody in 1993, and has helped turn several obscure movies into cult classics, such as “Manos: The Hands of Fate.”

The new revival of “MST3K” will air completely independently, following two successful Kickstarter campaigns, on the Gizmoplex platform, which will be available through a website and apps. Gizmoplex contains new episodes and shorts of the show, and will host livestreams and special events throughout the season.

Returning for Season 13 are Felicia Day, Patton Oswalt and Mary Jo Pehl as the mad scientists, who for the first time will trap three human subjects at once: the returning Jonah Heston (Jonah Ray), original host Joel Robinson (Hodgson) and newcomer Emily Connor (Emily Marsh). Hampton Yount, Kelsey Ann Brady, Baron Vaughn, Conor McGiffin, Rebecca Hanson and Yvonne Freese will return as the robot companions on the ship.

des moines cityview

Iowa comedian Rebecca Hanson helping to make more ‘Mystery Science Theater 3000’

May 5, 2021

Since it started more than 30 years ago, the movie-mocking show “Mystery Science Theater 3000” has had a number of homes. It started on the Minneapolis UHF station KTMA before moving to The Comedy Channel, soon after rebranded Comedy Central. It found another life on the Sci-Fi Channel. The show ended in 1999 but was revived by a 2015 Kickstarter that lead to two seasons on Netflix, which canceled the show in 2019.

The show that couldn’t die is trying to revive itself again with another Kickstarter to fund a 13th season and The Gizmoplex (an MST3K-centric online theater), which ends Friday night. Among the cast is Jewell-native Rebecca Hanson, and her husband, Drake grad Tim Ryder. 

Since the show has returned to Netflix in 2017, Hanson has played Sythia, a clone of Mary Jo Pehl’s Pearl Forrester character from the original series, as well as voicing robot GPC (formerly known as Gypsy). Ryder portrays Bonehead No. 1, a henchman, and voiced robot Tom Servo during two live tours. Both Hanson and Ryder write for the series. 

“Even watching as a student in Iowa, especially in the late 1990s, to see something that was made in the Midwest just blew me away,” Hanson said during a Zoom interview from her and Ryder’s home in Los Angeles. “I would see the Hopkins, Minnesota, address pop up and be like ‘Oh, I know where that is!’ I just had never seen things I was that familiar with on TV. As a comedian and an Iowan, it made me think ‘Maybe I could do something like this someday.’ ”

The opportunity to do something exactly like this first came up when Hanson and Ryder met MST3K creator Joel Hodgson in Chicago in 2013. Hanson and Ryder were performing with Second City at the time and saw Hodgson, and former MST3K cast members Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff on a panel at the Museum of Broadcast Communications. When they approached the comedians after the show, Hodgson recognized Ryder from a Second City show the night before. 

Hodgson, Hanson, Ryder and the casts of Second City got together for dinner the next night, and Hanson and Hodgson sat next together and bonded over both having worked at the Valleyfair amusement park. A few months later, Hodgson was appearing at WizardWorld Chicago and asked Ryder if Hanson could assist him for the day. At the end of the day, Hodgson asked Hanson if she and Ryder would be interested in writing for MST3K if the show ever got up and running again.

“We were going down an escalator, and I was tearing up,” Hanson said. “I was like (sobbing voice), ‘Yeah, that would be cool, Joel.’ Cut to getting home and Tim asked ‘How did it go?’ I said ‘I’m going to tell you this, Joel Hodgson said if MST3K ever gets back up and running would we want to write for it? I think he was just being nice. I have to acknowledge this, and then we have to let it go. Could you imagine? But no.’ ”

When the Bring Back MST3K Kickstarter launched in 2015, the couple backed it, and it went on to become the then most successful movie & TV Kickstarter in the crowdfunding site’s history (since surpassed by Critical Role). After the Kickstarter ended, Hodgson called to ask them to not only write but appear as characters on the show. Hanson’s performance as GPC is notable because the character has been female since the show premiered in 1988 but was always voiced by men. 

“I really love GPC. It sometimes bothered me that she was the only female character (in regards to the bots) and she was kind of dopey,” Hanson said. “She was definitely a mother figure in some ways, too. I wanted to update her in the sense that she can hang with these boys, and she can play along with them, but she still has stuff to do.”

The Let’s Make More MST3K Kickstarter wraps up Friday with a six-hour marathon, with the goal of raising $5.5 million dollars to fund 12 episodes, 12 riffed educational shorts, and the Gizmoplex. Hanson and Ryder have been involved with various special events, including virtual watch parties with current and classic members of the cast. But mostly, they’re still excited as fans of “Mystery Science Theater 3000.” 

“It’s really great,” Ryder said. “Doing these livestreams has been really fun. I did one the other night that was a room full of Servos. It was myself, Conor [McGiffin] from the live tour, Baron [Vaughn] from the Netflix series, and J Elvis [Weinstein], the original Tom Servo along with Joel, just watching an old episode and hanging out and talking with each other. We’re not involved a ton in the behind the scenes planning, which is probably for the best. But just to be along for the ride is super fun. I will say that we’re both still backers, because we’re fans and we want it to happen.”

Kickstarter Project Update

Meet the Next Gypsy

February 27, 2017

Joel Hodgson announces MST3K's newest cast member:

Gypsy is back for the new season of Mystery Science Theater 3000, and thanks to some design adjustments, and the wonderful talent of her new voice – Miss Rebecca Hanson – she'll be more involved than ever before!...

Now, If you were one of the backers who received our "thank you" postcard from set, you may have noticed that there was an extra signature on the back, along with me, Jonah, Baron, Hampton, Felicia and Patton. 

In fact, a few of you even wrote to ask me, "Who is Rebecca Hanson?"

I'm so glad to finally get to tell you more about her. 

I met Rebecca about four years ago in Chicago, and simply put, I just really liked her. She was so funny, and talented, and a “good hang” too! Adding to all that, on a professional level Rebecca has been performing improv, sketch comedy, and singing and writing in Chicago for over a decade. She has toured all over the US and is a proud alum of The Second City National Touring Company and ComedySportz Chicago too.

And honestly, I think in the back of my mind, I was hoping to give Gypsy a hint of a Midwestern voice. Rebecca can do lots of voices and dialects, but deep underneath all that, she’s an Iowan!

At the same time, Rebecca also has a second ongoing role on the new MST3K as one of Kinga's minions, whose identity I will reveal in a later update! Plus, Rebecca is writing on several episodes of the new season as well. And she did so well that, next season – Lord willing and creek don’t rise – we’re hoping to give her even more writing assignments!

Also, now that we're on the other side of production and I've seen the finished episodes, I just have to tell you: Rebecca has already done an amazing job being Gypsy, and quite frankly, she’s added some great new wrinkles to the character that I simply couldn’t have anticipated. 

Long story short, I’m really thrilled with her work and I think you will be too!"

 
Rebecca Hanson, voice of Gypsy. (Darren Michaels, SMPSP)

Rebecca Hanson, voice of Gypsy. (Darren Michaels, SMPSP)

Gypsy - Rebecca Hanson

The Second City alum is the first woman to voice Gypsy. According to Hanson, the beloved “MST3K” bot is going to get a lot more screen time and a slightly new attitude in the revival. “Now that Gypsy is voiced by a woman, there's just a different point of view there,” Hanson says. “Especially by someone who likes to have fun and doesn't mind telling people what to do, but in a fun way. I feel like Gypsy is different. I hope Gypsy is well-received by the masses.”

Favorite MST3K Episode: “Mitchell” 

“I Love ‘Mitchell.’ I will often quote stuff from ‘Mitchell.’ There's a lot of ‘hot merging action’ that happens in life.”