New MST3K Episode Coming This Sunday, A.D. (sort of)

[JusSonic]

Well, I finally saw the episode. I thought it was good, especially the short at the end. It also gives tributes to those who risk their lives dealing with the virus a-happening!

If there's going to be another one of these in the future, I would love to see them! 

[JetJaguar73]

Joel seems to treat cast members as expendable which is not great

This is the thing that bugs me the (second) most about the new MST.
And I agree with the other stuff you said, too.

[TJLamb0518]

So, given that the latest MST3K is not the same calibre as it was back in 1988, why is it that Joel ATB hasn't what Mike ATB has?
What makes Rifftrax (arguably) better than S11 & S12 of MST3K?

I can call out that the riffs come too quick and that the humor is too contrived, but why?

Hubris, perhaps? This is my take.

Honestly, to me it comes down to fun. MST3K when it first aired SEEMED underground, almost subversive. It was made to feel like something you used to find back in the old days when you would flip through the UHF (ask your parents) dial (nowadays, you should ask them what a dial is as well) or the public access channels. And it had the feel of a bunch of people getting together and having FUN. Of course, I say things like "feel" and "seems" because it was almost always a business and it was a job to them. But they were able to convey it well.

Rifftrax, by and large, maintains that. It FEELS like a bunch of guys hanging out watching a movie and leaving a recorder on. And it seems like they genuinely enjoy hanging out. MST3K without Mike, Kevin and Bill around seems much more.....forced. As others have said, the interchangeable nature of the the characters is almost....insulting. If Bill and Kevin had gone to RT and made new puppets and did the same types of characters it would be the same thing. But they didn't. Joel as a host was beloved because well....it was his baby. And in the early years he definitely loved doing it. Mike was there almost from the start, just mostly behind the scenes. So it was a natural progression and in retrospect, I respect Joel for stepping aside when he no longer felt the love of what he was doing. Jonah.....was a guy hired by Joel and the whole reboot did not feel like a labor of love but a cash grab.

That's just my two cents.

[itsizz]

TJ - perfectly stated!

[TheDarkPrince2018]

I fully agree with you TJ and that is why I SOMETIMES prefer iriffs over official releases. The iriffers sometimes sound like they are just having fun with a movie and a mic. I also like unscripted live shows that some comedy groups do. Imho, Joel and his group just don't have that anymore. In trying to keep something alive on life support they are losing some of what made it special to begin with. Again, just my opinion. Take care during this bird.. I mean pandemic!

[Flib Ittygibbet]

I’ve forgotten–or perhaps never knew–the whole schpiel with the spat between Mike and Joel. I know they got back together ONCE for that Rifftrax Live, but other than that they haven’t done anything since Joel left the show. What was the reason for that, again? Did it have something to do with that one producer (whose name and beliefs I forget)?

I just wish that Rifftrax had kept doing blockbusters (or just modern movies in general) instead of going back to old films. But I guess we’re partially to blame for that...

[BadFilms]

Joel was bored with doing the show and his relationship with Jim Mallon got to be somewhat contentious. Joel had never been as interested in the writing or performing as he was doing things like the Invention Exchange, so he decided to finally bow out. Also, he didn't have nearly as much control over the show itself as a lot of people like to imagine, so it was far from being his singular vision. Mike was chosen to take over because he was the strongest performer on the staff without a regular role and his voice was already pretty heavily all over the show since the beginning. I've never seen any implication of bad will between Mike and Joel. I don't know if they were particularly good friends during their years of working together, either, but Joel is a big more flaky and mercurial, apparently. Joel left for Hollywood and other writing gigs while everyone else stayed behind and worked on the show. Joel did return in season 10, as they knew the show was ending, and gave people a bit of closure in that regard.

It seems that certain groups of people from the Best Brains days got along better than others and those little groups got back together in different configurations to work together: Timmy Big Hands, Edward The Less, The Film Crew, RiffTrax, Cinematic Titanic, The Mads, and finally the MST3K Reunion show. I don't think any of it's ever been a matter of any of them not getting along (except with Jim Mallon, as apparently he was kind of a dick and took over the whole property and the associated money from it, so a lot of people disliked and resented him in a stoic, Midwestern way).

[Flib Ittygibbet]

I don't think any of it's ever been a matter of any of them not getting along (except with Jim Mallon...

I see. Thanks for the refresher. It must have been more “just didn’t have a rapport” than any open or hidden animosity, I guess.