‘Mst 3000’ May Move Its Wisecracks To Sci-Fi Network

In the not-too-distant future, cable cult fave “Mystery Science Theater 3000” may pop up on the Sci-Fi Network. This week, Comedy Central announced that it has officially parted with the show which, during its seven-year run, became one of the all-laughs channel’s most recognized shows.

For the uninitiated, “MST3K” features a human (Mike Nelson) and two robots who wisecrack and heckle their way through screenings of B-movies.

As for the possible move, “MST3K” producer Jim Mallon and Sci-Fi’s veep of programing, Barry Schulman, both confirmed this week that talks are ongoing. Mallon said he hopes to have an answer about the fate of the show within a few weeks.

Earlier this year, Comedy Central announced that it would not purchase new episodes of the series. In the interim, the channel has been negotiating with “MST3K’s” production company, Best Brains Inc., in an attempt to license several “classic” episodes to run in 1997 and to use the show’s characters in a variety of ways, including political-themed specials. The “MST3K” team said thanks but no thanks.

“It would be very difficult to keep the talented writers and performers together to do one or two half-hour specials, when we’re used to doing 24 shows a year,” Mallon told The News. “It’s a completely different economic proposition, and we need to sustain the troupe that we have here.”

The series’ final original episode for Comedy Central, “Laserblast,” will air May 18. “MST3K” will continue on Comedy Central in reruns through 1996.