‘Mst3k’ Returns On Sci-Fi Channel

Sat., Feb. 1, 1997

Jeff Baenen Associated Press

The ‘bots are back.

After facing oblivion in TV’s Vast Wasteland, the smart-alecky heroes of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” have returned to heckle even more of the world’s worst movies.

But this time it’s the Sci-Fi Channel that will carry the adventures of Mike Nelson and his robot sidekicks, Crow and Tom Servo.

Comedy Central dropped the cult show, citing low ratings, but Sci-Fi picked up “MST3K” for its eighth season. It debuts today at 1 p.m. PST, with a repeat at 8 p.m., and is rated TV-PG.

Switching networks is a welcome change for the show’s writers and performers, who work out of the clubhouselike headquarters of Best Brains Inc. in suburban Eden Prairie, outside Minneapolis.

“Nobody’s burned out,” said Nelson, 32, the show’s host and head writer. “It’s energized everybody.”

Sci-Fi has committed for 13 new episodes, with an option for nine more. Among the new titles: Saturday’s season-opener “Revenge of the Creature” (the 1955 sequel to “The Creature From the Black Lagoon”), “The Deadly Mantis” and “The Thing That Couldn’t Die.”

The show’s premise remains the same: Nelson and his homemade robots (or ‘bots) are trapped in space and forced to watch cruddy movies. To cope, they respond with a torrent of gibes, quips and bon mots aimed at the screen.

But this time, their main tormentor is gone. Trace Beaulieu, who played the mad scientist Dr. Clayton Forrester and worked the Crow puppet, left last year to pursue other projects. Writer Mary Jo Pehl, playing Dr. Forrester’s obnoxious mother, Pearl, takes over as chief nemesis.

“She’s the root of all evil as far as the Forrester family is concerned. She’s the original,” Nelson said.

Replacing Beaulieu as Crow is Bill Corbett, an actor and playwright who briefly worked as an “MST3K” writer in the sixth season.

Corbett, who got the Crow job only four days before production began, had no experience in puppetry.

“It shows, unfortunately, and I think as the season goes on there’s more confidence,” he said. “In the first few shows it looks like Crow has had something of a stroke.”

“It’s rocky,” he said, “but it gets better.”

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.