Overview

This book examines the cultural impact and creation of the cult-hit television series Mystery Science Theatre 3000. It looks at the most famous episodes, creators involved, and analyzes why the series has resonated with so many viewers.

Full Product Details

9781538173480

Table of Contents

Reviews

"Mystery Science Theater 3000 is known for its alchemical magic, spinning golden comedy from junk movies. In this delightful book, Foy and Olson riff spectacular on the origins, success, and influence of the highly memetic show, proving their thoughtful, accessible, and meaningful book is gold from the start. Highly recommended, and you can push that button, Frank! Mystery Science Theatre 3000 (or MST3K) has entertained and amused B-movie fans for 36 years.The TV show's comedic premise was unique: Creator Joel Hodgson played a janitor who was trapped in an orbiting satellite where he was forced to watch low-budget movies with robot companions and make humorous comments about the films. MST3K's popularity grew from the odd movies it maligned and exalted and the multigenerational appeal of its humor. Foy and Olson track the creation and travails of the series as it changed networks, hosts, and thematic direction. (It survived nearly 20 years before being canceled and making a crowd funded return in 2017.) MST3K's influence on film commentary and social media is worthy of the book's consideration.... [F]or devoted and loyal MST3K fans. Appropriate for fans and scholars, this thoughtful and comprehensive study positions Mystery Science Theater 3000 within its cultural, sociopolitical, and artistic contexts, illuminating the ways in which the show responds to and transforms media across its many iterations. Foy and Olson give the definitive history of the critically acclaimed show Mystery Science Theater 3000. This is the book I've been waiting for, and it is long overdue. Solid scholarship yet accessible to the average fan, this cultural history explains exactly why our transmedia world has been greatly influenced by the riffing as done in MST3K. The authors show how riffing is part of our cultural landscape including podcasts, fan tributes, video games, memes, and much more through its intertextuality. Mystery Science Theater 3000 changed the way we watch movies, giving a new way to critically evaluate and critique film by providing some of the greatest comedy in the history of television and online viewership. Foy and Olson take readers on a journey through the various iterations of the show as well as its offshoots (Rifftrax, Cinematic Titanic, The Mads). MST3K has remained a cultural icon with its own unique brand of humor. Foy and Olson tell us why this is important. Not to be missed! Foy and Olson have created a fun and fact-filled book that is a valuable resource for any MST3K fan looking to learn more about the behind-the-scenes story of this cult classic. The tone is low-key and breezy, yet solidly researched. Foy and Olson also draw from pop-culture sources as well as academic publications. The book draws from many of the show's most salient inspirations and influences. It even presents a list of 20 must-see episodes. This book deserves to sit on any MSTie's media shelf. Mystery Science Theater 3000: A Cultural History is a terrific resource for anyone who wants to think (as well as laugh) along with Mystery Science Theater 3000. It provides a succinct history of the show in its many iterations and gives context for what inspired it--and for many of the things MST3K has inspired in turn. But more importantly, it explores what this show actually is. What does it mean when we gather with our friends (or our home-made robot buddies) to watch ""bad"" movies, and what does it mean to talk back to them? What strategies can we use to interrogate and have fun with these movies? What happens when a movie gets riffed--to the movie, to the audience, and to our relationship with the culture we live in? And what makes our favorite riffs so satisfying? Thank you, Matt Foy and Christopher J. Olson, for laying out a framework for thinking about our favorite cowtown puppet show--and for making us laugh about love (and cultural theory) again. Sharp, smart, engaging, and comprehensive. A must read for Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans and pop culture scholars alike. Hi-Keeba! This wonderful book chronicles one of the essential cultural products of the past few decades and tells the story of Mystery Science Theater 3000, showing its enormous influence on popular media from broadcast and cable TV to streaming and social media. Riffing as we know it starts here. Thanks to Matt Foy and Christopher J. Olson for giving us this great gift! Thoroughly researched and thoughtful, this is an absolute must-read for MSTies, media-studies scholars, and others who do not sit passively while the world tries to break them."

"This wonderful book chronicles one of the essential cultural products of the past few decades and tells the story of Mystery Science Theater 3000, showing its enormous influence on popular media from broadcast and cable TV to streaming and social media. Riffing as we know it starts here. Thanks to Matt Foy and Christopher J. Olson for giving us this great gift! --Michael Z. Newman, professor, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; and author, ""The Media Studies Toolkit"" Thoroughly researched and thoughtful, this is an absolute must-read for MSTies, media-studies scholars, and others who do not sit passively while the world tries to break them. --Shelley E. Barba, coeditor, ""In the Peanut Gallery with Mystery Science Theatre 3000"" Foy and Olson give the definitive history of the critically acclaimed show Mystery Science Theater 3000. This is the book I've been waiting for, and it is long overdue. Solid scholarship yet accessible to the average fan, this cultural history explains exactly why our transmedia world has been greatly influenced by the riffing as done in MST3K. The authors show how riffing is part of our cultural landscape including podcasts, fan tributes, video games, memes, and much more through its intertextuality. Mystery Science Theater 3000 changed the way we watch movies, giving a new way to critically evaluate and critique film by providing some of the greatest comedy in the history of television and online viewership. Foy and Olson take readers on a journey through the various iterations of the show as well as its offshoots (Rifftrax, Cinematic Titanic, The Mads). MST3K has remained a cultural icon with its own unique brand of humor. Foy and Olson tell us why this is important. Not to be missed! --Robert G. Weiner, popular culture librarian, Texas Tech University, and coeditor, ""In the Peanut Gallery with Mystery Science Theater 3000: Essays on Film, Fandom, Technology, and the Culture of Riffing"" Foy and Olson have created a fun and fact-filled book that is a valuable resource for any MST3K fan looking to learn more about the behind-the-scenes story of this cult classic. The tone is low-key and breezy, yet solidly researched. Foy and Olson also draw from pop-culture sources as well as academic publications. The book draws from many of the show's most salient inspirations and influences. It even presents a list of 20 must-see episodes. This book deserves to sit on any MSTie's media shelf. --Chris ""Sampo"" Cornell, author of ""MSTiepedia: One Man's Journey Through 30+ Years of the Best TV Show Ever"" Mystery Science Theater 3000 is known for its alchemical magic, spinning golden comedy from junk movies. In this delightful book, Foy and Olson riff spectacular on the origins, success, and influence of the highly memetic show, proving their thoughtful, accessible, and meaningful book is gold from the start. Highly recommended, and you can push that button, Frank! --Paul Booth, professor of media and popular culture, DePaul University Appropriate for fans and scholars, this thoughtful and comprehensive study positions Mystery Science Theater 3000 within its cultural, sociopolitical, and artistic contexts, illuminating the ways in which the show responds to and transforms media across its many iterations. --Shelley Rees, editor, ""Reading Mystery Science Theater 3000: Critical Approaches"" Sharp, smart, engaging, and comprehensive. A must read for Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans and pop culture scholars alike. Hi-Keeba! --Blair Davis, author, ""The Battle for the Bs: 1950s Hollywood and the Rebirth of Low-Budget Cinema"" Mystery Science Theater 3000: A Cultural History is a terrific resource for anyone who wants to think (as well as laugh) along with Mystery Science Theater 3000. It provides a succinct history of the show in its many iterations and gives context for what inspired it--and for many of the things MST3K has inspired in turn. But more importantly, it explores what this show actually is. What does it mean when we gather with our friends (or our home-made robot buddies) to watch ""bad"" movies, and what does it mean to talk back to them? What strategies can we use to interrogate and have fun with these movies? What happens when a movie gets riffed--to the movie, to the audience, and to our relationship with the culture we live in? And what makes our favorite riffs so satisfying? Thank you, Matt Foy and Christopher J. Olson, for laying out a framework for thinking about our favorite cowtown puppet show--and for making us laugh about love (and cultural theory) again. --Chris Piuma, cohost of ""It's Just a Show"""

"Mystery Science Theater 3000 is known for its alchemical magic, spinning golden comedy from junk movies. In this delightful book, Foy and Olson riff spectacular on the origins, success, and influence of the highly memetic show, proving their thoughtful, accessible, and meaningful book is gold from the start. Highly recommended, and you can push that button, Frank! --Paul Booth, professor of media and popular culture, DePaul University Mystery Science Theatre 3000 (or MST3K) has entertained and amused B-movie fans for 36 years.The TV show's comedic premise was unique: Creator Joel Hodgson played a janitor who was trapped in an orbiting satellite where he was forced to watch low-budget movies with robot companions and make humorous comments about the films. MST3K's popularity grew from the odd movies it maligned and exalted and the multigenerational appeal of its humor. Foy and Olson track the creation and travails of the series as it changed networks, hosts, and thematic direction. (It survived nearly 20 years before being canceled and making a crowd funded return in 2017.) MST3K's influence on film commentary and social media is worthy of the book's consideration.... [F]or devoted and loyal MST3K fans. -- ""Library Journal"" Appropriate for fans and scholars, this thoughtful and comprehensive study positions Mystery Science Theater 3000 within its cultural, sociopolitical, and artistic contexts, illuminating the ways in which the show responds to and transforms media across its many iterations. --Shelley Rees, editor, ""Reading Mystery Science Theater 3000: Critical Approaches"" Foy and Olson give the definitive history of the critically acclaimed show Mystery Science Theater 3000. This is the book I've been waiting for, and it is long overdue. Solid scholarship yet accessible to the average fan, this cultural history explains exactly why our transmedia world has been greatly influenced by the riffing as done in MST3K. The authors show how riffing is part of our cultural landscape including podcasts, fan tributes, video games, memes, and much more through its intertextuality. Mystery Science Theater 3000 changed the way we watch movies, giving a new way to critically evaluate and critique film by providing some of the greatest comedy in the history of television and online viewership. Foy and Olson take readers on a journey through the various iterations of the show as well as its offshoots (Rifftrax, Cinematic Titanic, The Mads). MST3K has remained a cultural icon with its own unique brand of humor. Foy and Olson tell us why this is important. Not to be missed! --Robert G. Weiner, popular culture librarian, Texas Tech University, and coeditor, ""In the Peanut Gallery with Mystery Science Theater 3000: Essays on Film, Fandom, Technology, and the Culture of Riffing"" Foy and Olson have created a fun and fact-filled book that is a valuable resource for any MST3K fan looking to learn more about the behind-the-scenes story of this cult classic. The tone is low-key and breezy, yet solidly researched. Foy and Olson also draw from pop-culture sources as well as academic publications. The book draws from many of the show's most salient inspirations and influences. It even presents a list of 20 must-see episodes. This book deserves to sit on any MSTie's media shelf. --Chris ""Sampo"" Cornell, author of ""MSTiepedia: One Man's Journey Through 30+ Years of the Best TV Show Ever"" Mystery Science Theater 3000: A Cultural History is a terrific resource for anyone who wants to think (as well as laugh) along with Mystery Science Theater 3000. It provides a succinct history of the show in its many iterations and gives context for what inspired it--and for many of the things MST3K has inspired in turn. But more importantly, it explores what this show actually is. What does it mean when we gather with our friends (or our home-made robot buddies) to watch ""bad"" movies, and what does it mean to talk back to them? What strategies can we use to interrogate and have fun with these movies? What happens when a movie gets riffed--to the movie, to the audience, and to our relationship with the culture we live in? And what makes our favorite riffs so satisfying? Thank you, Matt Foy and Christopher J. Olson, for laying out a framework for thinking about our favorite cowtown puppet show--and for making us laugh about love (and cultural theory) again. --Chris Piuma, cohost of ""It's Just a Show"" Sharp, smart, engaging, and comprehensive. A must read for Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans and pop culture scholars alike. Hi-Keeba! --Blair Davis, author, ""The Battle for the Bs: 1950s Hollywood and the Rebirth of Low-Budget Cinema"" This wonderful book chronicles one of the essential cultural products of the past few decades and tells the story of Mystery Science Theater 3000, showing its enormous influence on popular media from broadcast and cable TV to streaming and social media. Riffing as we know it starts here. Thanks to Matt Foy and Christopher J. Olson for giving us this great gift! --Michael Z. Newman, professor, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; and author, ""The Media Studies Toolkit"" Thoroughly researched and thoughtful, this is an absolute must-read for MSTies, media-studies scholars, and others who do not sit passively while the world tries to break them. --Shelley E. Barba, coeditor, ""In the Peanut Gallery with Mystery Science Theatre 3000"" Mystery Science Theater 3000 is known for its alchemical magic, spinning golden comedy from junk movies. In this delightful book, Foy and Olson riff spectacular on the origins, success, and influence of the highly memetic show, proving their thoughtful, accessible, and meaningful book is gold from the start. Highly recommended, and you can push that button, Frank! Mystery Science Theatre 3000 (or MST3K) has entertained and amused B-movie fans for 36 years.The TV show's comedic premise was unique: Creator Joel Hodgson played a janitor who was trapped in an orbiting satellite where he was forced to watch low-budget movies with robot companions and make humorous comments about the films. MST3K's popularity grew from the odd movies it maligned and exalted and the multigenerational appeal of its humor. Foy and Olson track the creation and travails of the series as it changed networks, hosts, and thematic direction. (It survived nearly 20 years before being canceled and making a crowd funded return in 2017.) MST3K's influence on film commentary and social media is worthy of the book's consideration.... [F]or devoted and loyal MST3K fans. Appropriate for fans and scholars, this thoughtful and comprehensive study positions Mystery Science Theater 3000 within its cultural, sociopolitical, and artistic contexts, illuminating the ways in which the show responds to and transforms media across its many iterations. Foy and Olson give the definitive history of the critically acclaimed show Mystery Science Theater 3000. This is the book I've been waiting for, and it is long overdue. Solid scholarship yet accessible to the average fan, this cultural history explains exactly why our transmedia world has been greatly influenced by the riffing as done in MST3K. The authors show how riffing is part of our cultural landscape including podcasts, fan tributes, video games, memes, and much more through its intertextuality. Mystery Science Theater 3000 changed the way we watch movies, giving a new way to critically evaluate and critique film by providing some of the greatest comedy in the history of television and online viewership. Foy and Olson take readers on a journey through the various iterations of the show as well as its offshoots (Rifftrax, Cinematic Titanic, The Mads). MST3K has remained a cultural icon with its own unique brand of humor. Foy and Olson tell us why this is important. Not to be missed! Foy and Olson have created a fun and fact-filled book that is a valuable resource for any MST3K fan looking to learn more about the behind-the-scenes story of this cult classic. The tone is low-key and breezy, yet solidly researched. Foy and Olson also draw from pop-culture sources as well as academic publications. The book draws from many of the show's most salient inspirations and influences. It even presents a list of 20 must-see episodes. This book deserves to sit on any MSTie's media shelf. Mystery Science Theater 3000: A Cultural History is a terrific resource for anyone who wants to think (as well as laugh) along with Mystery Science Theater 3000. It provides a succinct history of the show in its many iterations and gives context for what inspired it--and for many of the things MST3K has inspired in turn. But more importantly, it explores what this show actually is. What does it mean when we gather with our friends (or our home-made robot buddies) to watch ""bad"" movies, and what does it mean to talk back to them? What strategies can we use to interrogate and have fun with these movies? What happens when a movie gets riffed--to the movie, to the audience, and to our relationship with the culture we live in? And what makes our favorite riffs so satisfying? Thank you, Matt Foy and Christopher J. Olson, for laying out a framework for thinking about our favorite cowtown puppet show--and for making us laugh about love (and cultural theory) again. Sharp, smart, engaging, and comprehensive. A must read for Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans and pop culture scholars alike. Hi-Keeba! This wonderful book chronicles one of the essential cultural products of the past few decades and tells the story of Mystery Science Theater 3000, showing its enormous influence on popular media from broadcast and cable TV to streaming and social media. Riffing as we know it starts here. Thanks to Matt Foy and Christopher J. Olson for giving us this great gift! Thoroughly researched and thoughtful, this is an absolute must-read for MSTies, media-studies scholars, and others who do not sit passively while the world tries to break them."

"Mystery Science Theater 3000: A Cultural History is a terrific resource for anyone who wants to think (as well as laugh) along with Mystery Science Theater 3000. It provides a succinct history of the show in its many iterations and gives context for what inspired it--and for many of the things MST3K has inspired in turn. But more importantly, it explores what this show actually is. What does it mean when we gather with our friends (or our home-made robot buddies) to watch ""bad"" movies, and what does it mean to talk back to them? What strategies can we use to interrogate and have fun with these movies? What happens when a movie gets riffed--to the movie, to the audience, and to our relationship with the culture we live in? And what makes our favorite riffs so satisfying? Thank you, Matt Foy and Christopher J. Olson, for laying out a framework for thinking about our favorite cowtown puppet show--and for making us laugh about love (and cultural theory) again. --Chris Piuma, cohost of ""It's Just a Show"""

Author Information

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 an author and educator whose work focuses on representations of gender in cult media. 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).

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