Where to Watch Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K)

Once I witnessed a woman walk into a packed theater dressed up like a robot puppet, complete with the head of a bubble gum dispenser. Instantly, everybody cheered. That’s because, thankfully, she was with her people – that is, MSTies, those of us who profess undying love for the show Mystery Science Theater 3000 (aka MST3K). That live tour showcased in person the hilarity of the show’s stars and robot sidekicks as well as their signature act of making fun of bad movies. MST3K premiered back in 1988, with creator Joel Hodgson’s bizarre premise and campy humor first seen on local TV and then later on cable. Over the years, there have been more than 200 episodes in which the cast of wacky characters mock equally wacky and often very cheesy movies.

Now, Mystery Science Theater 3000 is back. After a successful Kickstarter campaign, the team launched Gizmoplex, a custom online platform for MST3K that promises at least 13 new episodes over the next year. Gizmoplex opened to Kickstarter contributors as a beta trial in March and, as of Friday, May 6, will be open to new subscribers.

• How to Watch New Episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000: Mystery Science Theater 3000 returns with new episodes via Gizmoplex (Gizmoplex.com)
• When Does Mystery Science Theater 3000 Return: New episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 are available beginning Friday, May 6.

How to Watch Mystery Science Theater 3000

What is Gizmoplex

Beginning May 6, 2022, Gizmoplex will host live stream premieres for brand-new MST3K episodes and shorts, as well as special events, every two weeks until the end of February 2023. Subscribers will have access to all the new content as it airs, as well as all the free archival material.

There are several tiers of membership with Gizmoplex. Free membership provides access to every available archived episode from seasons 1 – 10, on-demand, with no ads. There is also the option to rent episodes from seasons 11 – 13 (the “Netflix era”), and buy episodes from any season to download, as well as purchase tickets to live stream events and premieres. This free classic access is currently being offered through 2023.

A full season pass, good for all new releases from May 6 – February 28, 2023, is a one-time fee of $135. It includes streaming access to all 13 new episodes in season 13 as they premiere, as well as 12 new shorts, and more than 25 live stream events.

For $50, viewers can sample season 13 with a three-month pass, through July 2022, which includes the first seven new episodes and four shorts.

The Gizmoplex is available on the web at gizmoplex.com, or through its brand-new apps for iOS, Android, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, and Amazon FireTV. Plus, you’ll also get beta access to MST3K‘s point-and-click “Virtual Theater,” which brings the full cineplex experience into your home.

Other Ways to Watch MST3K

MST3K on Netflix

The two Netflix-produced seasons, The Gauntlet and The Return, are still available on Netflix. Netflix costs between $9.99-$19.99 per month, depending on how many screens you use at the same time and HD preferences. Read our review for more on Netflix.

Shout Factory TV

Numerous older episodes of MST3K are available on the streaming service Shout Factory TV. Watch 43 episodes of MST3K on Shout Factory TV from the first 10 seasons for free on the service, which specializes in cult programming. The app is available on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon FireTV, and other platforms, or you can watch on the website.

PlutoTV

PlutoTV has a Mystery Science Theater 3,000 channel where you can watch MST3K for free – you just can’t pick which episode you’re watching. There is a chat window on the side, however, which lets you discuss what’s on with fellow fans (who needs newfangled Twitter or hashtags, anyway?).

YouTube, Vudu, Google Play, and Itunes

Likewise, the MST3K channel on YouTube lets you watch 23 of the movies for free.

If you can looking for specific episodes, you can buy some of them (82 of them, at least) on Vudu for $8-9.99 each (or $2.99 to rent). Google Play also offers a wide variety to rent for $1-2.99 or to buy for $5-7.99. Itunes has some episodes available for $3.99 to rent or $7.99 to buy.

More About MST3K

Throughout each film, the hosts poke fun at every last detail of the often-awful movies. Peppered in with the movie are variety-show style bits with songs, costumes, and weird inventions. Running gags get MSTies grinning to this day – like the line “watch out for snakes!” in a caveman movie, delivered so terribly that it’s delightful.

The show lasted on cable until 1999 and recently was revived due to a Kickstarter campaign. In 2017, a new generation got to join in on the insanity with the Netflix release of 14 new episodes. Jonah Ray stars as the newest to suffer the fate of the awful movies, while the new “mads” are Patton Oswald and Felicia Day, sporting a bone in her hair.

Fortunately, the charm of the original run is still going strong  – simple sets, cheesy puns, and all. As ever, there’s something endearing about how our stars are so willing to throw off any semblance of dignity and just embrace the silliness of a bit. And beyond the cheese, MST3K provides jokes in a way that is hard to find these days: the slow burn. These jokes are built on minute after minute of appreciating the precise absurdity of a situation. In fact, silly as they are, you’ll miss these jokes if you look at your phone while you’re watching. You’ve got to bear witness to the running gags, you’ve got to allow yourself to be surprised. To appreciate an MST3K episode requires a bit more attention than your typical comedy, but it’s worth it when your cheeks ache from laughing – and you realize you’ve learned a bit about effective movie making (and storytelling in general).