The new MST3K...

[Tenzhi]

The new MST3K started today.  So far, I enjoyed the Wil Wheaton and Erin Gray cameos, and I like Felicia Day and Patton Oswalt in their roles, but I'm not sure about the new Subject, Tom and Crow are a bit off, and I hate Gypsy's new voice.

Also: the new theme song is trying too hard.

[doc7924]

The new MST3K started today.  So far, I enjoyed the Wil Wheaton and Erin Gray cameos, and I like Felicia Day and Patton Oswalt in their roles, but I'm not sure about the new Subject, Tom and Crow are a bit off, and I hate Gypsy's new voice.

Also: the new theme song is trying too hard.

Oh. Where and when is that on? I had no idea they were doing a new series.

[Tenzhi]

It's a Netflix Original series.  By the end of the first episode, I was rather enjoying it.  I think the Every Country Has a Monster song sealed the deal for me.

[Thunder Glove]

I've only seen the first episode (I was a backer at the 035 level, so I got to see the first episode early), and I really liked it.  It feels different, but it still feels like MST3K.  The new quicker pace of the jokes means they sometimes belabor a point, the new voices for Tom and Crow are going to take a lot of getting used to (and Gypsy even moreso), and it seems like the writers just decided to ignore how the final episode of Season 10 ended (unless there's a plot twist coming later), but those are nitpicks rather than criticisms.

If the rest of the episodes continue in the vein of episode 1101, then it's going to be a great season.

Now to just try to learn whether Netflix France has it (which has turned out to be a surprisingly difficult question to get answered).

[Tenzhi]

I thought the original had 12 seasons.  I don't recall how the last episode ended, but I think the movie was something about Merlin running an antique shop?  The antagonist - Pearl? - really bugged me, as did a number of other things in the show's story at that point, so it largely was something I just turned on for background noise.

[doc7924]

Finally saw some of it. It's like the same - but different.

Will certainly take a while to get used to it. The original went through a lot of cast changes the last few years, so its not that hard to adapt.

I love they didn't un-cheapen the sets and models for 2017. That was always part of its charm.

[Tahquitz]

Caught the first episode... some things to get used to (Why can't Gypsy watch with the boys instead of popping in?)... But I like the Moon 13 interstitials (since Netflix doesn't have ads, so the breaks in the movie wouldn't happen without something to fill the time) and they upped the music game considerably (Paul and Storm wrote their episode song about monsters I noticed), so this crew will be something to watch in it's own right. 

[Vee]

I'm anxious to see if it holds up for me. I'm not entirely sure the original series would hold up since I was a huge fan when I was like 14-16 but could never get into it once it moved to Sci-Fi. I've had the entire run waiting in the infinite queue for a while. Will check out an ep or two of the new one but it'll have to be really good not to get pushed into place behind the other seasons in the queue.

[Tenzhi]

I've only seen the first episode (I was a backer at the 035 level, so I got to see the first episode early), and I really liked it.  It feels different, but it still feels like MST3K.  The new quicker pace of the jokes means they sometimes belabor a point, the new voices for Tom and Crow are going to take a lot of getting used to (and Gypsy even moreso), and it seems like the writers just decided to ignore how the final episode of Season 10 ended (unless there's a plot twist coming later), but those are nitpicks rather than criticisms.

I didn't really notice any belaboring in the first episode, which was Reptilicus.  But, man, there's certainly been a few instances in episode 2 Cry Wilderness.

[Thunder Glove]

I thought the original had 12 seasons.  I don't recall how the last episode ended, but I think the movie was something about Merlin running an antique shop?  The antagonist - Pearl? - really bugged me, as did a number of other things in the show's story at that point, so it largely was something I just turned on for background noise.

The show ran for seven seasons on Comedy Central and three on Sci-Fi, making this season 11.  (Technically, there's one more season from when it was a local UHF show, but they don't consider that part of the series.  It's usually called either "Season 0" or just "The KTMA season".  They redid a lot of those Season 0 movies when they started on Comedy Central.  The Season 0 episodes are interesting, but they're very uneven due to the riffs being done spontaneously rather than being pre-written)

Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders was the last episode aired, but nor the last episode produced.  There were some last-minute rights issues with the movie that forced them to hold it back until after the season finale (Danger: Diabolique) had aired.  The final episode ended with Mike and the 'Bots living in a small apartment on Earth, while Gypsy was a multibillionaire with her own corporation.

I didn't really notice any belaboring in the first episode, which was Reptilicus.  But, man, there's certainly been a few instances in episode 2 Cry Wilderness.

The one that springs immediately to mind was the D&D riff in the war room, which I laughed at, but then they tacked on unnecessary references to the Dead Alewives D&D sketch.  There were a couple of others, but I'd have to re-re-watch the episode to remember them.

[Tenzhi]

Ah, see, what you called "unnecessary references" was simply "saying what I was thinking" for me.  Indeed, as I recall, my brain shortly followed with a never split the party reference as some people split up or something and I was slightly sad that the commentary and I had parted ways.

[doc7924]

The show ran for seven seasons on Comedy Central and three on Sci-Fi, making this season 11.  (Technically, there's one more season from when it was a local UHF show, but they don't consider that part of the series.  It's usually called either "Season 0" or just "The KTMA season".  They redid a lot of those Season 0 movies when they started on Comedy Central.  The Season 0 episodes are interesting, but they're very uneven due to the riffs being done spontaneously rather than being pre-written)

Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders was the last episode aired, but nor the last episode produced.  There were some last-minute rights issues with the movie that forced them to hold it back until after the season finale (Danger: Diabolique) had aired.  The final episode ended with Mike and the 'Bots living in a small apartment on Earth, while Gypsy was a multibillionaire with her own corporation.

The one that springs immediately to mind was the D&D riff in the war room, which I laughed at, but then they tacked on unnecessary references to the Dead Alewives D&D sketch.  There were a couple of others, but I'd have to re-re-watch the episode to remember them.

I have one of those old UHF ones - they did one of the Space:1999 edited for TV films. Space Princess I think.

[Vee]

Cosmic Princess. Those early ones are really tough to watch, they barely comment.

Are *you people* trying to binge watch these like a normal length netflix show? Cause that seems like the kind of thing that needs to be monitored by mad scientists.

[doc7924]

Cosmic Princess. Those early ones are really tough to watch, they barely comment.

Are *you people* trying to binge watch these like a normal length netflix show? Cause that seems like the kind of thing that needs to be monitored by mad scientists.

Not only that, the robots and sets are downright ugly looking. The CC ones were also cheap looking, but in a good way.

[eabrace]

2 episodes in at the moment (definitely NOT trying to binge like I would other shows).  Reptilicus was OK, but I laughed more with Cry Wilderness.

[Thunder Glove]

Most reviews I've read say that episode 2 is much better than the first, and the cast really starts to gel at around episode 4 or 5.  But that's what I expected. I was hoping that Episode 1 would be competent and "feel" like MST3K, because I knew they'd be stiff.

But I have learned whether Netflix France has the episodes, and the answer is no, they don't.  I haven't seen any of the other episodes of the new season yet, and I don't know when I will.

As for the KTMA episodes - for a fan, they're extremely interesting from a historical perspective, but they're not very good.  (Though K01 and K02 both featured pretty goofily-entertaining "films" in their own right, so that helped me get through them)

... I guess I'll go binge-watch MFT3K. :(

[Tenzhi]

Most reviews I've read say that episode 2 is much better than the first, and the cast really starts to gel at around episode 4 or 5. 

Given a comment made in episode 2, that's pretty funny.  Personally I liked the first episode a bit more, but possibly because the movie itself was more laughable... and also because of the monster song.  Episode 2 also rekindled my hatred for Pearl and the monkey.

And, no, I'm definitely not binge watching.  At my current rate it may take me a couple of weeks to get through it.

[Thunder Glove]

I'm just frustrated.  If I'd known it wasn't going to air in France when I backed it, I would have either donated enough to get the whole season, or not donated at all.

I not only donated, I gave up my physical rewards for donating, because I didn't want them to waste the money on sending things overseas.

I was excitedly counting the days until the premiere.  I couldn't wait to spend this long weekend watching many of the new episodes.

But all I get is "Sorry, stupid non-living-in-America person, you don't get to actually watch the episodes, you just get to read other people gush about how great it is.   Thanks for the free cash, and enjoy the knot in your stomach!  Ha ha ha!"

No... actually, I'm not just frustrated.  I'm downright angry.

[Tenzhi]

That sucks, TG.  I wonder why it's not airing in France?  Possibly something to do with how France handles copyrights and MST3K's usage of old movies?

[Tahquitz]

I'd blame Netflix.  Geofencing bastards.