Joel Hodgson, the creator and original host of Mystery Science Theater 3000, shared an update with backers after the show's Season 14 fundraiser failed to meet its goal.
On the official MST3K fundraiser website, Hodgson acknowledged the disappointing news regarding Season 14 of the show. "While we’re incredibly grateful for all of the support, enthusiasm, and encouragement, it’s clear we’ve fallen short of our goal this time," Hodgson said. "First, to be clear, please understand that that means that no one will be charged anything, and we will not be collecting anything that you pledged to this campaign, since the agreement was that we’d only collect funds if we reached our minimum goal. No charges will be put on anyone’s credit cards. Second, and more important, please know that we’re incredibly grateful for all of your input, feedback, concerns and questions, and are thinking about all the suggestions you have made over the past month."
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Netflix is constantly putting out new content, and sometimes that method undercuts the potential of various TV series.Although MST3K failed to reach its goal of $4 million to produce a new season of the cult comedy series, Hodgson was optimistic about the future. He said the continued support of the MST3K campaign -- over $2,700,000 this year, equating to 68% of the $4 million goal -- has opened up the door for conversations about partnerships and future fundraisers to help make Season 14 a reality. "We’ll spend some time now exploring those, and working to integrate all of the feedback and suggestions we’ve heard from you, and will follow up again next year," Hodgson said. "...We’re proud that the show continues to mean so much, to so many, and will keep working to figure out a path forward so that we can hopefully continue to #MakeMoreMST3K."
On Nov. 10, 2015, Hodgson launched the Bring Back Mystery Science Theater 3000 fundraiser on Kickstarter. The initial goal was set at $2 million for three episodes but grossed over $6 million for the production of 14 episodes and a holiday special. The MST3K 2015 Kickstarter bested the $5.70 million raised for the Veronica Mars movie but was surpassed by the Critical Role: The Legend of Vox Machina Kickstarter of over $11 million. The new era of MST3K, hosted by Jonah Heston and the bots, premiered on Netflix for two seasons before the streaming giant canceled the show.
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Based on the Free Guy reaction video, the ideal Deadpool show might be a Disney+/Hulu equivalent of Mystery Science Theater 3000.After Netflix ceased production of MST3K, Hodgson launched a new MST3K fundraiser that would not only support the production of Season 13 but also support the creation of a new niche streaming service to host the show called the Gizmoplex. Similar to the 2015 Kickstarter, the Season 13 fundraiser for MST3K was initially set at the goal of $2 million to produce three episodes plus the Gizmoplex. However, the campaign raised over $6 million in the end to produce more content for fans.
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is available on a variety of streaming platforms, such as YouTube, Netflix and Pluto.
Source: MST3K