Published Feb 15, 2026, 3:56 PM EST
Dalton is a freelance writer, novelist, and filmmaker from Orlando Florida. He currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, and pursues writing full-time. He is an avid reader, film buff, and amateur historian who also publishes novels on the side. Dalton graduated from the University of Central Florida with a BFA in Film and he often applies his industry-specific knowledge when writing about film and television. Along with his blog, Dalton's critical essays on film have been published in various places online.
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is returning for another reboot in 2026, and here's everything you need to know about the cult classic show's return. Starting in 1988 as a public access show on the Minneapolis station, KTMA, the series soon joined the burgeoning Comedy Central a year later. Across various incarnations, MST3K has kept fans laughing with its irreverent humor.
MST3K is quite simple, and it involves a host being forced to watch terrible movies where he or she provides witty commentary along with two robot companions. The flexible format hasn't changed much, and the show has grown a loyal fanbase. A new revival was announced in February, and a lot of details have begun flooding the internet.
A Classic Host Returns For 4 New Episodes
On February 2nd, it was announced that Mystery Science Theater 3000 would be coming back with four new episodes. In the announcement, it was revealed that Mike Nelson would return as the show's host, a role he played during seasons five through 10 of the original series. Nelson will be joined by former co-stars Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett.
Murphy and Corbett will return to puppeteer and voice Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot, respectively, Nelson's robot pals who join him during the movies. The trio of Nelson, Murphy, and Corbett have been running the successful movie riffing project, RiffTrax, for the last 20 years. RiffTrax follows the same comedic formula as MST3K, but without the storyline aspects.
Other confirmed returns include Mary Jo Pehl, who played the villainous Pearl Forrester during seasons seven through 10. Furthermore, Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff will be back as Dr. Clayton Forrester and TV's Frank, respectively. The emphasis on classic cast members marks a shift away from new hosts that were seen in Mystery Science Theater 3000's last three seasons (11-13).
Press regarding the MST3K: RiffTrax Experiments highlights a return to the show's roots, with intentionally cheesy sets and a DIY aesthetic. A Kickstarter campaign was launched which managed to blow past its $20,000 goal, hitting nearly $2 million at the time of writing. Unlike previous MST3K crowdfunding attempts, the production of the episodes isn't dependent on the fundraising.
MST3K Has Been Rebooted Many Times Before
The only thing constant in the MST3K fandom is change, and the show has evolved since 1988. The switch from KTMA to Comedy Central was something of a reboot, as was the replacement of original host, Joel Hodgson, with Mike Nelson in 1993. The series was canceled after season 7, only to be revived by The Sci-Fi Channel.
After MST3K ended its 10th season, the show was gone for nearly 20 years. However, a revival began on Netflix in 2017, featuring a new host and a slightly altered look. The Netflix era lasted two seasons before concluding in 2018. A few years passed before a successfully crowdfunded season 13 arrived online, which featured a revolving door of hosts.
Sadly, attempts to crowdfund season 14 were unsuccessful, and Mystery Science Theater 3000 floundered for several years. The newly-announced MST3K: Rifftrax Experiments begins an exciting new chapter for the cult classic series, one that has a real chance to succeed in the long term. No matter how many times it's rebooted, die-hard fans will always return for more laughs.
Sources: Variety, Kickstarter
Release Date 1988 - 1999-00-00
Showrunner Joel Hodgson
Directors Joel Hodgson
Writers Joel Hodgson
English (US) ·