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Mystery Science Theater 3000 XIV

Preliminary details for the next MST3K DVD set–“Mystery Science Theater 3000 XIV”–was released to retailers today and our friends at tvshowsondvd.com have posted the info. Episodes reported to be in the set are:

  • 103- Mad Monster
  • 413- Manhunt in Space
  • 1001- Soultaker
  • 1008- Final Justice

There’s no word yet on what bonus material will be included, if any. The tentative release date is February 3, 2009. As always, we’ll post more information about this set as soon as we receive it.

197 Replies to “Mystery Science Theater 3000 XIV”

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  1. Matt says:

    Oh yeah! Final Justice!

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  2. The Professor says:

    Hurray! These are all fine, fine selections. I, personally, enjoy the early Season 1 and KTMA episodes because of their laid back approach to riffing that allows you to get into the movie a bit more. Here’s hoping Shout releases Robot Monster in the future.

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  3. Luke says:

    Still no Jack Frost :(

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  4. Watches some of Manhunt in Space. Pretty good. I guess whether I get it or not depends on the extras and my financial situation. No harm in pre-ordering it, I guess.

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  5. Cabbage Patch Elvis says:

    Keep em comin’, Shout Factory! You think you can put out more episodes than Rhino? Go ahead on!

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  6. happy says:

    I think we will see more of Season 1, maybe they will also release the rest of what they can of Season 10..my favorite Season 1’s left unreleased are Crawling Eye, & Robot Monster..
    Maybe someday we will get Season 3 stuff, but Id say it is far on the radar..
    Id like to see some of those Russian titles too..we will just have to wait and see..
    Ive waited forever for 201,203,205,208,101

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  7. SoulTaker says:

    Did anyone else see “Final” and think “Final Sacrifice”? Not that I’m complaining… Joe Don Baker is almost as good as some Zapp Rowsdower.

    Now let’s play ring-toss… with your soul!

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  8. norgavue says:

    Haven’t seen any of those joel eps yet so this will be a treat. Add in my favorite two episodes from season ten and if your like me then “you better run…” and preorder this set. All product placement and commercial like post aside I hope to see more bonus features that match up to the last set. And any figures would make my life.

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  9. Joe Sixpack says:

    I want a life-size TV’s Frank with mine.

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  10. Ron says:

    Seems like after all these years, MSTies are still bickering over Joel vs. Mike, Comedy Central vs. Sci-Fi etc. To say some episodes are not worthy of DVD release or to make reference to ‘real’ episodes is really just very silly. Personally I have a slight preference for the later (Mike/Sci-Fi) years but I love the earlier (Joel/Comedy Central)years too. If Mike was so bad then why did Joel have the smarts (and humility) to make him head writer?

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  11. Smog Monster says:

    Man, this was your excuse to air PhaseIV …………………………. it’s pretty good if you edited out the long pause at the end :(

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  12. M "Looks Like Popeye Got That Operation He Wanted..." Sipher says:

    “Mad Monster” contains one of my all-time favorite riffs, and it’s a Josh-Tom one: “That felt good. Now I’m going to turn my daughter into a woodchuck.” It’s just so… silly, yet no sillier than the plot of the movie, if you think about it.

    And I love the Rocky Jones episodes. There’s something so EARNEST and innocent about those two movies that, mixed with incompetence and low budget, makes for prime comedy material. I’m hoping for “Crash of the Moons” shortly after.

    I know this is not going to be a popular opinion… but the Man or Astro-Man? mention was probably the most interesting part of the Joel cameo in “Soultaker” for me. Also… wow, the two movies with joe Estevez one after the other?

    I’d call this a damn solid set.

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  13. Satan's Jockstrap says:

    It just isn’t death with dignity when there’s an Estevez in the room.

    F**king awesome set….bravo Shout!!!

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  14. Jeff McM says:

    Buying box sets with ‘lame’ episodes, however one might define that, pays for the DVD rights down the road for ‘non-lame’ episodes. Plus, many ‘non-lame’ episodes will NEVER be available no matter how much people want to complain.

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  15. I’m always surprised at how varied people’s tastes are. I can’t stand Season 1, and Manhunt/Crash of the Moons is really hard to watch and enjoy (as is much of Season 4, sadly for me). I know people have different senses of humor and all, but sometimes the difference in taste is almost unfathomable to me . . .

    I wonder if that’s mostly a Joel/Mike thing, or an age/generational thing, or a regional/culture one . . . hell, that’d be an interesting poll: episode preference by age, profession, state where the person grew up, etc.

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  16. jason davis says:

    first i like this set. mad moinster is underated. it is a good episod eplus you get commander coduy which telles me we might get more season 1 episodes. To me you try to put all of the epidsodes on dvd. The good, bad or ugly. manhunt is space is a great epsode. soultaker was okay, however you get the return of joel. final sacrifice was a very good episode. I think this is a great set to buy. a very balanced dvd set. I am going to buy it. Mad monster you have to be in the right mood for it. I always enjoyed it. that leaves diabolik, squirm, track of moonbeast, it lives by night, and dr. z left in season 10.

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  17. Hamdingers says:

    I think everyone has that one or two episodes they scan the list for with hope, then say ‘aww’ when they are not there. For me, that’s Operation Double 007 and The Day The Earth Froze.

    Having said that – I’m fine with this layout. I loved both the Rocky Jones movies and Soultaker is funny. I know little of Season 1 so I’m excited to see Josh in action.

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  18. Zombie says:

    I’m excited.

    And for all the real fans, don’t be upset by the haters out there. Remember, this is the internet, and most of the happy people read the news and go on their way, you know the rest of this thought.

    I just don’t get how people can claim to be fans of something and then turn around and say they hate half of it. Its as bad as the Star Wars “fans” that hate the new trilogy.

    Do you buy just CT dvd’s and no rifftrax? I get them all. I laugh at both, why does there always have to be sides? I don’t like Pepsi, I’ll admit that, Pepsi can go home and cry to mammy like the baby pepsi is. Eat a peach, Pepsi!

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  19. Teenage Cavegirl says:

    I’m curious why there’s so much S10 so far. Less SF, more CC please. Yeah, I’m a bad fan.

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  20. I'm not a medium, I'm a petite says:

    20,25,27,29 etc.: Amen siblings.

    26 etc.: No disrespect intended, but y’all are psycho.

    Any previously un-released release is a good release.

    And if you want something that’s not released, get your lazy a** over to the DAP and ‘circulate’ the ‘tapes’. The Brains don’t mind.

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  21. Opus says:

    I think the disappointment over Sci Fi era episodes being released (besides the fact that they are not as funny) is that many of us have copies of the Comedy Central episodes on bad quality VHS recorded from 2 head VCRs and we’re eager for upgrades to them.

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  22. I kind of agree with the poster who is wondering why “fans” say they don’t like about half of the episodes.

    There’s nothing wrong with having an opinion, and certainly not all the music made by the Beatles was excellent (some was even annoying) but even if you have likes and dislikes I don’t get the intense feelings of hatred when shows are released. Surely those folks must understand the vast majority of us are completists? And, as a wise reviewer wrote on the Entertainment Weekly site, even bad MST3K is better than nearly any other television out there.

    I personally don’t like season one at all, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want it in my collection. When my wife and I go through our “cycle” of watching all the shows in order every couple of years (we’re in the late 500’s right now) I kind of cringe when I see how unfunny the show was that season. But do I complain that this set contains a season one episode? Nope, I’m glad to get it so the pretty bad one I have can be replaced (unlike the broadcast quality of nearly all the rest of the seasons I have, none of season one is very good, nor have I spent any time trying to improve it).

    Which brings up another point — I *have* broadcast quality DVDs of all the rest of the seasons and I’m STILL happy to buy the commercial ones. They may not even be better than mine (there are at least one or two that won’t, as I professionally mastered them from several sources and used techniques I’m sure the Shout! folks won’t). However, I love MST3K and having “official” copies of all of this stuff is wonderful. What else would I waste my money on? (And, yes, I lust after a Tom Servo figure).

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  23. Speedy says:

    Why do I keep getting a wordpress error for this one?

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  24. Speedy says:

    okay, finally. I thought maybe the Mike era eps are easier to get being more recently licensed for TV.

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  25. I'm not a medium, I'm a petite says:

    Teenage Cavegirl #69 ( woohoo ). I’m curious as well… when Set 14 comes out, 8 of the 13 Season 10 episodes will be on DVD. As a percentage, no other season comes close ( including Set 14, both Season 4 and Season 5 are at 11/24 ). I think Seasons 6 & 8 have the next highest saturation.

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  26. GregS says:

    Excellent news!! I LOVE Final Justice!

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  27. Graboidz says:

    When can I pre-order!!!

    All of MST3K deserves the DVD treatment. Shout Factory is doing a great job. No extras needed for this fan, just a pristine copy of the episode is worth the $$.

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  28. happy says:

    Season 2 has 201,203,205,208,210 & 213 – thats 6 more to go there. At least they are closing in on getting almost through one season. From Season 10 – I dont think Squirm, Diabolik or It Lives By Night will be coming anytime soon, but the other 2 have a shot. One good thing about whatever does get released on DVD, it is chance to upgrade & replace tapes, some of which are getting washed up in terms of quality, and also clears some space up. A lot of my Season 4 stuff isnt of the best quality, so Ive been waiting for a few releases toward the later part of Season 4 I have like 3 shows crammed onto a single tape at EP speed, so the quality isnt so good. There are maybe 5 or 6 shows I didnt really like, and most have been released anyway, but overall Im happy to see anything released.
    A dream set for me would be The Lippert movies and anything from show 415 to 420 as I get preferred episodes and a chance to upgrade washed up tapes to DVD :)

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  29. I'm not a medium, I'm a petite says:

    you’ve got a point there happy, I forgot that Season 2 was only 13 eps. So we’re 7 down, 6 to go, placing it slightly behind Season 10 and ahead of Seasons 4 and 5.

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  30. happy says:

    All in due time, it wouldnt surprise me to see a set with Final Sacrifice in the near future, well nearer than any Gamera movie or AIP movie from Season 3

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  31. mdwileygrl says:

    I’m sure they’re releasing so many season 10 eps because it’s easier to secure the rights for them.

    And I do understand having a preference for one host or another, one style or another, but dammit, they’re ALL funny, to a greater or lesser degree. I always have preferred Joel and Trace over Mike and Bill, but I watched “Werewolf” this past weekend form the 20th Anniversary box, and I laughed myself into a hernia. They’re both hysterical and funny and smart, along with damn near everyone else involed. So – Joel and Trace, you’ll always be my “firsts” and will have a special place in my heart, but Mike and Bill, you’re great!!! (Of course, so are Kevin and Mary Jo and Josh and Frank etc etc etc). I guess what I’m trying to say is – they’re all fantastic, and we should all feel lucky to have such a wealth of material – MST3K, CT, Rifftrax, Film Crew – from such funny people. NO MORE ANGER!!!

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  32. Bobo "BuckDat" Briggs says:

    Raptorial Talon says:
    November 11th, 2008 at 5:39 am

    “I’m always surprised at how varied people’s tastes are. I can’t stand Season 1, and Manhunt/Crash of the Moons is really hard to watch and enjoy (as is much of Season 4, sadly for me). I know people have different senses of humor and all, but sometimes the difference in taste is almost unfathomable to me . . .

    I wonder if that’s mostly a Joel/Mike thing, or an age/generational thing, or a regional/culture one . . . hell, that’d be an interesting poll: episode preference by age, profession, state where the person grew up, etc.”

    It can be a little bit of those things but with many I’m sure it’s the same as with me, which is WHEN you got into the show. Speaking for myself, I pretty much love them all down the line but lean towards Joel because I started watching it during late Season 1 early Season 2. For some, watching older episodes is like going backwards and I totally understand that. But for me, I watched the show when they were new and believe me when i tell you season one was the funniest thing ever at the time. There was just nothing else like it and the best thing was it just kept getting funnier as time went on. You couldn’t compare it to much “funnier” episodes yet or different hosts. Well, I guess you could compare lots of things and people did but the gap wasn’t as big so you know what I mean. I can still put later eps out of my mind and enjoy those older ones as they are, even season 1. Though boring in comparison, there’s still things about them that I’ll always love and not just in a nostalgic way.

    I know some really love Season 8, but I thought it was very weak at first in comparison and they really didn’t start hitting their stride again till late 8 and into 9 and 10. Minus a few hit and missing like the thing with Gypsy’s foot in Future Wax. What the hell was That all about?

    By the way, Season 8 really has grown on me more and more as years have passed just like the CC era Mike eventually came to be “classic”. It might be somewhat generational or a humor preference with some but I was born in 79 and I bet there’s others here who prefer the opposite as me who are my age so…

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  33. John Seavey says:

    Final Justice and Soul-taker make me happy. “I just have to go wake the rest of Menudo.”

    Not seen the two Joel episodes (and I’m generally a bit wary of Season One), but I’m an enterprising kind of guy, and I’ll watch ’em both.

    All in all, more MST=Good.

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  34. Bobo "BuckDat" Briggs says:

    Oh and am I tripping when I say wasn’t Final Justice already put out on DVD through the info club? (Along with a couple other season 10’s which may or may not have included Squirm, It Lives, Boggy Creek, Moon Beast or Gold Boots.)

    Or maybe they were just some VHS releases and it was other stuff released as bare bones DVDs. I don’t remember.

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  35. Droppo says:

    I’ll never understand “fans” who bash the show. But, I do think it’s perfectly understandable to have AN opinion about the quality of each set.

    This one is truly a mixed bag for me. Some good selections and one that I have no interest in.

    While I love both Joel and Mike, I do have a very firm opinion on what constitutes the glory years: Seasons 2 – 7. There are some terrific Sci Fi episodes and I’m actually very pleased with the 2 selected here. Soultaker and Final Justice are easily in my Top 10 favorite Sci Fi shows.

    And Manhunt in Space does come from what I consider to be the glory years. Unfortunately, it’s probably one of my least favorite episodes of that era, but complaining about that feels like nitpicking. They’re on the right track to include anything from Seasons 2-7.

    My biggest concern is the inclusion of Mad Monster. For me, Season 1 falls so flat that I literally have zero interest in any of these episodes being released. It’s kind of like turning a 4-DVD set into a 3-DVD set if a Season 1 episode is included. I really hope it’s not a trend.

    That’s not a knock on the show. If you recall, Best Brains themselves didn’t want Season 1 shown because they didn’t feel the quality was up to par.

    So, in sum….good Sci Fi episodes, although I strongly prefer the CC Season 2-7 era. Very unhappy about Mad Monster. Appreciate including a Season 4 episode even though it’s not one of my favorites.

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  36. Erik says:

    I’m grateful that they are releasing some more episodes, but why is it taking so long for The Final Sacrifice to get released? It’s such an iconic movie with arguably the best MST3k related character: Zap Rowsdower.

    Come on Shout Factory! Is there some obscure licensing problem with this movie or something?

    I wonder what Coach Don Shula would do if he were in charge of selecting the episodes. :smile:

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  37. I'm not a medium, I'm a petite says:

    BBDB #86 Well put and I agree ( and I also started watching at the cusp of S1 and S2 ). For those that started watching in real time, when they started watching seems to make a big difference ( based on this board ). But I wonder about people that started watching after the show stopped broadcasting…. do THEY have a more even-handed view of the series, not being locked into that whole sequential thing ?

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  38. I'm not a medium, I'm a petite says:

    WHOOPS, the post I referenced in 87 should have been 82, not 86. Not that 86 wasn’t a nice post or anything, it just wasn’t what I had in mind.

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  39. Joey Joe Joe says:

    I just don’t get how people can claim to be fans of something and then turn around and say they hate half of it. Its as bad as the Star Wars “fans” that hate the new trilogy.

    Do you buy just CT dvd’s and no rifftrax? I get them all. I laugh at both, why does there always have to be sides?

    Ummm…it’s called having a difference of opinion.

    As far was Star Wars goes, it’s obvious that the two trilogies have completely different feels to them. So, it’s natural that many will love one trilogy and not like the other at all.

    The same can be said of MST3K episodes or CT vs. Rifftrax. Different types of humor will draw people to one or the other. That’s just the way it is.

    I will admit that there are MST3K episodes that I really hate to sit through. Why? Because the movies themselves are so horrid that it hurts. The Unearthly is a perfect example. That’s a movie that makes my eyes bleed. I hate it with a passion. I’m not blaming the MST3K guys though. It’s just that that movie was way too brutal for riffing to save it, IMO.

    I believe that other fans feel the same way. Does this make them lesser fans than you? No way. They just have different tastes.

    So, do I get pissed if an MST3K fan says that Mitchell or Space Mutiny sucked? No way. I just realize that they have different tastes than me and I move on. I suggest that you do the same instead of complaining about it.

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  40. Joey Joe Joe says:

    Oops. In post 89 I’m quoting the first two paragraphs. The rest is my response. :razz:

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  41. The Mighty Drew says:

    This is indeed wonderful and exciting news, to have a follow-up set so soon.

    Come, Shout Factory. Take my money and make me bankrupt. I dare you. :smile:

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  42. happy says:

    My 80th comment was for # 86’s comment about Final Sacrifice. Im really thrilled for Season 1 being shown, it is a part of MST3K, and one of the ways to see Josh..they were just starting out, and the show was still developing..i dont know..i really like the early stuff, as a mst fan & historian, & it upgrades my Season 1 tape collection with each DVD that comes out..no set will please everyone, based on past releases, but hey, at least Shout is putting out our favorite show..and its different era’s. Manhunt in Space is sort of a lesser show between the Hercules Movies and Fire Maidens, but still if youre in the mood to watch a campy sci fi movie, the riffs are fine & it isnt a bad show. Maybe Crash of the Moons will pop up soon :)

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  43. Dames Like Her says:

    I was so happy to see another set to be released, I almost didn’t care what episodes were on it- yes, I almost -just- didn’t- care… my copies of these eps are so well-worn that even the thought of seeing Joe Don Baker’s living ham face in crisp digital form is cause for celebration. And of course Robert Zdar’s- whatever that is on top of his body- in full focus as well. “Manhunt In Space” is not one of my absolute favorites, but personally I find that when these black and whites, which seem to become especially fuzzy over time, are rendered in DVD that I find more funny in the cleaned-up film. Ergo: it’s just easier to watch and listen to.
    I fully agree about a Servo figure being a must- I wonder if a representation of all the Titans will follow in subsequent sets.
    Perhaps the choices are determined by movie-rights clearing–?
    All I know is, I’m gonna need me another DVD shelf!

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  44. Cliff says:

    They could fill the box with sampo-dust and I’d still buy it if it included a mini Tom Servo.

    I was kinda hoping for Squirm for the set, but I can wait :)

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  45. Where’s all the vitriol that every other post on this thread references? Jeez, I know you’re all rabid MST3K geeks but try to hang a little loose. I’m sure Shout! appreciates all the praise but the groveling is so undignified.

    And I love the Unearthly! :twisted:

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  46. Charles says:

    To me Season 1’s are no better than the UnMSTed movie. Mad Monster also had ugly green silhouettes. I kind of like Mad Monster even though it’s not that funny.

    Season 10 gets a lot of episodes because they used a lot of cheap-ass movies that were either public domain or close to it. The only ones from Season 10 that I think are unreleasable are It Lives By Night, Squirm, and Diabolik. We won’t see a lot from Season 3 or 8 because they used a lot of expensive movies from AIP and Universal Studios, unless Shout Factory has some magic kung fu they can use to get the rights.

    The good news is that this means they have the rights to General Hospital, so they can release Beatniks! I love that one.

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  47. To #82 and #87:

    Interesting.

    I’m a somewhat younger (than average?) viewer, and I didn’t get into the series until maybe late Season 8 or so. I had, however, seen Joel-era stuff in syndication way back when – and while I liked it, I didn’t fully appreciate it at the time.

    Later on, a friend re-introduced me to the show, and eventually I was reminded that there had been a host before Mike – a fact which I had forgotten. I immediately realized “hey, that’s the guy I really first saw the show with,” and so I was open to stuff from that era even though I was initially just a hint uncomfortable with it. Especially Crow’s voice. (I continue to prefer Bill’s, but that’s just an arbitrary thing on my part – doesn’t detract from Trace episodes.)

    I still think Sci-fi era stuff is funnier, but I believe that’s because the writers as a group had had more time to hone their craft and their chemistry – really, the whole history of the show is one of increasing skill and humor, as I see it. It’s not about who hosted or what channel it was on, it’s simply about the writers/performers gaining more experience through time. Shifting pop-cultural references may also be relevant for younger folks like myself, with the Sci-fi stuff seeming both more familiar and edgier to us as a result.

    And that said, I think Mike was funnier as host but that Joel was more charming and nuanced (insert Jack Frost host-segment reference here). The host segments are usually the most memorable and quotable from Joel-era material, in my experience, whereas Mike-era ones – while frequently brilliant – also more frequently serve mainly as punctuation than as prime sources of enjoyment.

    Also, that fake foot thing? No, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense (‘cept in the context of kickboxing), but to someone with a largely absurdist sense of humor like mine, it was, and is, awesome.

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  48. SoulTaker says:

    Actually, I’m slightly surprised to see SoulTaker listed. I remember there was a post on the IMDB forum from one of the producers who hated, hated, hated the MST3k version of the film. I wondered if the producers would try (if they had the ability) to block this from DVD. Glad to see I was wrong. :)

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  49. ck says:

    “And I’m rooting for a mini-Servo. Do you think they’d do a mini-Joel? Or a mini-Mike? I’ll take mini-Forester or mini-TV’s Frank too. Pearl, Bobo, Brain Guy etc. Mini-Pitch! Or mini-Torgo. Mini-SOL. The possibilities are endless!”
    ====================================
    Just so there’s no mini-Joe Don Baker
    (if such a thing is possible :grin: )

    I think this is a good set, although the
    first season episodes I’ve seen seem quite
    amateurish on several levels compared to later
    years.

    Soultaker is an interesting one, with the
    creepy “mom” ogling the heroine, and, of
    course, TV’s Frank as less then dedicated
    to his new career as a Soultaker.

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  50. Tommy says:

    For collection 15 I think Final Sacrifice and Moon Beast will be there! Then again I’ve been waiting for those 2 for a while lol!
    I think for season 8 the only one that can come out anymore is Neptune Men.
    Season 9-FS, Devilfish, Delta Knights and Screaming Skull. (And possibly Puma Man).
    Who knows about season 7.
    Season 10 I think Moon Beast and possibly Dr. Z. Although Dr. Z only aired 3 times.

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