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An Update on What Joel’s Been Up To…

… comeback-wise.

Samuel Claiborn of IGN has an extensive piece on where things stand and what he’s looking for going ahead.

63 Replies to “An Update on What Joel’s Been Up To…”

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  1. michaelkz says:

    MST3K needs a TV home and a groupof creative people that can spend time to work together and get good. It’s as simple as that.

       3 likes

  2. Lawgiver says:

    The Original EricJ:

    …but would someone tell their interns to stop being so desperately Bill-hysterical about trying to make it sound like it was their comic IDEA to do whatever turned up in the PD pipe that week

    It seems like you’re the only one having some kind of issue with this, so why don’t you do it?

       12 likes

  3. myothernamewastaken3 says:

    To me the thought of a constantly changing cast is a horrible idea. It takes time for the cast and the writers to gel and really get a rhythm going. And I know for myself, and lots of others, it takes us as the viewers a while to get used to the new hosts as well. When it switched from Joel to Mike there was an adjustment period, but I ended up liking Mike more. Then when Bill came on there was an adjustment, and I grew to love what he brought. Then we had to get used to Jonah, and it seemed like it took them a season to get everything firing on all cylinders, which they did by the second season. So now Joel wants to constantly change the cast? They will never have a chance to really click and we won’t have a chance to get used to them. “Oh, they were great…oh nope, there’s a new one next episode…” And we come to care about the characters too. How does that happen when it’s constantly changing? I just think it’s a terrible idea.

       12 likes

  4. bchat says:

    myothernamewastaken3: It takes time for the cast and the writers to gel and really get a rhythm going.And I know for myself, and lots of others, it takes us as the viewers a while to get used to the new hosts as well.

    Great point. I discovered MST3K somewhere around the 4th season, so I only knew Servo as voiced by Kevin. The first episode I saw with J.Elvis providing Servo’s voice was in one of the dvd sets. I couldn’t stand it because it was so jarring to my ears compared to what I had become used to. It wasn’t until just this past decade that I got used to hearing him voicing Htom after I started watching the KTMA episodes on the old information super-highway. His “mighty jacket” line from the KTMA version of “Mighty Jack” was the first thing he said that got me laughing, and it was all uphill from there.

    That said, I kinda feel bad for Jonah & the new crew because they only had 20 episodes to work things out for themselves. Despite that, I like what they did, with some of the NetFlix episodes becoming favorites right away.

       3 likes

  5. mando3b says:

    The Original EricJ: Just as long as SOME folks remember it:
    When MST3K first came on, we knew why the network was showing Lance Link, Abbott & Costello and Supercar, so seeing “Radar Men From the Moon” turn up on the show was no surprise either.

    I normally wouldn’t mind RT having to dumpster-dive Amazon Prime and ephemera-shorts just to keep their daily bread going, but would someone tell their interns to stop being so desperately Bill-hysterical about trying to make it sound like it was their comic IDEA to do whatever turned up in the PD pipe that week, and make it sound like the next Star Wars Holiday Special?:
    “In the tradition of great war epics, we bring you ‘Air Force Service Film #873: Aircraft Riveting”!…The stirring wartime miniseries pitting our fighting forces in war and romance, against a stainless steel enemy, in a riveting drama!”

    “You’re the only one interested in this, Steve!” Tom Servo, Night of the Blood Beast

       10 likes

  6. Chazzzbot says:

    I’ve seen all the live shows- they were all amazing! I wish they would have released them. I’ve been a fan since the Joel days on Comedy Central and have since collected every episode. I feel like a weirdo because I’ve loved every incarnation. I’m excited about whatever future MST may bring. Maybe I’m missing the nostalgia gene? I’ve never gone to a concert and yelled, “Just play the hits!” I wanna hear the new stuff!!!

       4 likes

  7. Chazzzbot says:

    Having said the above, if they do have multiple hosts- I would prefer they stick with one actor per Tom/Crow and not switch those around every episode. Or they could have Tom & Crow with Jonah, 2 new robots with Joel, 2 new robots with Emily- MIX AND MATCH . . . COLLECT THEM ALL! I bet there will be slot machine spinning wheels of hosts/robots to TORTURE! I’ll start writing my MST fan fiction book now.

       1 likes

  8. mando3b says:

    Chazzzbot:
    Having said the above, if they do have multiple hosts- I would prefer they stick with one actor per Tom/Crow and not switch those around every episode. Or they could have Tom & Crow with Jonah, 2 new robots with Joel, 2 new robots with Emily- MIX AND MATCH . . . COLLECT THEM ALL! I bet there will be slot machine spinning wheels of hosts/robots to TORTURE! I’ll start writing my MST fan fiction book now.

    I mentioned back when S11 started that it would be cool to have some kind of “merry mix-up” with Joel, Mike & Jonah plus Trace/Crow, Bill/Crow, New/Crow and so on. One of you pointed out quite reasonably that the logistics would get real complicated, real fast. Still, though . . .
    I kind of like the idea of having mix-n-match hosts–the Mad(s) have captured more than one victim and alternate them as part of their experiments! That would offer funny possibilities with the ‘bots interacting with the different humans in different ways, gossiping with each one about the others, etc. Of course, this brings us to one great, big problem, namely:
    My main complaint with Netflix MST is that the new Crow & Servo have no personality to speak of, and that you can’t even tell which is speaking. That could never possibly have happened on the classic show. If the Netflix cast had been able to carry on indefinitely, perhaps they would have developed their own personalities, but it sure didn’t happen after the 20 eps of S11 & 12. THIS is why I think it is rather pointless to make all these mechanical improvements to them as puppets: who cares if Servo flies and Crow rides a pogo stick if they sound like the same bland, generic character?

       2 likes

  9. Master Ninja 2 says:

    Back in the day, I didn’t know who was talking, or hadn’t even put two and two together to figure out Dr. F was Crow. But in a short time, I could distinguish everyone. Once you get used to them, Baron, Hampton and Jonah do not sound alike. They are quite different. Especially after listening to a lot of Hampton’s podcasts, now I don’t hear Crow, I hear Hampton!

       3 likes

  10. Captain Howdy says:

    Sorry for all the self-entitled bitterness, Joel!

    (Part of it is the Covid.)

    Don’t worry.

    As far as me and my house, we’ll follow you through the gates of Hell!

    (But. I am going to have to write you up for not even ONCE having Felicia Day appear in a black one-piece bathing suit, floppy white hat, pink Crocs, and Yoko Ono sunglasses while burying Patton in the sands of planet Dune while on vacation.

    A smear of white sunblock on her cute little nose while Patton is screaming “No! No! My God! Not the sandworms! Holy Mother of God!”

    Felicia just keeps scooping that spicey sand onto the little rascal.

    So yeah, Joelene. Consider yourself written up.)

       3 likes

  11. Captain Howdy says:

    As far as Jim Mallon – he is a hell of a good egg and none of you would be here without him.

    Q.E.D.

    Think about it, won’t you?

       9 likes

  12. claybone says:

    myothernamewastaken3:
    It takes time for the cast and the writers to gel and really get a rhythm going.And I know for myself, and lots of others, it takes us as the viewers a while to get used to the new hosts as well.

    I agree with this, too. Now that I’ve gotten used to Jonah, Baron and Hampton, I want to hear more from them in these roles.

       3 likes

  13. Thad Boyd says:

    mando3b: Public domain, not public domain, who the hell cares?

    Well, the people who are choosing the movies care, because if it’s not public domain then they (1) need permission to use it and (2) could lose that permission at a later date.

    bchat: That said, I kinda feel bad for Jonah & the new crew because they only had 20 episodes to work things out for themselves. Despite that, I like what they did, with some of the NetFlix episodes becoming favorites right away.

    You say that like they weren’t part of the decision-making process.

    The reason there are other performers besides Jonah, Hampton, and Baron (as well as Rebecca, Felicia, and Patton) is that they have other things they want to do with their time — families and other projects. They weren’t all available for the tours, and so Joel pulled in some alternates.

    The new show isn’t like the original run — for the cast, it’s not their day job; they have other things going on. And until and unless the show comes back on something resembling some kind of regular schedule, that’s the way it’s going to be. And we’re not even sure that’s going to happen — it sounds like what Joel has planned is a series of one-off specials, and he’s not even sure if a return as a series is in the cards yet.

    What it looks like to me is that Jonah, at least, still wants to be involved in the show but has made the decision to step back a bit and share his duties with other performers. He hasn’t been pushed out or sidelined; he hasn’t been fired and he hasn’t quit. But he’s given his blessing to other performers taking his spot when he’s busy with other things (for example, I believe the reason he wasn’t in the most recent tour was that he had a standup tour at the same time). I don’t know if Baron and Hampton are planning on coming back or not, but I expect they’d be welcome if they wanted to.

       2 likes

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