‘Mystery Science Theater 3000’ Sets 2026 Return — Where We Left Off
Movie sign! RiffTrax and Shout! Studios are joining forces to produce four brand-new episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000. A Kickstarter campaign was launched to fuel the revival, and fans responded fast, pushing the fundraiser well beyond its original goal.
According to Variety, longtime RiffTrax collaborators and Mystery Science Theater 3000 vets Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett will be the creative leads on the upcoming episodes, officially dubbed Mystery Science Theater 3000: The RiffTrax Experiments.
According to the Kickstarter campaign, “We’re thrilled to announce that for 2026, in partnership with Shout! Studios, we will be making FOUR brand-new episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000! Mike Nelson is returning as host, alongside Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett as his robot friends Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot.”
Nelson will step back in front of the camera as Mike Nelson, with Murphy returning to his dual roles as Tom Servo and Professor Bobo, and Corbett once again voicing Crow T. Robot. Rounding out the reunion, Mary Jo Pehl will reprise her role as Pearl Forrester.
Seeking $20k in crowdfunding, the Kickstarter was already soaring. On the day it was announced, pledges rose from $200k to $300 in under 10 minutes. Funds were coming in so quickly that the campaign brought in +$50k in the time it took to write these sentences.
The Kickstarter campaign promises: “We’ll have more to share in the days to come. So check out all the pledge levels and great rewards!”
There is still a month to go on the campaign, which ends on Monday, March 16, 2026 8/7c.
Created by Joel Hodgson, the original series wrapped on May 18, 1996, with a fittingly meta finale that saw Mike and the bots finally escape their captivity, only to choose to hang out and watch a movie for fun rather than being forced to do it.
In 2022, the cult classic returned with a fan-funded revival, bringing a new generation of riffing aboard the Satellite of Love while staying true to the show’s joke-a-minute spirit. Concluding on the Season 13 Episode 13, “The Christmas Dragon,” the show ended with the trio freeing themselves from Kinga Forrester’s (Felicia Day) “Gizmoplex” (a theater on the moon). With help from an unexpected source, Pearl Forrester (Pehl), the hosts and their bots successfully escaped through a “Time Bag,” leaving the moon base and ending up back on Earth in 1991.
Click here to check out Kickstarter campaign.
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