The cast and crew on the Castle Forrester set.
In September 1988, Joel Hodgson enlisted Twin City-area comedians Trace Beaulieu and Josh Weinstein to help him shoot a pilot for the show. The robots and the set, in their crudest format, were built overnight by Hodgson. The next morning, shooting commenced on the 30-minute pilot. Joel watched the movie by himself, with Trace playing Crow T. Robot and Josh playing Gypsum (an early version of Gypsy) during the host segments. Camera work was by Kevin Murphy, who also created the first "doorway sequence" and theater seat design.
Once the show moved to The Comedy Channel, its format was changed: instead of ad-lib riffs in the theater, each show was carefully scripted ahead of time. Writer/performer Weinstein did not care for this new format, and subsequently left after the first season. Murphy replaced him as the voice of Tom Servo and producer Jim Mallon took over as Gypsy. Frank Conniff came on as Weinstein's replacement in Deep 13. At the same time, Michael J. Nelson was promoted to head writer.
When Joel Hodgson decided to leave the show halfway through season five, Nelson took on the role of host from 1993 until the end of the series. Debates (sometimes heated) raged in fan forums about who was the better host for quite some time, but in more recent years a consensus has developed among the fanbase that acknowledges that each performer had his merits. Also distressing to fans was the departure of Frank Conniff, who left after completion of the show's sixth season. Trace Beaulieu later left the series as well, between seasons seven and eight, also to many fans' dismay.
When The Sci-Fi Channel picked up the show, Mary Jo Pehl took over the lead "Mad" role as Dr. Forrester's mother, Pearl Forrester, who had been featured as a regular in season seven. Her sidekicks were the idiotic, Planet of the Apes-inspired Professor Bobo (Murphy) and the highly evolved, supposedly omnipotent Observer (AKA Brain Guy), played by writer Bill Corbett. Corbett also took over Crow's voice and puppetry. In the middle of the the eighth season, Mallon handed over the voice and puppetry work for Gypsy to BBI staffer Patrick Brantseg.
Writing Staff
| Name | Years On Series | Jobs | Notable On-Screen Roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joel Hodgson | 1988-1993 | Creator, Executive Producer, Writer, Music, Set Decoration | Joel Robinson |
| Jim Mallon | 1988-1999 | Executive Producer, Writer | Gypsy (Seasons 1-8) |
| Trace Beaulieu | 1988-1996 | Writer, Director, Set Decoration | Dr. Clayton Forrester, Crow T. Robot (Seasons K-7) |
| Josh Weinstein | 1988-1991 | Writer, Music | Dr. Laurence Erhardt, Gypsum (KTMA), Tom Servo (Seasons K-1) |
| Kevin Murphy | 1988-1999 | Producer, Writer, Director | Tom Servo, Professor Bobo, Santa Claus, Kitten With A Whip, others |
| Michael J. Nelson | 1989-1999 | Head Writer, Director, Composer | Mike Nelson, Jack Perkins, Torgo, Observer, and many others |
| Frank Conniff | 1990-1995 | Writer, Script Supervisor | TV's Frank, Gooch |
| Christopher Wurst | 1991 | Writer, Intern | |
| Bridget Jones | 1991-1999 | Writer, Music | Nuveena, Mr. B Natural, Flavia, Lisa Loeb, Adrienne Barbeau, others |
| Paul Chaplin | 1991-1999 | Writer | Pitch, Observer, Huggy Bear, Timmy Bobby Rusty |
| John Carney | 1992 | Writer | |
| Mary Jo Pehl | 1992-1999 | Writer | Pearl Forrester, Jan In The Pan, others |
| David Sussman | 1992-1994 | Writer | |
| Colleen Henjum | 1992-1995 | Writer | |
| Timothy Scott | 1991-1994 | Writer, Sound Editor, Technical Supervisor, Lighting Tech | Miracle Growth Baby |
| Mike Dodge | 1994-1995 | Writer | |
| Bill Corbett | 1995-1999 | Writer, Music | Crow T. Robot (Seasons 8-10), Brain Guy, Krankor |
| Brian Funk | ? | Writer | |
| Mike Gandolfi | ? | Writer |
Other Staff
| Name | Years On Series | Jobs | On-Screen Roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Brantseg | 1992-1999 | Art Direction, Set Decoration, Props Assistant | Gypsy (Seasons 8-10), Mike's Socksy, Rooster, various extras |
| Beth McKeever | 1996-1999 | Props | Steffi, various extras |
| Julie Walker | 1993-1996 | Info Club Poobah | |
| Barb Tebben | 1995-1999 | Info Club Poobah, Assistant | Delta Knight Breakfast Extra |
| Jef Maynard | Toolmaster | Roadie | |
| Bradley J. Keely | Sound, Lighting Tech, Production Coordinator, Technical Supervisor | Exotic Dancer |