| “ | "Wow. Even in silhouette Joel is still so very white." | ” |
| - Emily Crenshaw |
The Episode
- Main article: MST3K 111 - Moon Zero Two
Joel Hodgson, Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo are forced to watch the late-60s sci-fi action film, Moon Zero Two.
The Film
- Main article: Moon Zero Two (film)
A freelance space pilot is hired by an unscrupulous millionaire to illegally redirect a high-value asteroid to crash on the lunar surface.
The Short
- Main article: Circus Day (film)
The Special
Host segments
Prologue: Joel Hodgson contacts the participants and they all say where they are and what they have been doing during quarantine.
Segment 1: Joel, Emily, and the Bots read some jokes submitted by viewers and comment briefly on how the riff-writing process works. Emily reads a message from a healthcare worker. They then answer a few viewer questions before returning to the episode.
Segment 2: Tom, as dashing space pilot Bill Kemp, attempts to woo some ladies (GPC and Emily) who are wearing usual headgear. Mega-Synthia interrupts and is appalled. The Bots perform some viewer riffs. The cast then read messages from healthcare workers.
Segment 3: Emily prompts Joel to share some showbiz memories. They read more messages from medical professionals. They then read some more riffs and respond to viewer questions.
Segment 4: Joel explains why the show thanked the Teachers of America in the credits. Messages from healthcare workers are read. More viewer-submitted riffs are read. Mega-Synthia grudgingly thanks the crew for their participation and introduces the short.
Segment 5: Joel thanks the cast and some more viewer riffs are read. Joel then thanks the support staff and the cast reads more messages from medical workers. Joel then invites viewers to watch the aftershow on Facebook Live. The cast says goodbye.
Obscure references
- "I'm starting with the man in the mirror. I'm asking him to change his ways."
From the chorus of the Michael Jackson song "Man in the Mirror".
Behind-the-Scenes
MST3K cast
- Emily Marsh - Emily Crenshaw
- Conor McGiffin - Tom Servo
- Nate Begle - Crow T. Robot
- Yvonne Freese - Mega-Synthia / GPC
Other
- Joel Hodgson - himself
Production
The MST3K LIVE Social Distancing Riff-Along Special is a special that aired on various streaming platforms on May 3, 2020. It features members of the cast of the Cheesy Movie Circus Tour.
The Riff-Along was streamed on a number of platforms, including Pluto TV, Stirr, Xumo, Redbox, Vizio, YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook Live. Joel Hodgson appeared (as himself, not in character as Joel Robinson) throughout the event, responding to social media messages and interacting with the cast.
The special consists primarily of an over-dub re-riffing of Experiment #111 - Moon Zero Two, with the cast filling in gaps in the film where no original riffs were done and reacting to the original jokes. Following the episodes, a new short was riffed, Circus Day.[1]
According to Joel Hodgson, the Riff-Along was conceived of as a way to engage with fans while observing the social distancing guidelines necessitated by the global outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. Joel and the cast acknowledged various fans who work in the healthcare field during the event.
Following the event, Joel hosted The MST3K LIVE Riff-Along After Show on Facebook in which he was joined online by members of the cast and production staff, as well as Felicia Day, Tim Ryder, and Rebecca Hanson. Jonah Ray also appeared (in costume, but not in character as Jonah Heston) and performed an acoustic rendition of "Every Country Has a Monster".