This Is MST3K

This Is MST3K (written as This Is MST 3K) is the first behind-the-scenes special for Mystery Science Theater 3000. It is hosted by Penn Jillette.

Act One: The special begins with a montage of quotes from critics and fans. Penn Jillette then appears in a suit and begins a rather stuffy introduction which is made fun of by the silhouette of...Penn Jillette? He then introduces and sums up the premise and characters of MST3K. There follows a clip from The Amazing Colossal Man both with and without riffing. Joel Hodgson talks a bit about the influences for MST3K, which is then followed by more interviews with fans (famous and otherwise) about how much they love the show.

Act Two: Penn begins talking about genre, which leads to a montage showing the diversity of films shown. Jim Mallon, Michael J. Nelson, and Trace Beaulieu talk about selection process for the movies that end up on the show.

Act Three: The next segment leads in with a montage and discussions on the riffs themselves, focusing on the diversity, obscurity, and sheer numbers.

Act Four: The stripped down history of MST3K is discussed, from Joel's beginnings as a stand-up prop comic to his meeting with Jim Mallon and the KTMA years, to the show's arrival on Comedy Central. During the history segment, a lot of behind the scenes footage of Deep 13 and the Satellite of Love sets are shown. The Brains then talk about the process of writing an episode, which includes segments filmed in the writing room and the theater itself. Finally, the special concludes with more sound bites from fans and critics.

Featured Episodes[]

In order of appearance:

Brains Interviewed[]

Others Interviewed[]

Tom Shales - Washington Post critic
Ben Svetkey - Entertainment Weekly staff writer
Paul Schultz - New York Daily News assistant features editor
Dan O'Shannon - Cheers executive producer
Neil Patrick Harris - actor and then-future MST3K actor and RiffTrax guest riffer
Matt Roush - USA Today - television critic
Larry Closs - TV Guide - senior editor