Maybe you didn’t notice in your panic over the now extinguished possibility that Doctor Who was going to exit Netflix, but Mystery Science Theater 3000 is no longer on the service. Before you freak out, though, you should repeat to yourself, “It’s just a show, I should really just relax” and you should check out Shout! Factory TV, a new streaming network with 30 episodes of the classic riff series.
I know, what the world really needs is another streaming service to kill your bank account with the death-by-a-thousand-cuts approach, but unlike Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Hulu Prime, Shout! Factory TV is free. You know, like Crackle. Remember Crackle? Still there.
Besides Mystery Science Theater 3000, the Shout! service also features a collection of rare cult comedy series’. Fridays, an early 1980s sketch show that was born from the notion that Saturday Night Live‘s cultural impact and success could be duplicated. The show starred Michael Richards, Rich Hall, Larry David, and a few other somewhat familiar faces. It was not successful or warmly remembered, save for the staged moment when Andy Kaufman got into it with Richards, the cast, and the crew.
It’s Gary Shandling’s Show, The Weird Al Show, The Ernie Kovacs Show, and a few Steve Martin stand-up showcases also dot the list of shows that are available on the service via Hulu.
Here’s a more complete list of new and upcoming additions to the service.
• MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 (beginning with over 30 episodes)
• HOME MOVIES animated comedy series
• THE WEIRD AL SHOW
• IT’S GARRY SHANDLING’S SHOW
• FATHER KNOWS BEST
• DENNIS THE MENACE
• THE MANY LOVES OF DOBIE GILLIS
• THE SAINT
• FRIDAYS
• Gerry Anderson collection (hand-picked episodes from Thunderbirds, Stingray, Captain Scarlet, Fireball XL5, Joe 90, and Supercar)
• SECRET AGENT
• KEVIN SMITH: SMODIMATIONS
• Steve Martin Stand-Up Show Case, featuring STEVE MARTIN: COMEDY IS NOT PRETTY & STEVE MARTIN: WILD AND CRAZY GUY
• MEL BROOKS: MAKE A NOISE
• THE ERNIE KOVACS SHOW
• Werner Herzog movie collection, featuring 16 acclaimed films and documentaries
• Roger Corman’s Cult Classics (select movie titles)
• The Marx Brother’s A NIGHT IN CASABLANCA
• A ROOM WITH A VIEW (Oscar®-winning film by James Ivory)
• DEATH OF A SALESMAN (Golden Globe® and Emmy® winning film by Volker Schlondorff)
• HOOP DREAMS (A film by Steve James)
• Award-winning films such as THE LONG VOYAGE HOME (John Wayne), THE STUNT MAN (Peter O’Toole, Steve Railsback, Barbara Hershey), STAGECOACH (John Wayne), Bruce Beresford’s BREAKER MORANT (Jack Thompson), THE RULING CLASS (Peter O’Toole)
As is often the case with streaming services, the question has to be asked if Shout! will one day look to put high profile original programming on their ad-supported channel, as Crackle and Yahoo Screen have done. And with their long and fruitful relationship with Mystery Science Theater 3000 and the possibility that the brand may one day get a reboot, it’s not out of line to wonder if this might be the place where that lives… should it ever actually come to life. Just speculation, but something to dream on while you get lost in a sea of MST3K classics this weekend.
Via The Mary Sue
