There are 198 episodes of cult comedy Mystery Science Theater 3000, and a new supercut boils down the series’ best 198 jokes—one from each episode.
Created by enthusiast Sean McDonnell, the 14-minute video is a must-watch for any MST3K fan who still yearns for a fix of the show. It has racked up 17,000 views since its upload earlier this month.
Skillfully edited and meticulously planned, McDonnell explained to the Daily Dot how he compiled the supercut—which took him three months to do. In an email exchange, he said he compiled the 198 episodes from DVDs he owned and clips of the show that permeate through YouTube.
McDonnell said he got the idea from a similar supercut compiled on BabelColour’s YouTube channel, which features Doctor Who supercuts and tributes.
“It made me want to take on a huge sort of project myself,” wrote McDonnell. “I’ve always been inspired by the success of others.”
That huge project involved hours of research, tons of video editing and a failed hard drive that busted halfway through it (he managed to recover his work, though.) He parsed through a “semi-official” episode guide on an MST3K fan-site to find each episode’s funniest moment.
“Every week, for the past few years now, they’ve been updating the site’s episode guide with various facts and figures, including a favorite riff at the end of each report,” he said. “I think about 40 percent of the riffs in my video are from the site.”
The other 60 percent of the jokes came from WikiQuotes or from moments he laughed out loud at. McDonnell said the guides made him more alert to the quips, thus better enjoying a show that is best viewed at least two or three times with its rapid-fire jokes.
“It made it fun to have a riff to listen for, because it made me pay more attention to the episode,” said McDonnell.
Since MST3K went off the air more than ten years ago, the series has remained a favorite online, as evidenced by its large Tumblr and YouTube presences. Fans should add this supercut to their cabinet of e-memoriams.
Photo via YouTube