Dan Harmon of Rick and Morty fame to write Mystery Science Theater reboot

By Parker Hall Published December 12, 2015

Rick and Morty writers Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon (also known as the creator of the meta comedy series Community) have joined the writing staff for the upcoming reboot of cult comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000. The news breaks in the lead-up to the final hours of the show’s extremely successful Kickstarter campaign.

The two will be joined by another pair of excellent comedy writers in Ernie Cline (Ready Player One) and Dana Gould (The Simpsons). Tony and Oscar-winning songwriter Robert Lopez (Avenue Q, Frozen) has also signed on to the series to write new original songs.

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A 90-minute comedy series that began in the late ’80s, Mystery Science Theater 3000 got its start on a small CW-affiliate in Minneapolis, eventually making its way to The Sci-Fi Channel and Comedy Central before being cancelled in 1999. The show centers on a main character and two robots who are forced to watch B-movies in outer space by two evil scientists. Much of the show’s humor centers on the witty commentary of the stars, who crack jokes throughout the films.

Series creator Joel Hodgson has been steadily rolling out the reveals with regards to the reboot ever since his Kickstarter campaign began, having previously announced the show’s new star, comedian Jonah Ray, as well as supporting actors Felicia Day (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and comedian and sci-fi geek extraordinaire Patton Oswalt (Ratatouille).

The show’s Kickstarter campaign ends at 10 PM PST on Friday, December 11, and has raised $4.8 million of its $2 million dollar goal as of this post. If the Kickstarter raises Hodgson’s stretch goal of $5.5 million, the series will have sufficient funds to create twelve new episodes. The creator will conclude his fundraising efforts with a live countdown telethon, featuring comedy, music, magic, and games, starting at 5pm PST.

Given the immense amount of talent now officially surrounding the reboot — both on and off screen — the next iteration of Mystery Science Theater 3000 should be tremendously well-received. Who knows, it may even reach beyond the cult fans who missed it so badly in the first place.

Production on the reboot should begin in early 2016, and writing is likely already underway.

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Parker Hall is a writer and musician from Portland, OR. He is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin…

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