We’ll be honest, this kind of cross-promotion has a way of failing badly, but fortunately, this one is genuinely funny. The revival of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” announced its arrival this afternoon with a short clip riffing off fellow Netflix series “Stranger Things,” and you can watch it above.
In addition to being hilarious (“more like sadder things”), the clip demonstrates how the show’s central premise – the main characters riffing off whatever bad movie they’re watching – has been adapted for a far more ADD-sensibility comedy era.
The original, very beloved 1990s series tended to leave a lot of space between the jokes. That gave viewers extra time to take in the good bits, but it also gave them time to really feel it when a joke flopped. (And to be honest, that’s bound to happen a lot over the course of an hour and a half.)
The Netflix revival, on the other hand, zooms jokes by at a fast enough clip that you’re back to a strong joke before a weak one has a chance to thud. Fortunately, if you prefer the older version’s approach, Netflix has a collection of classic episodes alongside the new season.
Netflix’s “MST3K” revival is available on the streaming service now.