30 Best Mystery Science Theater 3000 Episodes Ranked

"Mystery Science Theater 3000" is a cult classic TV show based on an irresistible premise: mad scientists capture an ordinary working Joe (Joel Hodgson and, in later seasons, Michael J. Nelson), sending him into space on the Satellite of Love to watch B-movies like "The Giant Gila Monster" and "The Girl in Gold Boots." Luckily, the host has his robot companions Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot to join him in poking fun at cheesy movies.

Created by Hodgson for a Minneapolis public access channel, "Mystery Science Theater 3000" (or "MST3K," for short) moved to cable and became a cultural phenomenon, inspiring a feature film, comic books, live tours, and a revival series crowdfunded on Kickstarter. Over the show's classic ten-season run from 1989-1999, "MST3K" changed networks and cast members but always thrived on riffing B-movies. Here are 30 episodes of "MST3K" that show how bad movies can make great television.

A late entry in the wave of beach party movies that crested over the 1960s, "Catalina Caper" (1967) sucks college student Don (Tommy Kirk) and his squeaky-clean friends into a mystery a about a stolen Chinese scroll and. Don also encounters a Swedish beauty (Ulla Strömstedt), her loutish boyfriend (Lyle Waggoner), and, in a special guest appearance, Little Richard ("The only talent in this film," according to Crow) who sings a single song for the go-go dancing teens and then disappears.

"Catalina Caper" is an ideal film for "MST3K" with its improbable plot (Tommy Kirk and Lyle Waggoner have a scuba contest to find the missing scroll) and cartoonish characters (look out for the comedic pratfalls of "Fingers O'Toole"). Still, even Tom Servo would admit it has its charms — in one host segment, he sings a romantic ode to Strömstedt, whom he only knows as "Creepy Girl."

Robert Ginty is the "Warrior of The Lost World!" Dubbed "The 'Paper Chase' Guy" by the Bots due to his role in the eponymous 1970s TV series, Ginty plays a motorcycle-riding loner in this 1983 post-apocalyptic action film. To save a beautiful, brainwashed rebel leader (Persis Khambatta) from the evil Omega regime, Ginty unites the gangs of the wasteland in launching one final attack.

Donald Pleasance plays the Orwellian villain Ossar, but both he and Ginty are overshadowed by the true star of the film: a giant armored truck called Megaweapon. In the best running joke of the episode, the Bots gleefully switch their allegiances to Megaweapon, cheering on its wanton destruction. Their fandom is rewarded at the end of the episode when they get a phone call from their cycle-crushing hero (voiced by Mike Nelson).

"Warrior of The Lost World" channels "The Road Warrior, "The Warriors," and "1984" while being a pale imitation of all three — which makes it a perfect fit for "MST3K."

"Teenagers From Outer Space" (1959) is a quintessential 1950s sci-fi B-movie. The key ingredients: a far-out title, 30-year-old "teenagers," ray guns that turn people into model skeletons, and an alien monster played by an ordinary lobster. Derek (David Love) lands on Earth as part of a mission to turn the planet into a habitat for deadly creatures called "Gargons" (aka lobsters). Unwilling to destroy all life on Earth, Derek flees, quickly befriending perky Earth girl Betty (Dawn Bender) and her grandfather (Harvey B. Dunn). In pursuit of Derek is the alien Thor (Bryan Grant), armed with a disintegration ray that leaves a trail of skeletons in his wake.

Written, directed, and produced by auteur Tom Graeff, "Teenagers From Outer Space" shares the oddball charm of Ed Wood's similarly-titled "Plan 9 From Outer Space." The scenery-chewing Thor's pronunciation of "torture" ("TORCHA!") becomes the rallying cry of Joel and the Bots throughout the episode.

The riffing debut of Mike Nelson, "The Brain That Wouldn't Die" (1962) leaves an unforgettable first impression. Dr. Bill Cortner (Jason Evers) has an unorthodox solution to the untimely decapitation of his fiancée Jan (Virginia Leith). He runs away with her head, reanimating it on a tray in his secret laboratory. Jan (henceforth known as "Jan in the Pan") is horrified by her unnatural existence and begs him to let her die. Unmoved, Bill insists that he will find her a new body and haunts the streets looking for the perfect victim. But Jan is far from helpless and soon makes friends with the previous "experiment" still locked in Bill's closet...

Gruesome and creepy, "The Brain That Wouldn't Die" is one of the bleakest films shown on "MST3K." Mike Nelson's upbeat riffs lighten the mood, as does an end-of-episode visit from "Jan" (Mary Jo Pehl) who tells the Satellite of Love that she found a new lease on life after the film, complete with a loving husband and a job as a doorstop.

With every year comes a new slate of Christmas movies, but none of them can compare to 1964's "Santa Claus." It stars St. Nick, his wizard assistant Merlin, a herd of mechanical reindeer, and Satan himself. This English-language version of a Mexican fantasy film features a Santa Claus (José Elías Moreno) who has moved out of the North Pole and into outer space, where he lives in an orbital castle and plays the organ for his army of child "helpers." In the underworld, Satan appoints Pitch (José Luis Aguirre), a jumpy demon in red pantaloons, to turn all the world's children against Santa, including little Lupita (Lupita Quezadas), whose parents are too poor to give her a doll for Christmas. Santa Claus will need every trick in his bag (and a little help from Merlin) to outwit Pitch and save Christmas for the children of Mexico City.

The only Christmas episode of the Mike Nelson era, "Santa Claus" is the spiked eggnog of Christmas movies. Brightly colored and charmingly surreal, this episode is essential viewing for "MST3K" fans no matter the season.

"Godzilla Vs. Megalon" (1973) is the first of two Showa-era "Godzilla" films to be featured on "MST3K" (it was immediately followed by the Season 2 finale, "Godzilla Vs. The Sea Monster"). Despite the brawling behemoths in the title, "Godzilla Vs. Megalon" is more of a starring vehicle for the mecha Jet Jaguar.

When nuclear testing upsets an undersea kingdom, the Seatopians steal humanoid robot Jet Jaguar to guide the monster Megalon in destroying the cities of the surface world. Jet Jaguar's inventor regains control of the mecha, sending him to Monster Island to seek Godzilla's help. In a towering team-up, Godzilla and the kaiju-sized Jet Jaguar battle Megalon and late-comer Gigan, ending the film with a firm and hearty handshake. "Godzilla Vs. Megalon" was Jet Jaguar's only appearance in a "Godzilla" film, though decades later he would be heavily featured in the Netflix anime series "Godzilla: Singular Point."

Originally airing as the "MST3K" series finale before its revival on The Sci-Fi Channel, "Laserblast" begins with mustachioed mad scientist Dr. Forrester pulling the plug on the Satellite of Love. Set adrift in the corners of deep space, Mike and the Bots become beings of pure energy. Forrester meets his final fate in a parody of the ending to "2001: A Space Odyssey" — complete with a monolithic VHS tape of "The Worst Movie Ever Made."

One of the many low-budget science fiction films released in the immediate aftermath of "Star Wars," "Laserblast" (1978) is "Death Wish" with ray guns. Kim Milford plays Billy, a troubled teenager who finds an abandoned alien weapon in the desert. Billy begins "laserblasting" the bullies and cops who harassed him, unaware that the gurgling, stop-motion aliens are coming back for what they left behind.

"Laserblast" would be the final episode for original cast member Trace Beaulieu as Crow T. Robot and Dr. Clayton Forrester. Fittingly, Beaulieu gets the final word, ending an era with the immortal words, "Oh, poopie."

Season 8 introduces us to the Japanese superhero known as "Prince of Space." Hailing from 1962, this tokusatsu film stars Tatsuo Umemiya as the masked hero of the title, who may have a secret identity as the humble bootblack Wally. The Dictator Phantom of the Planet Krankor (or "Krankor" for short) leads an invasion of Earth, though his chicken-like prosthetics and ill-fitting tights do not make him an imposing villain. Prince of Space has a spaceship and a blaster but is low on superpowers. He frequently boasts, "Your weapons are useless against me!" and then dodges Krankor's ray guns anyway.

"Prince of Space" is silver-coated kitsch, complete with a cheesy English dub that gives Wally's young foster son a thick Brooklyn accent. Adding to the chaos are the episode's host segments, in which the Satellite of Love falls through a wormhole and becomes lost in time and space. Mike switches places with his alternate universe self, who is a robot like Tom and Crow; though the Bots tease him for looking like a ventriloquist dummy with an antenna, robot Mike joins the riffing of "Prince of Space."

"Eegah!" No, it's not the sound the audience makes leaving the theater, it's the name of the towering caveman played by future James Bond villain Richard Kiel. Palm Springs party girl Roxy (Marilyn Manning) has a "meet-cute" with Eegah after she almost hits caveman with her car. Investigating her claims of seeing a "giant," Roxy and her father are abducted by the prehistoric caveman and learn the secret behind his longevity. After Roxy's boyfriend rescues her in his dune buggy, Eegah follows her back to civilization and an ending straight out of "King Kong."

Independent producer Arch Hall Sr. (directing under the name "Nicholas Merriwether") made "Eegah!" as a starring vehicle for his son Arch Hall Jr. Playing Roxy's boyfriend, Hall is dubbed "Cabbage Patch Elvis" by Tom Servo for the many songs he sings in the film. The scene in which Eegah licks shaving cream off his face while Roxy shaves his beard was selected by the "MST3K" writers in the "Mystery Science Theater 3000 Amazing Colossal Episode Guide" as one of "The Most Disgusting Things We've Ever Seen."

Very few of the low-budget B-movies featured on "MST3K" have genuine star power; a glance at the opening credits often reveals a cast of relative unknowns. So it is always a jolt when a famous face appears on "MST3K," like the Season 4 celebrity sightings of Gregory Peck and Gene Hackman in "Space Travellers" or James Earl Jones in "City Limits."

Watching the Season 8 episode "Overdrawn at The Memory Bank," that jolt comes from seeing the late, great Raúl Juliá. Filmed on videotape for public-access television, "Overdrawn at the Memory Bank" (1984) is a dystopian techno-thriller starring Juliá as computer genius Aram Fingal. Caught illegally watching "Casablanca" at work, Fingal's mind is digitally "doppled" into a baboon to cure his rebellious streak. Due to a mix-up, Fingal's body is lost, and his consciousness is uploaded into his corporation's supercomputer. Appolonia James (Linda Griffiths) falls in love with Fingal while monitoring him, becoming his accomplice as he builds a virtual world inspired by "Casablanca" and tries to take down the dystopian government from inside.

Raúl Juliá gives a solid performance in a film otherwise devoid of them, though the dated digital effects, endless technobabble, and reliance on "Casablanca" take their toll. "Never show a good movie in the middle of your crappy movie," says Tom Servo, and it's good advice.

"How much O'Keefe is in this movie? Miles O'Keefe!" One of the earliest gems in the "MST3K" canon, "Cave Dwellers” (1984) is the second sword-and-sorcery film to star Miles O'Keefe as Ator, the Fighting Eagle. The world's greatest swordsman-alchemist-engineer, Ator is recruited by a young maiden (Lisa Foster) to destroy the Geometric Nucleus, a weapon of terrible power, before an evil warlord can misuse it. Surviving encounters with soldiers, cannibals, and a snake-worshipping cult, the handsome prehistoric hero builds the world's first hang glider to bomb the villain's castle.

Miles O'Keefe was the first performer to contact the crew of "MST3K" after their film was featured on the show, saying (per Wired), "Man, I've been waiting a long time for something like this to happen to one of my movies." Not just one movie either, but two — the original "Ator, the Fighting Eagle" was riffed in 2018 as part of Season 12.

"Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" (1964) deserves a spot on this list simply for having one of the greatest movie titles ever conceived. Luckily, the film lives up to it, even if Santa Claus (John Call) technically doesn't conquer any Martians. Instead, he's kidnapped from the North Pole by headgear-sporting Martians who have seen him on TV and wish to bring Christmas to their little green children (among them future camp icon Pia Zadora). Teaming up with tots Billy and Betty, along with Dropo, "the laziest man on Mars," Santa must return to Earth before Christmas is canceled forever.

The first Christmas episode of the series, "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" has it all: Santa, Martians, robots, and even a guy in an unconvincing polar bear suit. Featuring Crow T. Robot's ode to the 80s action flick "Road House," titled "Let's Have a Patrick Swayze Christmas," this episode is a perennial holiday favorite for "MST3K" fans.

"Your experiment today is called 'Pod People'! It has nothing to do with pods, it has nothing to do with people. It has everything to do with hurting." Dr. Forrester's warning follows Joel, Crow, and Tom into the theater, and "Pod People" (1983) is one of the weirdest films in the show's original ten-season run.

Like a strange hybrid of "Alien" and "E.T. The Extraterrestrial," the movie follows two plot threads. In one, a furry, inhumanly strong alien stalks and kills a rock band camping in the woods. In the other, the alien's newborn offspring befriends a curly-haired tot who gives it the unfortunate name "Trumpy." Uncommitted to being either a horror film or a family film, "Pod People" suffers from jarring tonal shifts. In one scene, Trumpy uses his telekinesis to bring the boy's playroom to life, and in another, the parent alien murders an innocent woman in the shower.

"Pod People" also deserves a spot on this list for "Idiot Control Now," Joel's parody cover of the doomed band's badly dubbed rock song. Joel's verdict? "It stinks!"

A glance at the list so far reveals that "MST3K" has a fondness for fantasy/sci-fi flicks featuring alien invaders, giant monsters, and prehistoric cavemen. But one of its best episodes is a gritty cop drama from the 1970s. "Mitchell" (1975) stars Joe Don Baker as the alcoholic anti-hero of the title, a cop who yells at children and busts sex worker Greta (Linda Evans) after sleeping with her.

Baker's disheveled performance as the trigger-happy cop led to merciless riffing from the Satellite of Love. ("Mitchell! Even his name says, 'is that a beer?'") According to writer/performer Kevin Murphy in "The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Amazing Colossal Episode Guide," a rumor got back to the cast and crew that Joe Don Baker allegedly hated the riffing and wanted to "take a swing" at them. Undaunted, "MST3K" riffed another Baker film, "Final Justice," in 1998.

"Mitchell" is the swan song for show creator and original host Joel Hodgson, who returns to Earth in an escape pod hidden in a box marked "Hamdingers." The Bots aren't alone for long — this episode is also the first appearance of towheaded temp worker Mike, played by head writer Michael J. Nelson.

"Manos: The Hands of Fate" (1966) is virtually synonymous with "Mystery Science Theater 3000" and its cultural impact. Texas fertilizer salesman Harold P. Warren bet that anybody could make a film, and "Manos: The Hands of Fate" was the result. A family takes a wrong turn and ends up at a lodge run by the satyr Torgo (John Reynolds), who serves a cult leader called "The Master" (Tom Neyman) and his many wives. Warren plays the unlucky patriarch; the wives have a protracted catfight; Torgo is sacrificed to the god Manos; it's all over. Or is it?

Poorly written, poorly filmed, poorly edited, and poorly dubbed, the film is so bad that even Joel's tormentors Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank apologize for going too far. "Manos" is so inept that it becomes a kind of anti-film, an object of outsider art. As Joel says, "Every frame of this film looks like someone's last known photograph."

Exposure on "MST3K" lifted "Manos" from obscurity and turned it into a cult classic. Interest in "Manos: The Hands of Fate" has led to a 2018 sequel, "Manos Returns," with Tom Neyman reprising his role as The Master, as well as a crowdfunded restoration of a 16mm workprint. There is no "MST3K" without "Manos," and no one who sees the film will soon forget it.