Well, Joel Hodgson and his staff did it! Not only did they reach their hoped for upper goal of 5.5 million, they surpassed it by a quater million. The final KickStarter total was 5,764,229 dollars! But, when you count a supplimental fundraiser not directly linked to KickStarter but still associated with funding an MST3K revival raised an additional 600,000 dollars, the grand total tipped 6.3 million! That guarantees not just the hoped for 12 episodes, but 2 more, one of those described as a "Patrick Swayse Christmas Special" (inspired by a one-shot skit from the classic series that turned into something of a meme among fans.)

Because they are budgeted to produce 14 episodes, this revival "season" will be longer than seasons 1, 2 and 7 of the Comedy Central broadcasts and seasons 9 and 10 of the SciFi Channel years, or, half the years of the entire series.

Now, unless plans change, is is not Joel's intention that fans crowdfund additional seasons. This was primarily a demonstration. Hodgson can now say to a potentially interested network, "See? There are fans interested enough to 'invest' in a new series. If you 'invest' in additional seasons, you'll reap the benefits of viewer loyalty."

So, now that Joel's crew have the financial resources, now comes the hard part of actually producing the episodes. What movies will they "riff"? I have no idea. How will the sets look; what kind of "host segments" will they create? Again, I haven't the foggiest. But if hodegson does as he did during the fundraiser, he'll trickle out "tidbits" to keep fans intrigued. That was one of the most noted things about this kickStarter, the fact Joel kept fans in the loop, continually providing "backstage" information every few days. Some claim he's been one of the best host/organizers KickStarter has had. Let's hope that continues as the show develops.

It has been an interesting month!

Sincerely,

Bill

Tempt the Hand of Fate and it'll give you the "finger"!