Although TV's ability to inspire in-for-the-afternoon, fully baked passivity reaches its zenith with Cops, a tip of the pipe must be given to Mystery Science Theater 3000. The geeky show had a trio of space travelers trashing old, copyright free films, lulling heavy lidded fans into giggling pools as the hours drained away. After an 11-year run, MST3K expired in 1999, but in 2006, head writer and star Michael J.
Nelson formed RiffTrax. The Web site offers MP3 commentaries to more current cinematic fare (The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings, Glitter), and gets around copyright issues by not including the films, which you'll have to rent, buy, or steal on your own. He's also been rounding up the gang for live shows.
At this year's Sketchfest, Nelson, Kevin Murphy (Tom Servo), and Bill Corbett (Crow T. Robot) filleted Ben Affleck's Daredevil. Tonight they're meeting up again, and in true MST3K fashion, you won't know what's playing until the lights dim.
