Here’s my suggestion for a discussion topic: A handful of the experiments were TV show pilots. But what if… wait for it… they all were? What MST3K movie do you think would make the best TV show? What kind of show would it be? Live action or animated? What would you change about the movie to modify it for the serialized storytelling format?
I’m going to pick “The Slime People.” Every week Tom Gregory gets into a new scrape with the help of Prof. Galbraith and Tom’s girlfriend Lisa. Wacky complications ensue when Bonnie gets kidnapped every week and their wacky neighbor Norman “The Goat Man” Tolliver adds to the fun!
What’s your choice?
(Please keep those suggestions coming!)
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I think Space Mutiny could have been a series, what with all the traveling through space and the mutineers, etc.
Time Chasers: The Series
Remember, there’s a spare of Bob Evil…and chin guy…
and his plaid girlfriend. Every week GenCorp plots to
manipulate the future and the past while our brave hero (Nick Miller)
(aided by his sidekick and defector from GenCorp pink boy) works to keep
the continuum intact (and I like the movie :) ).
Hint to TC: The Series, you might want to read time travel novels
like Blackout and All Clear to get ideas on time travel complications
and plot twists.
Not too sure about Slime people as a series. Upon careful
consideration many have come to the conclusion about the producers:
“They just didn’t care.”
This week on “Mitchell: The Chubby Blue Line”…. Every episode has a lot of sitting around, weird dinner parties, and a freeze frame right before the credits that features a zero-tolerance message. Live (relatively speaking) action, semi-obscure ’70s character actors in guest star roles who disappear with only passing mentions from radio newsmen, and the on-again, off-again relationship between a cop and his prostitute. He’s Mitchell, the sensible cop. Brought to you each week—“Just another Wednesday night at ‘Mitchell’s’”—by the people at Schlitz, Johnson’s, and Reynolds. It practically writes itself.
The Wild, Wild World of Batwoman. More adventures of Batwoman and her gals as they set out to foil yet more crazy plots! Ok, that one was almost too easy….
How about something crazier….Monster-a-Go-Go! Weekly exploits by different agencies and scientists to track down the giant, radioactive astronaut. The twist is that every time they seem to get close to cornering him, he seems to vanish and reports start coming in from someplace else.
Cave Dwellers. Every week you follow the adventures of Ator, Mila, and Thong as they battle evil.
“The Final Sacrifice: The Series.” A movie is just not the right medium for this material.
The dead could talk back every week with “The Case Files of Henry Krasker.” And the twist, of course, is that the dead never really talk back! Lt. Lewis would do the narration, and Harry would provide the action sequences. All the remaining members of the boarding house would be there to provide humor, the occasional poignant moment, and lots and lots of food.
I’m gonna go with “Day The Earth Froze”. Seriously, the movie only scratched the surface of the work on which it was based, the “Kalevala”. It could be a fruity “Xena”, or “Once Upon a Time”. Oh, wait. Those are already fruity. Kidding!
Mr. B Natural. He/she could terrorize a different, hopelessly confused kid every week.
The Creeping Terror: The Series! I envision a series where every ep focusses on one person in that small town. We examine their lives and loves. And then the Terror, who starts every episode stalking prey, comes along and eats them at the end of the ep.
What do you think, sirs?
HauntedHill #5: The Wild, Wild World of Batwoman. More adventures of Batwoman and her gals as they set out to foil yet more crazy plots! Ok, that one was almost too easy.
Would it have embedded sound effects for the hearing impaired?
Funny thing. I just watched the pilot of a never produced TV series called Rough Magik Initiative. It would have been sort of like Delta Green brought to the small screen, except it was British instead of American.
Soultaker would make a fine series, too. Zach and Natalie could elude a variety of soultakers from week to week, helping people along the way, maybe saving a child from danger, or a town from evil developers, or clearing the name of someone wrongfully accused. And did I mention that they’d have to avoid soultakers? Every week. Perhaps Natalie would finally get a chance to have a bath.
Manos would definitely be a prime-time soap opera. As the show progressed, we’d learn more about the intrigue between Manos and his wives. Every season, he’d get a new Torgo/Mike to take care of the place, who’d have a different spin on the character. Drama! Action! Intrigue! And more vaguely sexual nightgown wrestling than you’d believe could fit in an hour of television!
Unquestionably, Final Sacrifice. One word: “Rowsdower!”
Actually, some of these sound like they just might make it as a series. I bet “Mitchell” and the Henry Krasker show might get serious consideration. Anyway, how about this:
“Warwilf: The Series”
Each week, Paul & Natalie, husband & wife warwilves, defend Flagstaff, AR from a shadowy group of villains with changeable hairstyles. Also starring Sam the Keeper as their comic relief sidekick.
And, seriously, I’m surprised they haven’t tried an actual TV series with Diabolik yet.
On “Out of this World–The Series”: Against her better judgement, Whitey moves in Red. Red gets Whitey drunk. And on the season finale, Whitey is seen in the bathroom with a home pregnancy test!!
“The Deadly Bees: The Series” — Every week, burned-out British pop singer Vicki would have a breakdown and then be sent to a new location to recuperate. See Britain’s worst Bed & Breakfast inns! (Actually, a better name for the show would be “The Deadly B&Bs”.) See objectionably stupid hats and other bizarre ’60s fashions! See Vicki lip-synch and faint to a new hit song every week! Try to spot the man in the bowler hat!
Whaddya think, sirs?
Girl Town!
We can do two ways either Either a fun action pack/ chessey comedy with nuns (Think Facts of life mix with Charlies angles). Teaching young girls ways life love and fighting beatnik and different musical act could stop by the town to preform.
Or Dramatic no hold bar show filled with sex, drugs, and nun trying to strait those girls out or beat the love of Jesus into them. (Think Desperate House wife’s mix with any cop show on tv) Murder, Mystery and different musical act could stop by the town to preform.
What do you think?
Ring Of Terror! Every week, the creepy undertaker goes looking for Puma and gets a morbid chuckle out of telling us how some other poor sucker bought the farm. I’m honestly surprised this format was never used for a horror anthology.
The Projected Man: The Series. Paul projects himself from place to place killing people he believes screwed him over throughout his life. Detectives go in search for him. Narrowly missing him.
Also Sheila shows up occasionally, and each time, she, for whatever reason, has to take her clothes off…
I’ve already suggested “Secret Agent Super Dragon” as a pilot for a series in my comments on the episode last week, but there are certainly others with great potential:
1. Catalina Caper: Join Tommy Kirk, Creepy Girl and the rest of the gang as they soak up the sun and fight criminals on the beautiful island playground. Lyle Waggoner tries to get C.G. back, without success, and Robert Donner is always on hand as the hilarious Fingers O’Toole, just to add to the fun. Of course, an aging rock n roller who really needs the money will stop by for a knock-your-socks-off musical number.
2. Warrior of the Lost World: Paper Chase Guy and his Incredibl(y Annoying) Talking Bike fight Prosser and his Gang Who Can’t Shoot Straight in post-apocalyptic Italy…or maybe that’s California. Persis Khambatta co-stars, and, of course, Megaweapon gets rebuilt and turns up from time to time.
3. Starfighters: The Series. Think about it: Every week the guys go up. Then they come down. Then they go on dates. Then they go up again. Then they come down. Season finale: New poopie suits arrive, and they test them.
For the record, I always think Mitchell is a series pilot, a la “Diamond Head”. I just can’t believe that was in theatres.
The Undead: The Quest for the Future
Turns out Quintus Ratcliff has a psychic lifeline (via Helene and her descendants) and bugs out of the early Middle Ages (really ticking off the devil). Each week sees Quintus and one of Helene’s descendants battle with Pitch to preserve the space/time continuum in another time. In season two Quintus accidentally overshoots the present for the future and tries to back up in weekly episodes.
#22
Not a bad premise for Warrior of the Lost World, but…
In Megaweapon saves the Day: Rebuilt (by Persis) Megaweapon saves
civilization by putting paper Chase Guy and the *#%^*Bike on a transport to
Australia. In a stunning plot twist Donald Pleasance announces to her
“I am your father!” and joins with her and Megaweapon in a weekly
battle to turn back the hoards of motorcycle-computer terminators
sent back from the future by paper Chase Guy’s descendants.
Bride of the Monster would be a hell of a lot better than The Bachelor.
How bout “Satan’s Touch”?
Melissa “Two-Shed’s” Strickland and Jodie Lee Thompson tour the country in their run-on Maverick looking for Clu Gulager and Anthony Zerbe to recruit them in Satan’s army.
Along the way they make money selling walnuts and stopping witch burnings.
The Sinister Urge! Then we could see Kline every week!!!
Gamera.
He and Kenny could take on Barugon one week, Gaos the next, then maybe Guiron or Zigra. Think about it!
Blast Hardcheese, apparently Servo got the feeling that “Mitchell” was supposed to be a pilot, as well. When Mitchell and Tyzack are shuffling through papers, the chief comes in. He goes “Tyzack?” And then Servo goes, “We can’t name the series after you, sorry.”
Gunslinger! Gals & Gunsmoke with bodacious Beverly Garland taming the Wild West while taming the hearts of her adversaries!
Time of the Apes: Waiting for Godo
I mean after all, they left it hanging with the stupid “it was all a dream” ending with Godo wandering sand dunes alone after taking that wrong turn at Alberquerque. Annoying voiced Caroline and Ferretfaced Pepe would have to be the heroes searching for him through time and space, because as we know… Johnny Doesn’t Care.
#31…so Time of the Apes would go from being a series cut into a movie back into a series
Zap&Troy: The Legendary Journeys…Oh, wait, that was already pitched.
The Oddest Couple, Ortega and Torgo struggle to get along while serving two demanding masters, hilarity ensues.
Space Mutiny was already developed, but the title was change to Battlestar Galactica.
Michelle and Critter from Girl in Gold Boots could be a crime solving marriage, alla McMilland and Wife. Imagine a dune buggy car chase, and lots of horrible musical numbers.
And Gamera needs his own late night show. He has the presence, the charisma, the wit. Take that Conan O’Brien.
#33
Wouldn’t Gamera be better on Sesame Street or Barney?
After all, he is the friend of all children.
(Cue Gamera theme song).
SQUIRM! Don’t ask me to elaborate….
Being from Another Planet. Kind of like Room 222 meets Buffy.
Warrior of the Lost World. Knight Rider, except with a talking motorcycle. yeah, embarrassingly easy choice.
Alien from L.A. Basically Kathy falls in a new hole each week while looking for her father. I’d pay monthly to see this.
Quest of the Delta Knights. Sam Raimi & crew could make that work.
Swamp Diamonds! The smart, undercover cop chick, the character of New Orleans, girl fights, bold crimes… Sounds like a winner. I’d watch it!
We can make an awesome reality show with the all the troubled teenagers that were presented in this movies, from the Teenage Caveman, the happy trigger alien from Teenagers from Outer Space, the criminals, the male-rapist girl gang from the Violent Years, that Suzie girl from Horror of Party Beach, etc. Okay, not THAT awesome, but better than your standard reality tv fare.
Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders: A different… uh… “enchanting” story every week to traumatize your children with!
I’d say, “Angel’s Revenge”, but… well, that was pretty much already existed; it was called Charlie’s Angels.
How about Prince of Space? Every week an evil alien race would get one step closer to creating a weapon that effects the Prince. Plus the kids can be the comic relief.
The Adult Swim guys need to see this thread. I think the Touch of Satan, WOTLW, and Final Sacrifice ideas, to name a few, would fit right in with Children’s Hospital and Eagleheart. And The Dead Talk Back would be better than Dark Place.
Pod People – the animated series! AKA Trumpy and the Pussycats. Every week the gang piles into the Winnebago and solves mysteries between gigs. Trumpy and Tommy are always hungry and eat Trumpy Snacks. Of course you have to do some ret-comming here and forget that half the cast got killed in the movie.
How about a series set in a dystopian future world where all Springs have been somehow taken away by a demonic imp and civilization has collapsed into ruin?
NO SPRINGS!!! *whistle-hoot* THE SERIES
Riding With Death. ’cause it was never a series. (wink).
Guest starring Mr. Bad Line Reading!
“It can’t beeeeEEE?! You’re DEAD?! AgainnnnNN?!”
#44: What if we make a show based solely on Buffalo Bill. Of course, it would be titled SUPERCRACKER!
The Dead Talk Back: Each week Mr. Krasker would use his knowlegde of the supernatural and science to help the police get criminals that think they are too clever to catch. New housemates would show up from time to time and some of them would you egg-timers, cardboard tubes, military surplus flame throwers, organ grinder monkeys and other unlikely weapons to murder other housemates and total strangers. Every once and awhile he will go out around the world and debunk Scooby Doo-like conmen trying to gain money or commit crimes faking the supernatural.
How about PumaMan, the series. Each week Tony and the Onion save the world from mad scientists bent on conquering the world by controlling minds. Obviously the mask would need to be stolen and pass from villain to villain. And further into the series, Tony’s son grows up to be a little PumaMan, helping his dad and the onion.
A Young Man’s Fancy: The Series: Every week, Judy (or whatever her name was) encounters a vexing new problem but comes through in the end with the help of her wise mother and their all-electric kitchen!
Skydivers: The Series: Tune in each week as another herd of vaguely disturbing people wander in and out and nothing much really happens! Maybe this week something actually will happen! Hey, it kept THE KARDASHIANS on the air all this time, didn’t it?
Design For Dreaming: The Series: A young woman’s fever-dreams of auto shows, futuristic appliances, and weird outfits. Sort of DARK SHADOWS Meets THE JETSONS Meets TWIN PEAKS.
Gumby! Oh, wait.
@41: Or a lot of these could make Williams Street animated series. Skull!