Entertainment

FINAL CURTAIN FOR CAMPY ‘MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER’

THE Sci-Fi Channel has cancelled the cult favorite, ”Mystery Science Theater 3000,” but the show’s producers say they want to take it to another network.

”This show is a great ride,” said ”MST3K” executive producer Jim Mallon. ”And if somebody called and said they wanted to extend that ride a little further, we’d figure out a way of doing it.”

For now, the show will end its 10-year run in August, but the Sci-Fi channel will air reruns through 2000.

The show features a marooned astronaut (Mike Nelson) and two robots that are forced to watch and comment on cheesy movies.

The 10th season debuts Sunday April 11, at 11 p.m. on the Sci-Fi Channel.

”Ten years is a great run for any series,” said Jim Mallon. ”But it’s time for Mike Nelson and the ‘Bots to come down to Earth.”

The news of the show’s cancellation will be good news to at least one group, the directors of bad, grade B movies that the series loved to skewer.

”Many directors now fear that their films might receive ‘MST treatment,” a spokeswoman for the Sci-Fi channel said.

”A ten year run is an amazing feat for any series,” he said.

”MST3K” was started by prop comedian Joel Hodgson and Mallon on Minneapolis UHF station KTMA in 1988. It then aired for seven seasons on Comedy Central.

Facing cancelation three years ago, the show was picked up by the Sci-Fi Channel, which beefed up its library of cheesy movies to accomodate the show.

There was no immediate word on which new channels will be approached to pick up the series.