Post by reelreviews2 on Aug 9, 2017 6:08:30 GMT
If you look at my profile image or posting history on television boards, you'll soon discover I was a huge fan of the ORIGINAL incarnation of The Daily Show in the 90s (when Craig Kilborn was the host). Much like the 90s version of MST3K, The Daily Show in THAT era was a silly, light-hearted parody that DIDN'T take its seriously and focused on "irrelevant fluff" and poking fun at anything and everything in pop culture.
Then Jon Stewart took over in 1999, and within a few years, the tone, style and purpose of The Daily Show transformed 180 degrees (despite Stewart vowing back in 1999 that he WOULDN'T alter the format of the show, because "that would be like painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa”) By 2003, The Daily Show had an entirely different audience and focus than the Craig Kilborn incarnation of the show.
By the time Stewart left over a decade later in 2015, The Daily Show would be unrecognizable to fans of the 90s version, and only retained the "Dog on Fire" theme music, the "Back in Black" segment of Lewis Black doing crazy rants about stuff in the news that week, and the "Moment of Zen" closing (which itself had completely changed from its 90s format of being a clip of some random bizarre stuff to instead often being a clip of an "extended" part of a story they had covered earlier in the episode)
When they announced MST3K would be revived by Netflix in 2017, I was VERY excited at first. YES! One of my favorite crazy parody shows from the 90s doing laugh-out-loud quips mocking everything and everything seen in old movies! Then the devastating news came down... the new HEAD WRITER of MST3K would be the SAME GUY who was head writer for Jon Stewart's Daily Show In Name Only: Elliott Kalan. A name that will live in infamy.
I was crestfallen. It seems likely now that history will repeat itself. :-(
I like the new cast of MST3K, and the opening and format looks much like the classic 90s version. But that special spark that made MST3K unique and crazy is missing. The same thing could be said of Jon Stewart's Daily Show during his first season -- it LOOKED just like Craig Kilborn's incarnation at first, but just wasn't as edgy or fun.
Slowly, Stewart's people then took over and turned it into a partisan platform for Democrat Party talking points around c. 2003. (the first year of Stewart's Daily Show, it differed little from its predecessor's formula). The tone of the show became bitter, nasty, and angry. Stewart wanted the Daily Show to preach lefty politics in the style of "righteous indignation" and they are STILL stuck on that format 17 years later, even after Stewart is long gone and HIS sucessor (Trevor Noah) has a much more laid back style that doesn't fit that format AT ALL.
I wouldn't be surprised to see them hijack MST3K and do the same. Within 2-3 more seasons, MST3K could have an entirely different feel and focus, if Stewart's goons begin to exert creative control over the show and wrestle it away from Joel Hodgson’s old guard. Once they take over and attract "new" fans who want to see Jonah and Bots spew the latest Nancy Pelosi talking point of the week, the newfound SJW fans will smirk about how the show has "evolved" and that it would be a "huge step backwards" to return the show to its roots as a lighthearted parody of everything. Jonah will be forced to parrot whatever Hillary Clinton’s views are on that given day. EVERY “joke” on the show will be about how “Republicans and Fox are evil”.
Jon Stewart supporters have already destroyed one brilliant late 90s TV comedy show and turned it into something ugly and unrecognizable. We CANNOT allow them to do it again and ruin everything that made MST3K cute, fun and appealing to ALL demographics. Elliott Kalan's so-called "humor" is vicious, hate-filled, partisan material that exists only to tear down everyone who disagrees with him and serve as a soap box for the Bernie Sanders/Occupy Wall Street/Black Lives Matter crowd. THAT is what MST3K will be about, 24/7, if he had his ideal version.
For the good of MST3K, Elliott Kalan MUST go.
He has not begun to hijack the show for his own selfish purposes yet. He WILL try and WILL succeed if he has enough time to establish his 'control' over the show. Don't say you weren't warned.
In the end, MST3K will either follow the wishes of the fans, or Elliott Kalan.
Which side will YOU take?
