Mystery Science Theater 3000 has a simple premise: A man is shot into space aboard a craft called the Satellite of Love and forced by mad scientists to watch bad movies. He creates some robot pals to keep him company, and together they goof their way through some of the worst movies ever made.
MST3K writer Mike Nelson took over the reins of the show from original host Joel Hodgson midway through the fifth season. Despite a major change in cast and fans' devotion to Hodgson, MST3K produced some of the best episodes of the series with Mike as host, who quickly won over the show's fan base. Many of these episodes are still fan favorites to this day.
The Violent Years - 7.7
A staple of the Mike Nelson years was a penchant for showing teenage crime movies. The Violent Years is a cheesy disaster penned by Ed Wood, who was responsible for some of the worst films of all time. The film is about a gang of teenage girls who go around committing various crimes without a care for the consequences of their actions. Mike and the bots' riffing is stellar, and in their host segments, they tear the movie apart by reenacting some of the silly sequences, most notably the laughable hold-up scene.
The Final Sacrifice - 7.7
The Final Sacrifice from season 9 is an unusual film about the unlikely pairing of a scrawny teen and a denim-clad, hockey-haired man. Together, the duo fight off the advances of an evil cult in the frozen tundra of Canada. The crew of the Satellite of Love have a field day picking on their neighbors to the north. Tom Servo's hilarious Canada song is a beloved highlight. Not only is the film an unusual specimen, but the riffs and host segments made the episode an instant classic, especially the gang's affectionate ribbing of the movie's mullet-sporting hero, Zap Rowsdower, who has become iconic to MST3K fans.
Night Of The Blood Beast - 7.8
The premier episode of season 7 was a silly 1950s sci-fi movie called Night of the Blood Beast. In it, a test pilot returns from a near space flight apparently infected by an alien organism that could be the start of an alien invasion.
Despite the dullness of the film, the jokes keep the episode snappy and hilarious. On top of that, Crow is memorably infected during a host segment with the same alien embryos from the film, but he is totally apathetic about it. Night of the Blood Beast was a perfect example of what made MST3K great: Mike and his robot pals could make even the worst, most unwatchable movie entertaining.
Kitten With A Whip - 7.8
A politician becomes involved with a young woman who has a taste for thrills in the 1964 Ann-Margret movie Kitten With A Whip. Coming midway through Mystery Science Theater 3000's sixth season, the film was perfect fodder for the Satellite of Love crew to tear apart with their witty commentary. The episode also features several notable host segment sketches, including the appearance of a literal kitten with a whip (which was just a cast member dressed in a cat costume holding a small whip).
Beginning Of The End - 7.8
One of several giant insect movies to appear on the show, Beginning of the End came early in Mike Nelson's tenure as host. Peter Graves stars as a scientist who has to help stop a swarm of giant grasshoppers from destroying Chicago. Not surprisingly, the film was a perfect piece of horror cheese for Mike and the bots to goof on. Outside of the film, Crow's presents a hilarious play where he is Peter Graves who attends the University of Minnesota and simply repeats that he is "Peter Graves at the University of Minnesota."
Space Mutiny - 7.9
Space Mutiny is a cheesy 1988 sci-fi film from the eighth season of the show that's a movie so bad it's good. An intergalactic space cruiser is threatened by a potential mutiny by an evil commander named Calgon. The film is so cheesy that viewers could love it on its own, but the riffs added on top of the movie make the episode a classic. Crow has an identity crisis and thinks he's one of the characters in the film to hilarious results. The highlight is the gang's long list of silly nicknames for the movie's manly lead (Blast Hardcheese, Mig McLargehuge, et al). Space Mutiny is one of the funniest films to ever appear on the show, and the riffs are top-notch.
Teen-Age Strangler - 7.9
Cheesy crime films were the often hidden gems on MST3K. Teen-Age Strangler is an absurd serial killer whodunnit from the middle part of season 5. Only a few episodes into his tenure on the show, Mike proved he was the real deal as host and with the bots delivered a hilarious MST3K classic.
Outside of the theater, the bots trick Mike by having him put on a pair of big glasses that make him act like one of the silly characters from the film. Mike showed off his impression abilities by doing a perfect rendition of the character Mikey, a memorable gag that established Mike as a solid replacement for the beloved Joel.
Santa Claus - 8.0
MST3K had already served up a holiday classic during the Joel years with Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, but in season 5 they delivered another. Santa Claus is an incredibly funny Christmas movie (if unintentionally so) that highlights some of the stranger aspects of the Santa mythos. In the film, Santa goes around on Christmas Eve and helps the little children resist the temptation of the devil called Pitch. Obviously, Mike and the bots have a field day with the silly movie and only help to add to the absurdity that is already present. In a host segment, Mike and the bots exchange gifts and Gypsy presents Mike with a sweater that reads "Joike." Gypsy explains that she had started to knit it for Joel but switched to Mike once he arrived.
Teen-Age Crime Wave - 8.1
Mike and the bots conquer another fear mongering teen film from the 1950s in season 5's Teen-Age Crime Wave. A bad-seed teen tricks another teen into committing a crime with her and together they hide out on a farmhouse as the law closes in around them. Mike and the bots resurrect what is a terribly boring film and make it hilarious with their great jokes. Meanwhile, Mike and the bots attempt to escape the SOL but end up getting stuck when they feel the need to run through all of the WWII movie cliches.
12 To The Moon - 8.1
12 To The Moon is a bland sci-fi film about a group of international astronauts who have to cooperate to save their mission. Mike and the bots do a valiant job making the film funny but the episode is made more memorable by the short film that played before the feature film. Design for Dreaming is a bizarre ment short film that tells the story of a woman that is whisked away to a magical land featuring all of the newest General Motors cars. Throughout the episode, the character from the short appears periodically to harass the crew of the Satellite of Love to hilarious result. Just like the short, all of her dialogue is sung and Mike has to try to keep up with her.