Joel Hodgson shared a big update on the MST3K Kickstarter page today: the show has finally found its head writer in former Daily Show head writer Elliott Kalan. Here’s an excerpt from Hodgson’s update:
Also, I think Elliott’s happy to be getting a break from topical, daily, humor, and is enjoying snuggling into cracking wise on some nice ripe cheesy movies. And I’m even happier to tell you that he’s a few months into the job and he still hasn’t quit, so… I think we found a good one! Now, one thing I want to tell you: even though Elliott was also head writer at The Daily Show, it doesn’t mean that we’re planning to make MST3K more political. He’ll explain for himself, but one thing I like about Elliott is that he’s really “one of us.” Elliott has been a MSTie since he was a teenager, and even more importantly – at least to me – he’s really fun to write with.
And here’s an excerpt from Kalan’s update:
For roughly two decades I’ve rued the fact that I was too young and too not-in-Minnesota to work on this show. But now it’s finally happening! This is so exciting! All those hours reading and rereading the Amazing, Colossal Episode Guide are finally paying off! It’s been a blast working so far, and while I can’t tell you what we’ve got planned I will sum up most of it in one word: silliness. Like, a lot of it. Which is a huge relief to me – after more than a decade of looking into our nation’s political system, it’s nice to only have to look at the worst movies we can find. Which is not to say these movies aren’t bad. They’re terrible. Just not as soul-crushing as, say, Congress. Thank you so much to everyone who supported the Kickstarter and, as a happy side effect, made one of my lifelong dreams come true. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. All I can promise in return is that I will try to make this show even goofier than you thought was possible. To me, that is a solemn trust.
In addition to Kalan, Hodgson revealed back in December that a ton of new and returning writers are also onboard including Dan Harmon, Nell Scovell, Dana Gould, and Paul Chaplin.
