Netflix Needs a ‘Mystery Science Theater’ Mode

It’s shocking to think about everything that Netflix has given us in such a short amount of time. In the last decade the entertainment company has completely revolutionized multiple industries, giving us all our own digital Blockbusters and introducing us to some of the best shows of the past five years. But there is one thing Netflix can do to make its service even better, one comparatively tiny change that would make the already happy experience of scrolling through Netflix even more fun. We need a Mystery Science Theater 3000 streaming mode, and we needed it yesterday.

Think about it. You could be scrolling through Netflix, deciding which B-grade movie to throw on in the background while you cook, and there in the extras section is a special little option — MST3K Mode. Before you know it you’re laughing at Jonah Ray’s hot quips on The Lake House or hearing a group of robots tear apart Jason X. You’re having a good time, they’re having a good time, and the so-so movie you put on for background noise has now become a comedy extravaganza that only requires 10 percent of your attention.

Taken a step further, MST3K Mode could even be an option for Netflix originals themselves. I know what you’re thinking. The premise of Mystery Science Theater revolves around mocking movies that are so bad they’re painful, and a company that has invested billions-with-a-B in original content is likely hesitant to call any of its films torturous. But MST3K exists in an entirely fictional universe with rules that can be bent at any time. I’m just saying you can easily work around the “bad movies” angle if it means giving us the delightful experience of watching Jonah and his robot buds rip into the first episode of Stranger Things. What’s more flattering than mockery?

There are so many middling movies buried in Netflix’s library, movies that make you absentmindedly think “Oh, that DID happen” as you scroll through your account. Adding a less involved MST3K track to certain movies would only make them better. Also the entire project would transform subscribers’ Netflix accounts into Easter egg-filled places of wonder. Does the Bride of Chucky have a secret track? What about The Emoji Movie? We’ll have to search and scroll to find out.

And it’s not as if this proposition is too left of field for Netflix to execute. The streaming service already has the the licensing rights to these movies as well as a deal with Mystery Science Theater team. And, as the company has proven with Arrested Development’s re-cut Season 4 and its upcoming choose-your-own-adventure Black Mirror episodes, the infrastructure for more complicated projects is there. It’s all so close.

There are a million reasons why this is a terrible idea — the cost of employing these comedians is probably pretty high compared to MST3K‘s popularity; the headaches that comes with restructuring licensing agreements; the complexities of launching a restructure like this. But if the Netflix age has proven anything it’s that anything can be innovated and improved upon when it comes to television. Why not take a gamble of the Satellite of Love? It’s crazy, it might not work, but it’ll be a heck of a lot of fun.

Watch Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Gauntlet on Netflix