Netflix's selection of classic episodes sucks.

[vgaddict]

I'm really disappointed in the episode choice for Netflix's collection of classic MST3K episodes. Sure, it has Space Mutiny, Manos, Touch of Satan and Eegah, but there are a lot of great episodes missing. Where's Werewolf, Puma Man, Mitchell, Overdrawn at the Memory Bank, Time Chasers, Pod People or Cave Dwellers? Episodes that are considered among the best in the show? Instead, we have Gorgo, Robot vs. The Aztec, Racket Girls, and Catalina Caper.



Was Netflix unable to get those episodes due to rights issues, or did they just not care?

[Mod City]

Dec 19, 2018 18:20:22 GMT -5 vgaddict said:

I'm really disappointed in the episode choice for Netflix's collection of classic MST3K episodes. Sure, it has Space Mutiny, Manos, Touch of Satan and Eegah, but there are a lot of great episodes missing. Where's Werewolf, Puma Man, Mitchell, Overdrawn at the Memory Bank, Time Chasers, Pod People or Cave Dwellers? Episodes that are considered among the best in the show? Instead, we have Gorgo, Robot vs. The Aztec, Racket Girls, and Catalina Caper.



Was Netflix unable to get those episodes due to rights issues, or did they just not care?

I would think it's possible Shout was unable/unwilling to give Netflix some of their best, but I certainly don't know. Rights issues seems the most likely to me.

For what it's worth, ShoutTV has a pretty good selection of classics. It's what I use when I don't want to dig around through my DVDs. The MST3K category there has 100 or so episodes listed, though about a dozen or so are Rifftrax or new series related. It's free to watch as long as you can handle commercials at the regularly scheduled intervals. It remains my go-to for streaming MST3K.

[Torgo]

Several of those episodes were there last year, but they traded them up probably in hopes that a new batch of episodes would bump views over the same batch they offered for a period of time. Why they only hold twenty at a time is anybody's guess, though it might be a licensing agreement with Shout.

Also a lot of other episodes can't be streamed because it's not a part of Shout's licensing agreements with the rights-holders. They might be willing for a DVD of the film but wish to keep streaming rights for said film to themselves because that's the currently blooming market that they can make money off of with little product production.

Hulu had a pretty extensive package last year. Looks like they've cut back though, probably because Shout is growing a more solid business partnership with Netflix, but that's just speculation on my part.

[Ford Prefect]

For every fan who hates certain episodes there's another fan who considers them a favorite. That's why the curious limit of 20 classics is inevitably going to rub someone the wrong way. I have to assume there's some kind of licensing deal with Shout and the film rights holders that limits Netflix to only 20 classics, because (as Torgo said) some episodes have come and gone, but I don't think we've ever had more than 20 classics on the platform at any one time. I don't dislike any of the episodes currently available, but what does bug me is the order they've been placed in. Would it kill them to list these in chronological order? I know a lot of people don't like Robot Vs. The Aztec Mummy, but if you're going to include it at all, why not just bite the bullet and list it first with Horrors of Spider Island at the end of the playlist so the viewer can get at least a loose sense of the show's continuity. Do they really think constantly hopping between random eras is the best way to binge these? I suppose since it's all on demand it doesn't matter that much, but I think it would be easier on the casual viewer if they tried to list them accordingly. Ah well, at least we have 40 episodes total on the platform and half of them are new. If you told me that four years ago, I probably wouldn't have believed you.