mst3k

[TlalocW]

1. Well

I think partly it was because it was one of Comedy Central's flagship shows when it started (as the Comedy Channel). Plus riffing creates a relationship not just between the movie and you, the viewer, but between you, the movie, and the riffers especially since you have to pay more attention to both the movie and the jokes being hurled at it so you're more engaged. And if you got a particularly obtuse reference, it made you feel smart. 😁

It was also absurdist humor that appeals to certain people, and then especially in the Mike years on Sci-Fi (who wanted them to create more of a plot), you got a lot of parodying of sci-fi tropes like from Planet of the Apes, aliens that are just brains, etc. that appeal to nerds. 😀