Editing Mystery Science Theater 3000 (section)

==Format==
The general format of an ''MST3K'' episode has remained the same throughout the series' run. Episodes are approximately 90 minutes in running time (excluding commercial breaks) and begin with a short introductory segment in which the human host and the 'bots interact with the Mads before being sent the movie. During Joel Hodgson and Jonah Ray's tenures as hosts (and for a brief period at the start of the Mike Nelson era), the hosts and the Mads engage in an "invention exchange" in which they each show off their latest inventions. Sirens and flashing lights ("Movie Sign") then signal the characters to enter the theater.

[[File:Mrb5.jpg|thumb|left|An example of ''MST3K''{{'}}s "Shadowramma" effect used as the central motif for the show. Here, Tom Servo (left), Joel Robinson, and Crow T. Robot, in silhouette, are watching the short ''[[Mr. B Natural]]'' in the 1991 episode featuring ''[[War of the Colossal Beast]]'']]

In the theater, the human host and 'bots Tom and Crow sit in a row of theater seats, shown in silhouette along the bottom of the screen, an approach Hodgson called "Shadowramma". The three then riff on the film (which is sometimes accompanied by one or more [[short film|shorts]]) as it plays for both them and the audience. Occasionally, the silhouette format is used as a source of humor, or as a means of creating unobtrusive [[censor bars]] for scenes containing nudity. The show transitions into and out of the theater via a "door sequence", a series of six doors that open or close as the camera (presumably Cambot) passes through them.

At regular intervals throughout the episode, the characters leave the theater and perform sketches, usually inspired by the events of the film or short being shown, frequently making use of original songs and [[prop comedy]]. Some sketches bring in new or recurring characters or other devices; the host would consult an external camera, "Rocket Number Nine", to show events happening outside the ''Satellite'', and the "Hexfield Viewscreen" would be used to communicate with other characters from the ship's bridge. At the end of each sketch, "Movie Sign" (a reference to the concept of [[Sandworm (Dune)|wormsign]] from [[Frank Herbert|Frank Herbert's]] classic sci-fi novel [[Dune (novel)|''Dune'']]) is triggered again, and the characters must re-enter the theater.

During Hodgson's period on the show, the final sketch aboard the ''Satellite'' often included reading of fan mail from the "MST3K Info Club". Fan mail readings decreased during Mike Nelson's tenure as host and were dropped entirely once the show moved onto the Sci-Fi Channel. The final sketch of an episode typically ends with the Mads, with the lead Mad asking their lackey to "push the button" to end the transmission and transitioning to the credit sequence. After the credits, a humorous short clip from the featured film (or the accompanying short on occasion) is replayed as a "stinger" to end the episode.

In November 1993, a limited selection of episodes were repackaged into an hour-long show titled ''Mystery Science Theater Hour'', meant to be better suited for off-network [[Broadcast syndication|syndication]]. In these, the original episode was split into two parts, each about 45 minutes long, excluding commercials. New skits opening and ending each episode included Mike Nelson portraying television host [[Jack Perkins (reporter)|Jack Perkins]].