Kelsey’s Debut as Crow in Beyond Atlantis Initial, and Later Reactions.
Everyone (including me) at first: We’re sure we’ll get used to this.
Everyone (and me) rewatching the episode: Hey. You know what? Now we’re starting to love Kelsey as Crow!
Meanwhile…
MSTies who don’t like anything new (YouTube, Twitter, Instagram): HeY, MsT3k Is DeAd To Us NoW! cRoW sHoUlDn’T bE vOiCeD bY a WoMaN! wE’rE lEaViNg!!!
Me (while respecting their opinions):
It’s your call if you want to skip those episodes, but you’ll be missing some good ones.
Seriously, though. If Timmy Turner is anything like the late Titus Turner, and we end up getting some big ol’ vintage Atco/Atlantic Soul Blues shouter number in a future episode, I’m there for it!!
Seeing so much online grousing about any change MST3k has gone through can be exhausting at times because it seems to be no more than “I don’t like it because it’s different.” Without any attempt to engage with it to give it a chance, that you wonder why they say they’re still fans at all.
I don’t want to re-open old wounds from the Joel vs. Mike days, but ever since it was pointed out the Sci-Fi Channel era was when the show had the most stable lineup from beginning to end, that might explain so much of the modern negativity.
As opposed to people having to deal with high profile cast changes and reshufflings from the Comedy Channel era, with the first host coming back and taking over the running of the show, that this is just one more change.
The entire cast changed over the 10 year run of the ‘original’ show. I think the only person who was with the show the entire run was Jim Mallon, and even he gave Gypsy over to Patrick Brantseg.
If there’s ONE THING MSTies should be used to by now, it’s change.
And if we want the show to continue into the far flung future (and if you don’t, why are you here?), we have to embrace the changes.
Kevin was the only cast/crew member who worked on EVERY OG episode of MST3K. He was just behind the camera during KTMA and season 1.
Thank you. I stand corrected.
Jim was in most of them. He had to step back for a little bit during the SciFi years I believe.
Sigh, Are we really going to go down the Gender road? This was something I hoped would be avoided. As Emily is the most likeable host ever on instant viewing. It’s not that the voice is Bad, or that a woman is voicing him. it’s just that it’s too darn Jarring. Sounds like Crow is now a 8 year old boy.
Some people just don’t get used to voice changes. I love the new Gypsy. Much easier to listen too than the old voice. And, Shocker, it’s a woman this time! But this voice is just too much of a change.
again, if they had done different, non trace like voices for crow, we wouldn’t midn it as much. but after 20 years, you expect to hear crow sound close, and tom to sound radically different.
Never said I would. The jokes are fine. The acting is fine. It’s just the voice I don’t think I will ever get used to. maybe if they toned it down a little or aged it up. something needs tweaking.
Hey, there are things we could get used to the more we watch episodes that were recently released. Sure, it was jarring for me to listen to Kelsey as Crow at first. But after a while, I felt neutral, and now I’m starting to love Kelsey as out favorite golden bowling pin beak.
And no, I wasn’t trying to go down the g-road. I’m just fed up with those “fans” not accepting anything new from the show.
Fortunately just about every character voice in the history of forever has changed over time. I don’t think any voice actor has ever stuck with the voice they used on day one.
What’s funny here is that I personally find the later SciFi episodes to be wildly uneven in quality. There’s some I absolutely adore, and others that I have a tough time getting through in one go. Even after all these years. To be fair, part of this might be due to my first encountering them many years after the show went off the air. But if I hadn’t diligently watched them all, how would I even know what I really liked? 
I can understand that. As fans, we WANT to like stuff from the new show. I personally, HATE Not liking new Star Trek and new Star Wars. but to me, it just doesn’t hold the same spirit as it used too…
As for MST, I think this is the first thing I REALLY don’t like as far as change goes. I was willing to except tom, because it always takes a while to get used to a new tom voice. For Me, It was J Elvis that took getting used to as I got introduced to Kevin first. But now I like all three.
Not quite sure I’ll get there with this one. Unless I focus on the performance, and try to ignore the voice. because, as I said, the performance is fine.
I can think of a few :). Rob Paulsen is still voicing Raphael, and he sounds EXACTLY the same as he did on day one. Same goes for his co stars, Cam, Barry and Townsend :).
Raphael has been replaced many times in the 87 series, and the ONLY one that didn’t bug me as a replacment voice was in the final 1996 season. he got the acting down and the character down and the voice wasn’t jarring. but a few other attempts, not so much :). I still don’t like 'em 20 years later :).
When I first started watching MST3K it was in dribs and drabs, a random episode here, a random episode there and one thing that confused me was the difference between Bill and Trace’s Crow. At first I didn’t like Trace’s Crow because I thought the voice was too nasal but that was after watching a bunch of Bill’s Crow which evolved over time after the switch. I soon got used to both of them and learned more about the history of the show and embraced the differences. I went through the same thing with Josh’s Servo when I started watching the older episodes)
I guess what I’m trying to say is that the voices are different but the dynamic is still the same and as long as the jokes roll (which they have been) it’s all good by me.
I am fully used to Kelsey Crow. I thought it would take longer, but 2 episodes was all I needed. Some will probably take longer, but there’s gonna be a point where you tune into an episode and Crow sounds exactly how you remember Crow sounding in that episode, and there’s nothing jarring about it at all.
Sometimes I think people get Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome from early internet days about cast changes and it sticks with them to this day. As a Voice Actor fan, 9 times out of 10, I ALWAYS prefer the original actor. Snarf Might be one exception where I could easily get used to a new guy.
Doesn’t make you a bad fan for not liking something. Some people just never get used to things.
Case in Point, I STILL can’t get past the first episode of Rise of the TMNT. ugh. But, 87, 03 and 12? bring it :).
FWIW, I have no problem with people not liking the voice. We all have our likes and dislikes - I don’t care anymore than if someone didn’t like chocolate.
The reason I’m calling sexism is that NEVER before has it been suggested that a change calls for the destruction of the thing changed on this show. It’s not only sexist, it’s violently so.
As someone who works on the show, I try not to meddle in the affairs of mortals(Yes, that is a joke) but this is what I keep bumping on as well. I was there during season 8, the dark days of the AOL Mystery Science board. Almost everybody complained about something. Because everything changed basically in the first episode of the season. But I never once saw anyone say “destroy” or “this is a completely different character”.
I didn’t engage the internet when it came to seasons 11 and 12 but if someone said “Destroy Baron’s Servo and make it a different robot with an afro and Air Jordans”, it would have had a real “I’m not racist but” vibe for me just like this has a “I’m not sexist but” vibe for a lot of people in this thread.
I don’t know what’s in people’s heart of hearts, that’s between you and your lord(Zedd) but going from a simple “This voice is jarring” to multiple threads that say, essentially, “You don’t have to fire her, just make her anything but Crow” is going to leave a bad taste.