From last Friday’s update:
For the first several days, we’re going to focus on shooting all of the silhouette riffs in the theater, which means our cast will be in chairs facing a greenscreen, with a few small screens just off to the side, so that they can watch the movie as they perform
Maybe the robots are like Janets on “The Good Place.” They come in good, bad, and neutral flavors.
I think the nature of The Gauntlet definitely colored this sentiment, but I am sure the host segments will have their time to breathe this season, and would regardless of fan feedback, since it was going to be a single-season gimmick regardless of when it was going to be followed up
Agreed. I’m glad to have the show back regardless of how much spit and polish it may or may not have but a lot of the show’s charm was the homespun, kitbashed, ‘out of a garage’ sort of seat of the pants feel it had. Granted the KTMA stuff was a bit TOO primitive, but by the Comedy Central era it had smoothed most of those rough edges out and had reached a place where it managed a professional enough look while at the same time definitely not being over-produced, over-managed, and over-groomed. It was a happy middle that I still sometimes yearn for. Thank goodness for the re-runs on Twitch. 
I think this is a common sentiment, but imo I don’t think the Netflix seasons are as over produced as I see people saying sometimes. The live band and larger set for the mads is a step up in production value for sure, but there’s a lot of hand crafted stuff, silly green screen work, wacky costumes, and the show retained its signature flat/one angle/minimal coverage for the host segments choice. (Sometimes to its detriment, since they had to cover cuts with bubbles in the first Netflix season…)
The Netflix stuff was higher budget, sure, but to me it never felt overly polished or like a studio creation instead of the goofy Midwest charm show that it is, at least to me. Plus, I did REALLY appreciate the higher quality print standards the Netflix seasons had for the movies they screened. Some of the movies on the older episodes look and sound so bad it’s just not terribly pleasant to get through.
All that being said, I think it’s natural for everyone to have their nostalgic preferences, probably largely determined by when you discovered and were won over by the show.
Well said on all points here.
When I think of the loss of “goofy Midwestern charm,” I’m thinking more of the riffs and sketches than the set design, FWIW.
That’s fair, I do think the sense of humor of the show has slightly changed over the years, although I’d argue that it also changed when Mike took over hosting duties, when the show changed networks, etc.
It makes sense that it would change some again after such a long break, new writers, new actors, and new cultural norms and expectations. And totally fair if the new stuff doesn’t quite scratch the same itch for everyone.
I think we did get one “PACKERS!!!” near the end of the last season, though. 
The Rhino releases also had weird tech issues that I’m glad haven’t popped up yet. Granted I don’t have any physical copies of the new seasons.
Terrific points all around, especially about our unique nostalgic preferences based on when we discovered the show. Green-screening sometimes feels to me like a “cheat” that works against the show’s garage/kitbash ethos. The tech has gotten really good in recent years, and it irks me that it’s approaching becoming the norm vs. the exception. (That said, I can certainly see its usefulness in a situation like a pandemic.)
On the flip side, getting new episodes in glorious high-definition is fantastic. I actually kinda like the really bad movie prints – more Manos and Monster A-Go Go? Bring it on! – but for the host segments it’s a treat. Did anyone else notice the gloved fingers pushing the landing gear out of Jonah’s Backjack during the opening sequence?
I never noticed this! I had to look it up, watched carefully and found them!
They are. This is the same sound stage where the original Moon landing was faked.
Man, this airplane glue is addictive…
I’m curious if we’ll have another moment in a riffed movie like Girl in Gold Boots with the one teleporting dude glitch. Apparently it only exists in the VHS print of the film.
Some of the movies used are the versions edited for television, so while they may not contain obvious editing jumps like that, they do differ from the theatrical release in notable ways. Apparently there is more in the theatrical cut of Mitchell, for example. I can only hope that version gives John Saxon’s character more screen time and a better death than the one added in clumsy ADR in the TV edit.
As someone who grew up in the Midwest, I concur. I loved the last two seasons, yet they were certainly missing the Midwestern feel for me. And I get it, the writers room wasn’t made up of comedians from Minnesota anymore, and the riffs aren’t being delivered by them either. A Menards riff lands differently (for me) when the person writing or delivering it saw the same hokey commercials back in the day, or can bust out the jingle out of nowhere, versus someone from LA who doesn’t understand just how much big money one may save at Menards.
But, it’s ultimately one piece of a puzzle, and there’s still a ton of great material to be found. The show will remain funny and comfortable with or without that element, just a little different.
I can easily picture Disco Tom…
