I’m not sure I can express or explain how or why the show is important to me. I caught on later, around season 8. I was in college. I saw the show on tv and loved it instantly. At the time I could only watch it once a week, which I did religiously. At times my fraternity bothers would watch it with me (coed professional engineering, not Greek - nerds, basically). When the show stopped airing I was very sad*. This was 1999, so it was just gone. Years later episodes became available to buy, but I couldn’t afford them. When Netflix had them on DVD I was ecstatic and watched them as often as my wife would tolerate. I jumped at the chance to back both Kickstarters.
To this day I don’t quite know why it’s so important to me. It feels like home. I get it, and it gets me. On some level, I think it’s a show about dealing with isolation, and that can make it feel comforting to certain people. People like me. When I watch MST3K, I’m never alone.
* For years, the end of Diabolik made me cry, just like Pearl. I didn’t watch it much. I can enjoy it much more freely now.