A new trend in television is bringing beloved shows back from the dead, with cult classics like Arrested Development getting a new lease on life, and many more in the works like Xena: Warrior Princess and even The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Earlier today another reboot was announced, with a Kickstarter campaign launching to bring back Mystery Science Theater 3000. Series creator Joel Hodgson is seeking a minimum of $2 million to produce new episodes of this cult classic series, and he has already raised over $640,000 in the first day alone. The $2 million will cover the costs of producing three new feature-length episodes, and if they reach $5.5 million, they can produce a full 12-episode season. Here's what Joel Hodgson had to say in a statement.

"Once upon a time, a television series called Mystery Science Theater 3000 was born. We debuted on Minneapolis' KTMA, local television, on Thanksgiving Day 1988, as the world was in the final throes of Teddy Ruxpin-mania. That was almost thirty years ago, but for some reason, people still seem to like the show - it's a mitzvah! Our show has had a long, strange run. Across a UHF channel, a cable network, cancellation, a feature film, then another cable network, the show lasted for 12 years, two generations of hosts and puppeteers, 2 Emmy nominations and a total of 197 episodes before we got canceled again "for good" in 1999. Sadly, it was just as Prince predicted. But maybe that's not where it all ends. Starting today, we finally get a chance to bring back MST3K. With your help, we can create a new season of MS3K, prove there's still an audience, and maybe even convince a network to bring us back for more."

The original series centered on a zany mad scientist Dr. Clayton Forrester and his loopy assistant Frank, who became bored with their work at the Deep Thirteen research center. They kidnap Joel the janitor and shoot him into orbit on the Satellite of Love. While in space Joel builds wacky robot sidekicks Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot to help him withstand an onslaught of grade 'Z' movies that the mad scientists force him to watch.

Joel Hodgson also revealed on the Kickstarter page that the show's return was hampered for many years due to legal issues because the rights were tied up for several years. Their legal matters were resolved earlier this summer, which lead to this crowd-funding campaign finally getting off the ground. At the rate fans have been donating on the first day, it should only be a matter of time before their goals are met.

For those who want to donate, the rewards for this Kickstarter campaign range from $10, where you'll receive a Printable "MST3K Information Club 2" Membership Certificate and ID Card, all the way up to $10,000, where you'll receive the actual Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo robots used in an actual episode. Visit the show's official Kickstarter page for more information on the rewards for donating and on the show itself. Do you hope that MST3K comes back on the air? Let us know what you think, and stay tuned for more updates on this campaign.