Mystery Science Theater 3000 is back! The series premiered on Netflix last week, and viewers can thank piracy for the return of the series. Yes, piracy is bad, but tapes of the series traded to friends and posting of videos online kept the series alive.

Joel Hodgson, the co-series creator and original host of the series, revealed that he was okay with the piracy of the now Netflix series in an interview with The Wrap. He said the following:

“We told people to circulate the tapes. We told people, maybe one of the reasons we’re here today, people kept making tapes and sending them and posting them when they weren’t available online.”

Jonah Ray, the host of the current incarnation of the series, also spoke about the piracy of the series. He said that, “The internet truly embraced it and kept it alive, I believe.”

Did you check out the new Mystery Science Theater 3000 on Netflix? Were you a fan of the original series? Tell us what you think.