First off, iTunes has a special on download-to-own episodes. For the next two weeks, you can purchase the episodes they have up for $4.99 each. I'm not exactly sure when this two weeks is up, but to be safe I'd check it out ASAP if you're interested.

Secondly, we've got a press release for the 17th boxset!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The loyal MSTies asked for it, and now they’ve finally got it!

MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: VOLUME XVII
featuring the very first nationally aired episode,
THE CRAWLING EYE,
and three side-splitting episodes
THE BEATNIKS, THE FINAL SACRIFICE, and BLOOD WATERS OF DR. Z
along with 4 limited-edition mini-posters and bountiful bonus features

In Stores Nationwide March 16, 2010 from Shout! Factory

Welcome to the Satellite of Love, the orbiting home of legendary hosts Joel Robinson and Mike Nelson, along with their robotic companions — Crow T. Robot, Tom Servo and Gypsy. Join them as they embark on their 17th, and perhaps most impressive, volume of gut-busting riffs on the classic cinematic missteps of yesteryear when Shout Factory, in association with Best Brains, Inc., proudly presents Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XVII 4-DVD box set on March 16, 2010. The 17th DVD collection of the famed MST3K features the long-awaited episodes The Crawling Eye, The Final Sacrifice, The Beatniks and Blood Waters of Dr. Z, along with a wealth of bonus content including The Crawling Eye special introduction by Joel Hodgson, Mystery Science Theater Hours wraps on The Beatniks, The Main Event: Crow Vs. Crow at Dragon*Con ’09, a brand-new interview with The Final Sacrifice star Bruce J. Mitchell, Blood Waters of Dr. Z photo gallery, original theatrical trailers and more! This collectible 4- DVD box set is priced to own at $59.97.

MST3K: THE CRAWLING EYE
Things start to look eerily familiar to scientists Crevett and Brooks when mountain climbers begin losing their heads in the Trollenberg Mountains. Can the two investigators finally uncover the answers they’ve been seeking since encountering similar tragic accidents in the Andes?

The loyal MSTies asked for it, and now they’ve finally got it! The very first episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 following its departure from KTMA is now on DVD, complete with the introductions of Doctors Forrester and Erhardt, Deep 13 and Joel’s very first Invention Exchange seen on the Comedy Channel!

MST3K: THE BEATNIKS
When a hold-up carried out by his two-bit hoodlum friends goes tragically awry, Eddie Crane’s bright future as a recording artist from the mean streets could be in jeopardy.

With a sadistically hilarious game of Rock-Paper-Scissors, a Tony Travis-themed slumber party and a full-fledged dramatization of a nobody’s transformation into a 1950s rock star (and back) starring none other than Tom Servo — Joel and the crew of the SOL certainly know how to usher in this Turkey Day favorite’s DVD debut!

Also includes the second segment of the short “General Hospital.”

MST3K: THE FINAL SACRIFICE
With the help of a mysterious map and a truck-driving drifter named Rowsdower, young Troy McGreggor sets out on a dark adventure across Alberta in search of the answers behind the hooded cult responsible for his father’s grisly murder.

MSTies have long believed they’d never see this Tjardus Greidanus–directed student-film-turned-MST3K masterpiece on DVD, so we’re especially proud to serve it up! This long-awaited episode also features “The Canada Song,” a treasured song by Tom Servo in one of the host segments. Join Mike and the ’bots of the Satellite of Love as they skewer the beloved “cult” classic that became one of the most requested episodes in the history of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

MST3K: BLOOD WATERS OF DR. Z
Seeking revenge against those responsible for stripping him of his tenure and the denial of human research subjects, Dr. Z mutates himself into a hideous — and murderous — half-human-half-fish-like creature!

Mike Nelson and the crew of the Satellite of Love — Crow T. Robot, Tom Servo and Gypsy — take on one of the most laughable treasures ever to grace the MST3K screen with a disgusting new habit for Crow, a day of fishing for the crew and — GASP — an unforgettable appearance by Brain Guy and Bobo!

(There's a bit more that includes a summary of the series, but I figured we were good with this.)

Like I've said before, this is quite an epic set. There is nostalgic value from having The Crawling Eye, while The Final Sacrifice is, as they said, one of the most requested episodes ever, and the fact that we're going to get it makes me just squee in delight. Plus the extras are looking very epic - particularly the chance to see Trace Beaulieu and Bill Corbett bounce off of one another as the two personas of Crow.