Written by Alana Harris
In 2023, That 90’s Show, the spin off to the iconic ‘That 70’s Show’ was released on Netflix and is currently coasting on its nostalgic influences.
‘That 70’s Show’ is a comedy coming of age sitcom following a teenage friend group in suburban Wisconsin in the 70’s… Obviously. That is now being continued with a new generation in the 90’s time era, ‘That 90’s Show’.
The original was released in 1998, almost 30 years after the 70’s, giving it a nostalgic aspect while watching the teens mess around and hang out in Eric's parents basement. The cast and their chemistry is truly what made the show, and the more you learn about the cast the crazier it is.
‘That 90’s Show’ follows the original main characters, Donna and Eric’s daughter, Leia (Callie Haverda) as she stays at her grandparents for the summer and makes new friends in her parents' old neighborhood. Back in the set of That 70’s Show, seeing some iconic characters and settings from the original has definitely helped the so far success of this show. The series already has 3 released seasons and over double the amount of episodes as its previous attempted spin off.
Their first attempt at a spin-off shows that it was really the casting and connections that mattered. In 2002, That 80’s Show was produced following a friend group throughout the 80’s. It had 1 season, 13 episodes and was canceled due to low ratings. Its main issue was that it had no relation to the original characters or anything. They just copied and pasted the basic concept into a new cast set 10 years later. Very original.
The connections to That 70’s Show is what drew viewers attention. We get guest star appearances from people in the original cast all grown up like Eric and Donna, of course ( Topher Grace and Laura Prepon ), Jackie and Kelso (Mila Kunis and Ashton Kusher) and Fezco! (Wilmer Valderrama) Learning what became of the actor we knew as ‘Hyde’ was devastating to say the least.
We do not see a reappearance of this character due to the actor, Danny Mastersons’ horrific life choices. In 2023 the actor was sentenced with 30 years to life in prison after raping 2 woman back in the 2000’s while the show was still running.
Not yet renewed for another season, there's no telling how long or successful this spin off will be yet. But with recent news it may not be long, within the first part of season 3 Topher Grace seemingly left the show:
Actors Kutcher and Kunis have also shared that they are not planning on coming back.
Now only time will tell if the first 3 seasons were enough to build the characters and a fan-base like its 70’s origin or be forgotten like the 80’s.
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