That '90s Show

'That '90s Show' attempts to recapture That '70s Show's winning mix of dry humor, parody, and slapstick, and mostly succeeds.

But what really solidifies That ’90s Show as good television is its cast of newcomers, who quickly earn their spots on that legendary—and, by now, moth-eaten—basement couch. It’s tough not to share in Red’s fleeting pleasure as he enjoys a new massage chair, or revel in his petty rivalry with Bob Pinciotti (Don Stark) as they both try to out-grandpa each other on Leia’s 15th birthday. A sitcom is often only as endearing as its characters, and That ’70s Show was driven almost entirely by the ensemble play between Eric, Jackie, Kelso, Hyde, Donna, and Fez.

'That '70s Show' spinoff 'That '90s Show' centers on Eric's kid (Callie Haverda) and her grandparents (Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith).

As for the crew who used to hang out in that basement, That ’90s Show brushes up only here and there against the poignancy inherent in its premise. But it’s a spice the series deploys only sparingly, aware that this simply isn’t their world anymore. There are sequels that revisit the same characters in a new phase of life, a la [And Just Like That …](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/hbo-maxs-and-just-like-that-tv-review-1235059791/), and re-imaginings that add an urgent topical angle a la [Queer as Folk](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/peacock-queer-as-folk-tv-review-1235158288/). Most significantly, That ’90s Show maintains the likable vibe that made the earlier show such a reliable comfort watch — the laid-back humor, the upbeat nostalgia, the simple empathy for the small but significant challenges of suburban adolescence. As the group’s other pair of besties, Donovan and Coronel are so endearingly in sync that they can hold entire conversations by simply repeating the word “bro” back and forth. But these are minor flaws in the grand scheme of things. Much of the premiere episode is spent maneuvering to get Leia to stay with her grandparents, Kitty and Red (returning stars Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith) for the summer. In an especially throwback-y touch, That ’90s Show retains the now-unfashionable multi-camera format, complete with laugh track. The circle pans that it took my teenage self an embarrassing number of years to realize were meant to suggest marijuana use are back. And there’s a self-referentiality that never needed to be there before, with cameos, running gags and the occasional plot point calling back to decades past. No one is likely to describe the new sitcom as a bold take on the source material or praise its originality and bravery; it aims for nothing much more ambitious than recreating the low-key charm of its predecessor. It’s 1996 now, with the updated cultural references to match: There are entire storylines built around Clerks, raves and AOL, and homages to Donkey Kong and Beverly Hills, 90210.

“That '70s Show” gets a spin-off, “That '90s Show,” starring Mace Coronel as Jay Kelso (left), Callie Haverda as Leia Forman, Ashley Aufderheide as Gwen ...

Consider how it handles teen romance. The series focuses on Leia Forman (Callie Haverda), the 14 year-old daughter of That '70s Show characters Eric and Donna ( ...

They push so hard on their material, straining to make everything funny, that they merely expose the flimsiness of the jokes. The complete first season of That ‘90s Show streams January 19 on Netflix. The laugh track — because there is indeed a laugh track in this old-school, multi-camera sitcom — builds and builds as she stands there with her arm frozen in place. The lightest, most genuinely funny scenes in the entire season come when Leia daydreams about having a 90210-themed birthday party. There were even hints of pathos as they faced the struggles of raising a family. One extended scene in the kitchen even has two kids stepping on a series of mousetraps, as though they’ve landed in a vaudeville bit. This isn’t so different from the tone of Fuller House, Netflix’s long-running sequel to ’90s sitcom favorite Full House, but that revival focused on its adult characters. Given the double blast of nostalgia — both the retro setting and the brand extension — it could seem like the perfect treat for a cozy Saturday in front of the laptop. At one point, after an anxious conversation about touching Jay’s privates, she accidentally does grab the front of his jeans, and she’s so paralyzed with embarrassment that she keeps her hand there for almost a minute. When she gets a crush on Jay Kelso (Mace Coronel), son of Michael and Jackie (Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, also making cameos), she’s so gawky that her limbs literally go rigid. The series focuses on Leia Forman (Callie Haverda), the 14 year-old daughter of That ’70s Show characters Eric and Donna (Topher Grace and Laura Prepon, who both make cameos.). Adults might be tempted to watch That ’90s Show, Netflix’s sequel to the long-running sitcom That ’70s Show.

There's little of the grain or texture of 1990s culture in the series' first episodes: Indeed, protagonist Leia Forman (Callie Haverda) lives out an experience ...

If “That ‘90s Show” lacks the painfully stilted energy of “Fuller House,” it also doesn’t have the antic urge to reinvent that characterized the recent “Saved by the Bell” reboot. Inasmuch as “That ‘90s Show” succeeds, it does so by establishing a warm and sunny central dynamic among its new central cast of teens. Which lends “That ‘90s Show” an amiable hang-out energy, far removed from the antic desperation of a “Fuller House,” the standard-bearer for trying to force a reboot of a show that needed no real continuation.

That '90s Show premieres on Netflix this January 2023, but who else stars in the new sitcom series alongside returning Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis?

On the new series, he also said that it's "really funny" and that "the new cast is phenomenal". [Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/title/81288370) on Thursday 19th January. We thought, 'Listen, we’re only in the position that we’re in because of that show, so let’s just go back and do this'. What else has Reyn Doi been in? What else has Sam Morelos been in? What else has Mace Coronel been in? Who is Nikki? He's a young videographer and just so happens to also be the son of Michael Kelso and Jackie Burkhart – aka the previous leading characters of That '70s Show, played Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis. What else has Debra Jo Rupp been in? What else has Callie Haverda been in? The year is 1995 and when Leia visits her grandparents in Wisconsin, she's intent on creating some sort of adventure in her life. While in Wisconsin, she bonds with a new generation of Point Place kids and may just be able to inject some much-needed adventure into her life, which is what she so desperately desires.

Eric (Topher Grace) and Donna (Laura Prepon) take their daughter to visit Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) and Red (Kurtwood Smith) in the series premiere of this ...

But That ’70s Show follows the characters for three years and change, and they’re somewhere around 20 at the end of the series, not the beginning. The point is that this might be less of an issue had That ’70s Show run for a nice, reasonable five seasons instead of getting the vintage Fox treatment, which back in the ’90s and 2000s dictated that promising new shows be canceled swiftly and mercilessly, while any hits run for as close to a decade as possible even if their cast members lost interest. • That said, one of the best moments comes from the revival of the circle-cam format that was the original series’ signature. But That ’90s Show mostly wants to provide a comfort watch, extending a nostalgia chain that now reaches back over half a century: It throws back to the ’90s airings of a ’70s-set show that felt like a sorta-modern, sorta-not take on a ’70s-aired show about the ’50s. During the trip, she meets Gwen (Ashley Aufderheide), a cool riot-grrrl type who lives in Donna’s old house next door, and Leia decides — in a flush of excitement that feels like half-friend-crush and half-crush-crush — that she wants to stick around for the whole summer. Leia is in Point Place for a memorable summer (it’s a little surprising that no one makes a reference to that Saved By the Bell Malibu Sands season). Gwen follows in Donna’s “cool girl next door” footsteps, while the sardonic Ozzie (Reyn Doi) has an outsider status reminiscent of that of Fez (Wilmer Valderrama), not so much because he’s Asian American but because he’s gay — openly to his friends and more cautiously to less perceptive adults. That ’90s Show is the sequel series to That ’70s Show, a sitcom that does admittedly feel like a good candidate for a quarter-century-later revival. Real-life couple Kutcher and Kunis play their walk-on in the pilot as Kelso and Jackie on their way to their second remarriage. The original series began during the twilight of the sitcom gods, premiering a few months after Seinfeld left the air and limping along a couple of years past the end of Friends. The show’s “youth culture MTV meets ABC” sensibility allowed That ’70s Show to exist largely out of time despite its title. Yes, the creators may admit, remakes and reboots and long-gap sequels are often by turns shameless, dispiriting, or otherwise not quite right — especially when they’re competing with a hundred or two episodes that have looped for ages in syndication.

That '90s Show. (L to R) Kurtwood Smith as Red Forman, Photo: Patrick Wymore | Netflix. This article contains casting spoilers for ...

Wilmer Valderrama’s iconic portrayal of Point Place’s foreign exchange student (aka Fez) gets the most storylines in this reboot. Donna is portrayed here as a great mother who is ready to come visit her daughter, Leia (Callie Haverda) at the drop of a hat. Seeing her combine some of Kitty’s parenting ideas with her own is a great nod to the ways we incorporate our experiences during our upbringing later in life. Kitty Forman is one of the most iconic TV moms of the early-aughts. In fact, Red often plays a more central part in the show throughout most of the 10 episodes than he did in That ‘70s Show. The advertising materials made it clear Red and his wife, Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp), would play a central part in the plot, but what about the teenage characters from the mid-2000s classic?

Leia attempts to impress her (very high) friends by renting a cool movie from the video store, but Leo (Tommy Chong, reprising his 'That '70s Show' role) ...

It’s moves like these that make “Free Leia” feel less like a summer repeat of the pilot and more like the show is already serving up leftovers. Also as a ruthless peruser of onscreen video-store shelves, I can report that the titles lining the Point Place store are quite accurate to the era, erring on the side of slightly old (new releases that were actually circulating in late 1994) rather than too new. Anders is fine, gamely playing up a native Wisconsin accent, but there’s not much story to this B-story: Sherri introduces herself to Red and Kitty, reveals she’s dating a guy she’s trying to dump, and then reveals to us that the guy is … Gwen follows, Leia confesses her imposter syndrome, Gwen reassures her that she likes her and the others will follow — and that the inventors of a game called StickStick don’t have much of a leg to stand on, coolness-wise. This is what brings to mind She-Hulk: little comic escalation, no real payoff, and the general sense that the people making the show are reconstructing a sitcom episode from memory rather than inspiration. Between the dry, dry Raisin Bran that Leia has served as a snack and the lack of a promised cool movie, she freaks out and bolts.

It's been a welcome return to Point Place in That '90s Show. With the first season over and done with, we can look ahead to a potential second season as ...

We wholeheartedly recommend that anyone wishing to watch That ’90s Show takes the time to watch all 8 seasons of That ’70s Show first. We can’t wait to see the effect the new basement dwellers have on Red while Leia is away. We’re not sure what the reasons behind the decision are, but regardless, Netflix should have thrown the kitchen sink at Casey-Werner to win the streaming rights back for That ’70s Show. Here’s everything we know about the potential second season of That ’90s Show on Netflix. Casey-Werner is the production company behind the series, with Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner listed as two of eleven executive producers on the show. With the first season over and done with, we can look ahead to a potential second season as Netflix seeks to find its first smash hit sitcom since The Ranch.

The veteran actor, who was born in New Lisbon, Wisconsin, is happy to be back together with Red Forman in Point Place.

"It was always in the back of my head that that’s where we were," he said. While "That '90s Show," like the original series, is set in Wisconsin, it's not really about Wisconsin. Red isn't the same person he was in "That '70s Show." "I thought the script was right on the money," Smith said. It's not like Smith had been in storage since "That '70s Show" ended. All 10 episodes of the follow-up to "That '70s Show" are now streaming on Netflix.

½ out of four), a new Netflix series that tries to transport the Forman basement into a new decade. Suffice to say, like many of the unnecessary TV remakes, ...

The setting is incidental, probably chosen because it's been about 20 years since "’70s" made its bow and ’90s nostalgia is trendy, and it shows. Like "’70s," "’90s" is about a group of teenagers in Wisconsin and their antics while their parents aren't around. To shoehorn this into a format that resembles the original, Donna and Eric agree to let Leia stay at her grandparents' house for the summer after she makes friends in the neighborhood (sure, why not?). Suffice it to say, like many of the unnecessary TV remakes, reboots and revivals of the past few years, "’90s" does not capture the "’70s" magic. Forced, unfunny and lacking any kind of charm, "’90s" feels like a parody of a sitcom rather than an actual TV show. Mainstream nostalgia favored the Americana-soaked 1950s and ’60s, but the often-stoned, often-idiotic teens, including Eric Forman (Topher Grace), Michael Kelso ( [Ashton Kutcher](https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2022/12/05/ashton-kutchers-twin-brother-michael-jealousy-drove-them-apart/10841701002/)), Donna Pinciotti ( [Laura Prepon](https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2021/08/17/laura-prepon-that-70-s-show-doesnt-practice-scientology/8173224002/)) and Jackie Burkhart ( [Mila Kunis](https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/entertainment/celebrities/2022/04/23/celebrities-donating-ukraine-refugees/7412530001/)) were irreverent, silly and fun.

Laura Prepon, Debra Jo Rupp and Topher Grace in "That '90s Show." Netflix. CNN —. The fact ...

That might be because instead of charting a new path, the show essentially uses those characters as cutouts to simply recreate aspects of the original series, including the swerving camera and smoke-filled basement epiphanies. [“Full House”](https://www.cnn.com/2016/02/25/entertainment/fuller-house-tv-show-thr-feat/index.html) and “Gilmore Girls” while rebooting [“One Day at a Time.”](https://www.cnn.com/2017/01/06/entertainment/one-day-at-a-time-netflix-reboot/index.html) [ “Night Court”](https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/17/entertainment/night-court-review/index.html) turning this into a two-sitcom-revival week, an obvious means of seeking to knife through the programming clutter. Yet while there’s smoke here, there’s not much heat, as an uninspired next-generation crowd offsets encores by most of the original cast, leaving (Danny Masterson, whose recent rape trial [ended in a mistrial](https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/30/entertainment/danny-masterson-mistrial/index.html), is notably absent.)

That '90s Show, which follows Eric and Donna's daughter as she spends the summer of 1995 in Wisconsin, is nostalgic but too bland to stick.

Because of this, the show is mostly coasting on nostalgia, failing to create anything that feels rooted in time, place, and character. The gang finds weed, they smoke in the basement, they share kisses and failed romances, and they deal with the idea of the summer ending and what that means for their friendship. That '70s Show may not have been interested in historical accuracy, but it did use its time period to craft a mood, to create a lived-in world that was then used to build comedy and drama. When Leia quickly makes friends with some kids in the neighborhood, she decides she wants to stay for the summer, kicking off a season of teenage rebellion, romance, and self discovery. Some of that synchronicity is engaging, as we watch Leia forge a path similar to Eric's, finding a healthy bit of rebellion that she didn't know she had inside of her. Sure, That '90s Show is an easy watch, another harmless sitcom added to Netflix's library. That '90s Show is, interestingly enough, a perfect encapsulation of both the good and the bad that comes with the current revival craze. Unfortunately, being easy to watch isn't the same as being captivating or interesting. The first episode is really the only time when these characters feel like more than caricatures, because we know Eric, Donna, Kitty, and Red, and the show uses our knowledge to create new character dynamics while crafting good jokes based on their shared history. [That '90s Show](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/that-90s-show/1001099351/) was never going to have an easy road to success. [Topher Grace](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/topher-grace/3000396944/) and [Laura Prepon](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/laura-prepon/3000000029/)) visit Kitty and Red ( [Debra Jo Rupp](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/debra-jo-rupp/3030227955/) and [Kurtwood Smith](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kurtwood-smith/3000054376/), the only returning regulars) with their teenage daughter, Leia ( [Callie Haverda](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/callie-hope-haverda/3000942235/)), in tow. [Terms of Use](https://redventures.com/legal/cmg-terms-of-use.html) and acknowledge the data practices in our [Privacy Policy](https://redventures.com/legal/privacy-policy).

A review of the new sitcom That '90s Show, now playing on Netflix.

Nikki is the sister of the often-eye-rolling Ozzie ( [Reyn Doi](/cast-and-crew/reyn-doi)), who is looking to come out as gay to Kitty and others. I was most struck by an end credit for [James Iha](/cast-and-crew/james-iha), guitarist of the Smashing Pumpkins—he provides the music for the series, which might include the guitar/drum bursts that the series uses to cap off a scene. [Ashley Aufderheide](/cast-and-crew/ashley-aufderheide)) is siblings with puppy dog jock Nate (Maxwell Acee Donovan), who is attached at the lips to the academically focused Nikki (Sam Morelos). Instead of being shuttled off to Space Camp for the summer, she convinces her parents to let her stay with her grandparents Red and Kitty and to make friends with their neighbors who are Leia’s age. They’re also the biggest stars of the returning cast this time, with plenty of time for Kitty’s whimsical flights of fancy and overexcitement or how the Archie Bunker-esque Red finds a new way to threaten to put his foot up someone’s ass. [Topher Grace](/cast-and-crew/topher-grace), [Laura Prepon](/cast-and-crew/laura-prepon), [Wilmer Valderrama](/cast-and-crew/wilmer-valderrama), [Ashton Kutcher](/cast-and-crew/ashton-kutcher), and [Mila Kunis](/cast-and-crew/mila-kunis).

Leia has never been kissed, so Gwen suggests she go to the mall to make out with someone — maybe Jay? Sherri needs Red to break up with Fez (Wilmer ...

Mostly, this story line produces relief that it’s over, and looks unlikely to continue the extended-pilot vibes into the next episode. Too much of a softie to participate in Fez’s heartbreak, Kitty subcontracts out of her job and asks Red, who has spent much of the episode feeling uncharacteristically zen because of a Sharper Image massage chair, to let Fez down not so easy. “I don’t want to be some meaningless hookup,” he tells her, affirming her specialness and giving her a self-esteem boost in the process. Volunteering to help, Kitty makes an appointment at Fez’s salon; he’s remade himself in the image of a sexy stylist that seems equally inspired by Wilmer Valderrama’s dating history and You Don’t Mess With the Zohan. Callie Haverda has put some nicely awkward spins on her lines; in “Lip Smackers,” it’s funny to hear her accidentally confess her inexperience in the area of kissing by referring to tongues caressing uvulas (“The u-spot,” she adds). Gwen proposes an immediate solution: Head to the mall and “knock this out.” Cue the montage of Leia trying and failing to mack on the male population of the food court, intimidating an ice-cream scooper and accidentally hitting on a tall 9-year-old (“Hey, sexy, you eating grapes?”).

That '70s Show's cast has reunited, in a new spin-off series titled That '90s Show. However, amongst all one major character would be missing - Danny ...

The new series was first announced in October 2021. The views expressed here are that of the respective authors/ entities and do not represent the views of Economic Times (ET). According to Deadline and the ET hereby disclaims any and all warranties, express or implied, relating to the report and any content therein. The reprise or reunion was a long due as the original series premiered during the summer of 1995. The actor was put on trial the following year after entering a not guilty plea to each of the three accusations in January 2021.

The actor will not reprise his role as Steven Hyde after being charged in 2020 with forcibly raping three women in separate incidents between 2001 and 2003.

I am also so thankful to the fans that have supported me and continue to do so." Yesterday was his last day of work, and we'll make new episodes in 2018 without him," the streamer wrote on Twitter at the time. "You know, I hesitate to say that I never saw any of that behavior because I feel like it sounds like I'm defending him, but the truth is I never saw any of that stuff," he said at the time. Despite being a main character on That '70s Show, the absence of Masterson's character Steven Hyde isn't addressed on the new show. Michael Kelso and Jackie Burkhart appear towards the end of the season one premiere, as audiences learn that Leia's new friend Jay (Mace Coronel) is the son of Kelso, who married his on-and-off-again high school girlfriend Jackie. In the premiere episode, Eric Formam and Donna Pinciotti returned to the home in Point Place, Wisconsin, where Eric grew up.