The Foremans Return in That ‘90s Show

The series That ‘90s Show was released on Netflix on Jan 19 and was much-anticipated because it is a spinoff of popular 2000s sitcom That ‘70s Show. The spinoff follows the life of Leia, the daughter of That ‘70s Show characters Donna and Eric, during the summer she spends at her grandparent’s house, her dad’s childhood home. 

That ‘90s Show follows a very similar storyline to its predecessor: kids from Wisconsin go through the trials and tribulations of being teenagers in the comfort of the Foreman basement. The spinoff is sprinkled with cameos from the original cast, including Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, whose characters Kelso and Jackie are now married and have a teenage boy in the show. Appropriately, Kunis and Kutcher have been married in real life for eight years after first meeting on the set of That ‘70s Show. 

Overall, fans had pretty good reviews of the new series, whether they’d seen That ‘70s Show before or not. “I really liked the show. It was very entertaining to watch and I thought it was really funny,” junior Bryn Richards said. 

Richards had previously tried to watch That ‘70s Show, but since its removal from Netflix, she’s had a hard time finding it on streaming services that she has. “I knew about That ‘70s Show, but they took it off Netflix which was really disappointing so I just decided to watch That ‘90s Show without the context of That ‘70s Show,” she said. 

Despite not having seen the original show, Richards was still able to appreciate the original characters. “I really like Red,” she said, in reference to Eric’s father and Leia’s grandfather. “Some of the witty comments that he would make made me really laugh and it was cool to see how he was as a grandpa.” 

For those who had seen That ‘70s Show prior to the release of That ‘90s Show, the reviews were generally positive. “I think the program creators did a great job of including both the characters from That ‘70s Show and the same obstacles that the original cast dealt with,” senior Adaline Ritchie said. 

Ritchie also added that That ‘90s Show is slightly more relevant to today’s audiences. “Both shows talk about troubles with boys and relationships, but in That ‘90s Show, more of the dilemmas that you see today are brought up,” she said. 

Others had slightly more critical opinions of the show, like senior Sophia Taavao, who felt that it was lacking in substance. “It seems like a whole series trying to fit into a short 10 episodes,” she said. “That ‘90s Show characters, though we are still in the first season, are not as developed as the characters in That ‘70s Show and that overall just makes the show and the characters less likable.” 

No matter how much viewers liked or disliked the first season of That ‘90s Show, everyone is hoping for more in the future. “I hope that it expands its format and allows for more development of characters instead of just throwing the plot in our face. I think it could be a great show,” Taavao said. 

Ritchie would like to see the creation of a few more seasons, and Richards just wants questions answered. “ I would really like to see what happens because there is now the love triangle between Leia, Nate, and Jay.” 

It seems that another season is inevitable, since so many things were left to unravel at the conclusion of the finale. Will the Foremans return for a second season of That ‘90s Show?