That '90s Show

''That '90s Show'' is an American teen sitcom that serves as the sequel to ''That '70s Show.'' Set during the summer of 1995 and 1996, featuring characters and locales that debuted in its predecessor, it debuted on Netflix on January 19, 2023. In February 2023, the series was renewed for a second season, with the first part of the season released on June 27, 2024, and the second part released on August 22, 2024. In October 2024, the series was canceled after an extended second season, though Kurtwood Smith confirmed that the show will potentially be shopped to other streaming platforms.

Premise

The show centers on Leia Forman, the teenage daughter of Eric Forman and Donna Pinciotti, forming bonds with other teenagers as she spends the summer of 1995 with her grandparents Red and Kitty in Point Place, Wisconsin.

Cast

Main

* Debra Jo Rupp as Kitty Forman, Leia's paternal grandmother and Eric's mother
* Kurtwood Smith as Red Forman, Leia's paternal grandfather and Eric's father
* Callie Haverda as Leia Forman, a smart, snarky teen girl who craves adventure, the daughter of Eric Forman and Donna Pinciotti from the original series
* Ashley Aufderheide as Gwen Runck, Nate's rebellious Riot grrrl half-sister with a loyal heart
* Mace Coronel as Jay Kelso, a charming, flirty young videographing son of Michael Kelso and Jackie Burkhart, Leia's love interest, and Betsy's half-brother
* Reyn Doi as Ozzie Takada, a computer whiz and the most perceptive yet cynical friend of the gang
* Sam Morelos as Nikki Velasco, Nate's ambitious and intelligent girlfriend
* Maxwell Acee Donovan as Nate Runck, Gwen's more easygoing and goofy older half-brother, and Nikki's boyfriend

Recurring

* Laura Prepon as Donna Pinciotti, Leia's mother, Eric's wife, and an author
* Wilmer Valderrama as Fez (season 1), a popular hair stylist and longtime friend of the Forman family
* Andrea Anders as Sherri Runck, the Formans' new neighbor and Gwen and Nate's mother who was in a relationship with Fez
* Don Stark as Bob Pinciotti (season 2; guest season 1), Leia's maternal grandfather and Donna's father
* Kevin Smith as Jason "Sonny" (season 2), Leo's son
* Jason Mewes as Bunch (season 2), Sonny's best friend and roommate
* Niles Fitch as Cole Carson (season 2), Gwen's ex-boyfriend
* Kira Kosarin as Betsy Kelso (season 2), Jay's half-sister and Michael's daughter from his previous relationship with Brooke in the original series.
* Raphael Alejandro as Isaac (season 2), Ozzie's boyfriend
* Anthony Turpel as Theo (season 2), Nikki's ex-boyfriend

Guest stars

* Topher Grace as Eric Forman (season 1), Leia's father, Donna's husband, and a college professor
* Mila Kunis as Jackie Burkhart (season 1), Jay's mother and Kelso's wife
* Ashton Kutcher as Michael Kelso (season 1), Jay's father and Jackie's husband
* Tommy Chong as Leo Chingkwake, Point Place's local hippie who was friends with the original characters
* Brian Austin Green as Brian Austin Green (season 1), a fictionalized version of himself who reprised his ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' role as David Silver in the ''Point Place, 53140'' dream sequences that spoofed the series
* Jim Rash as Fenton, Fez's former landlord in the original series, now Sherri's landlord, who still harbors a dislike of Fez. Later he owns a pawnshop that Nikki's parents sold her guitar to.
* Lisa Loeb as herself (season 2), appears in Leia's daydream
* Seth Green as Mitch Miller (season 2), Eric's enemy who had a crush on Donna in the original show, now Gwen's boss at Hot Topic
* Carmen Electra as herself (season 2), appears in Kitty's daydream
* Will Forte as Kiefer (season 2), a healer Kitty consults with
* Wayne Knight as Bruce (season 2), a fellow patient Red befriends while he is in the hospital. Knight previously played an angel in the original series' fourth season premiere, “It's a Wonderful Life".
* Matt Rife as Travis (season 2), a germaphobic pilot Red and Kitty meet before their flight to Paris
* Mike "The Miz" Mizanin as The Party Animal (season 2), a professional wrestler
* Sherry Cola as Morgan (season 2)
* Cedric Yarbrough as Otis (season 2), Gwen's father
* David DeLuise as Judge Jezner (season 2), the judge who suspended Kitty's license
* Bob Clendenin as Earl (season 2), Red's former subordinate at Price Mart, who is now part of a men's support group

Episodes

Season 1 (2023)

Season 2 (2024)

Production

''That '70s Show'' aired on Fox from 1998 to 2006, centering around the lives of teenagers from 1976 to 1979. The show garnered additional popularity after its conclusion due to its availability on Netflix, before leaving the platform in September 2020.

In October 2021, Netflix announced a spin-off of the series, titled ''That '90s Show'', with Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp reprising their roles as Red and Kitty Forman, respectively. The show is produced by The Carsey-Werner Company, with Gregg Mettler serving as showrunner and Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner, their daughter Lindsay Turner, Marcy Carsey, Tom Werner, Smith and Rupp as executive producers.

Ten episodes were ordered, with the series taking on a multi-cam format like the original. The show was filmed in front of a live studio audience at Sunset Bronson Studios in Los Angeles from February 7 to July 21, 2022.

In February 2022, Callie Haverda, Ashley Aufderheide, Mace Coronel, Maxwell Acee Donovan, Reyn Doi and Sam Morelos joined the cast as series regulars. It was also reported that Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher and Wilmer Valderrama would appear in recurring roles. Danny Masterson, who had a pending criminal trial at that time, did not appear as his character of Steven Hyde, who was simply not mentioned in the series; Masterson was convicted of rape in May 2023 and sentenced to thirty years in prison. Production commenced February 6. On April 30, 2022, it was announced that Grace, Prepon, Kunis, Kutcher and Valderrama would all return for guest appearances. On February 3, 2023, Netflix renewed the series for a 16-episode second season.

Filming on the second season was due to take place between May and September 2023, but it was delayed due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes.

On October 3, 2024, it was announced that the series was canceled after two seasons.

Release

The first season of ''That '90s Show'' released onto Netflix on January 19, 2023. The second season was divided into two parts, with the first eight episodes having been released on June 27, 2024, and another eight episodes being released on August 22, 2024 after it was originally set to be released on October 24. The first half of the episodes of season 2 have been released as "Part 2"; the second half was released as "Part 3" of the show.

Reception

Audience viewership

During its debut week, ''That '90s Show'' ranked at number five on Netflix's Top 10 TV English titles just three days after its release with 41.08 million hours viewed. The following week, the series reached number four and garnered 26.25 million viewing hours.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an approval rating of 75% with an average rating of 6.4/10, based on 51 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "A solidly serviceable sequel series, ''That '90s Show'' may take a little time to find its rhythm, but still delivers a respectable number of warmly nostalgic laughs." Metacritic assigned a score of 58 out of 100 based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

''The Hollywood Reporter'' Angie Han wrote: " 'That '90s Show''aims for nothing much more ambitious than re-creating the low-key charm of its predecessor. But it hits that target with enough confidence and consistency to become a treat in its own right." Steve Greene, writing for IndieWire, viewed it "better than it adany right to be," praising the new cast's "easy" chemistry and the performances of Smith and Rupp. Brian Lowry of CNN dubbed it "high in nostalgia but only half-baked," while Lucy Mangan at ''The Guardian'' found it likable enough and nostalgic.

Manuel Betancourt of ''The A.V. Club'' gave the series' first season a B and wrote "If you grew up watching ''That '70s Show'', you'll likely have no way of assessing whether ''That '90s Show'' works on its own. Maybe it can't. And maybe it doesn't even want to." Alan Sepinwall, in a column for ''Rolling Stone'', expressed doubt that the multi-cam approach could find an audience in the streaming era; Richard Roeper gave a rating of two out of four stars and described it as "a little edgy and occasionally chuckle-inducing and mostly sweet-natured, and it's just OK and quickly forgettable."

The second season has an 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 8 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10.

References

External links

*
*

{{Netflix original ended series (2019–present)

2020s American teen sitcoms
2023 American television series debuts
2024 American television series endings
American sequel television series
American television series about families
American television series about teenagers
American English-language television shows
Netflix sitcoms
Nostalgia television shows
Nostalgia television in the United States
Television series by Carsey-Werner Productions
Television series set in 1995
Television series set in 1996
Television series set in the 1990s
Television shows set in Wisconsin
2020s LGBTQ-related comedy television series
That '70s Show