Welcome to a new Sitcom Tuesday! This week, I’m looking at the first season of Netflix’s That ’70s Show revival called That ’90s Show, which premiered in early 2023 and has been renewed.
That ’90s Show stars KURTWOOD SMITH as Red, DEBRA JO RUPP as Kitty, CALLIE HAVERDA as Leia, ASHLEY AUFDERHEIDE as Gwen, MACE CORONEL as Jay, REYN DOI as Ozzie, SAM MORELOS as Nikki, and MAXWELL ACEE DONOVAN as Nate. With ANDREA ANDERS as Sherri.
Netflix’s “reboot” of That ’70s Show is, per its new title, set in the 1990s, and it concerns the next generation of kids hanging out in Red and Kitty Forman’s basement — a group anchored by Eric and Donna’s daughter Leia and her love interest, Jay, the son of Kelso and Jackie (who apparently have been off and on since the 1979 finale — Fez and Hyde be damned). It’s set up to replicate the original series, with a gang of six misfit teens, two adults whose house is the primary locale, and a wacky neighbor recurring next door. But every regular here is new to us… except, of course, Red and Kitty, as the rest of the still-living ’70s crew (minus Hyde, for obvious reasons) make only one to three guest appearances over the course of the season. On paper, this is, frankly, a smart design — it’s a revival that structurally matches its predecessor, focusing on a teen “hangout” ensemble, but with mostly new characters, and an updated 1990s setting that both honors and progresses the high-concept “period piece” aspect of the initial premise. Unfortunately, this first season, of only ten episodes, is a far cry from the quality of the original — at least, the first season of the original. The principal problem is that, as with most shows where some regulars are brand new and some regulars have earned a long-term emotional investment, there’s an automatic imbalance in how much we care. That is, we inherently come into That ’90s Show liking Red and Kitty more than anyone else. They’re the leads we most want to watch, for they’re the best defined and the most dependably comedic — the ones about whom we know the most. And I’m afraid this brief ten-episode season does very little to rectify the disparity. Part of the issue is that the series indulges our interest in the parents — now grandparents — by making them a more narratively prominent portion of every entry than they were at the beginning of That ’70s Show, which otherwise was more centered on the teens, specifically via Eric. In other words, this revival gives us a lot of time with Red and Kitty Forman, guaranteed winners, and spends less time developing the new younger leads who, per the premised design of the original, should be carrying more of the dramatic weight.
Naturally, a major hinderance is that, just as we saw with the new Frasier, ten episodes is too few for any half-hour comedy to really understand its characters and how to best feature them in story. Although some of the kids are better defined than others — for instance, Eric and Donna’s daughter Leia, the anchor, has personality because she’s portrayed as an awkward nerd like her dad — all of them have basic shape. In addition to Leia, there’s her next-door neighbor and bestie, a rebel in the Hyde mold; a Kelso-like dummy and his sharp-tongued girlfriend (à la Jackie); a flamboyant (and openly gay) kid in the Fez variety; and a love interest for Leia that has traits of both his parents, who happen to be our old pals, Jackie and Kelso. And, to be fair, I do think there are strides in refining the comedic identities of the vaguer teens over time. It’s just not enough. They’re still, overall, a less precise bunch than the prior class. Oh, and I’m not comparing ten episodes to 200; merely in viewing That ’90s Show alongside the first ten episodes of That ’70s Show, this group of youngsters is less developed, has less chemistry, and, in general, seems less capable of comedically carrying a series worth of story than their elder counterparts. Some of this should improve in a second season (which is set to be 16 episodes), but I must admit I’m skeptical of the new cast’s abilities, especially with Red and Kitty picking up the slack for them at almost every turn. Accordingly, even though the design of That ’90s Show is reliable, the practice of its character work in storytelling leaves a lot to be desired. What’s more, it’s also squandering the novelty of its 1990s hook. Remember, That ’70s Show was at its best when exploring its regulars in motivated plots that also reflected the premised 1970s setting. Drawing upon the social tensions of that time for rom-com relationship drama was often effective, as were the many imaginative fantasy spoofs of cultural points of reference, showcasing the leads within the prism of their own era — addressing the 1970s through character. Shockingly, That ’90s Show doesn’t engage the ’90s enough — and it’s just another way this series simply isn’t positioning itself for excellence… Nevertheless, it’s not awful, and I’ve picked three episodes below that I think reveal the most situation-affirming promise.
01) Episode 5: “Step By Step” (Aired: 01/19/23)
Red and Kitty get their first computer.
Written by Erin Foley | Directed by Gail Mancuso
With the central comic idea of Red and Kitty getting a computer for the first time, this episode naturally involves the 1990s in a way that few others do — and while it’s not really exploring them or their relationship through the era’s social attitudes, it’s at least mining humor from their characterizations and symbols of the period. Meanwhile, Donna (Laura Prepon) makes one of her three guest appearances as she pops in to give Leia advice about sex, and Ozzie comes out to Kitty — the latter is, I suppose, a reflection of 1990s mores and how they’re different from the 1970s’ (though it does feel a little more modern than perhaps the ’90s actually were).
02) Episode 6: “The Birthday Girl” (Aired: 01/19/23)
Leia celebrates her 15th birthday.
Written by Lindsey Turner | Directed by Gail Mancuso
Don Stark’s Bob appears in this installment, as it’s Leia’s birthday and her grandparents are in competition over her affections — with Red ultimately gifting her the Vista Cruiser, a popular bit of iconography from the older series that connects Leia to her dad and suggests a similar sort of Bildungsroman that plays well when paired with the central romantic arc, where Leia and Jay become official. Additionally, there’s a big fantasy sketch that parodies Beverly Hills, 90210 (and features Brian Austin Green) — one of the few times That ’90s Show’s first season employs a truly 1990s-related set piece. So, with the era invoked and an exploration of character that honors the original series without relying on it too heavily, this is the year’s best.
03) Episode 8: “Summer Storm” (Aired: 01/19/23)
The gang tries to retrieve their stash without the adults knowing.
Written by Tommy Johnagin | Directed by Gail Mancuso
This isn’t a particularly flashy outing in terms of cameo appearances or major plot developments, but I highlight it here because I think it’s the one in which the young adult cast comes closest to gelling like an actual ensemble — both together, and when separated into individual scenes and subplots that allow them to display their individual characterizations and relationships. Specifically, Leia and Jay adjusting to their new romance is comedically decent — especially on her end — and reminiscent of the first series without being too dependent on in-house nostalgia when securing both textual laughs and our emotional investment.
Other notable episodes that merit mention include: “Rave,” which I think tries to use the rave setting as a ’90s-specific event (like the ’70s with its disco) and thus gains points for attempting to feature its era well, along with three entries boasting self-referential nostalgia — “That ’90s Pilot,” which guests Eric, Donna, Kelso, and Jackie, “Free Leia,” which deploys an updated callback to a classic scene from the original ’70s pilot and a solid ’90s story that also includes a cameo from Leo, and “Lip Smackers,” which includes a healthy dose of Fez.
*** The MVE Award for the Best Episode from Season One of That ’90s Show goes to…
“The Birthday Girl”
Come back next week for more sitcom fun! And stay tuned tomorrow for a new Wildcard!