If you haven’t already you need to stop whatever you are currently bingeing and watch Netflix’s latest reboot. In high school my comfort show was That 70s Show, so watching That 90s Show four years later brings nothing but nostalgia to my pre-pandemic lifestyle and admiration for the characters I had left behind (only after watching the show in its entirety multiple times.)
That 90s Show follows Eric (Topher Grace) and Donna (Laura Prepon)’s daughter Leia (Callie Haverda). Who sidenote, looks and acts exactly like my neighbor who is ironically named Leila. She hasn’t watched the show yet, but she 100% should. Let me tell you why. Leia decides to live with her grandparents, Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty Forman (Debra Jo Rupp) in Point Place Wisconsin for the summer. There she finds herself experiencing teenage rights of passage in the same basement, on the same water tower, and with the new generation of the same people, her parents had twenty years earlier. She embarks on the summer with her new friends, and some of her parents’ old ones, cameos including Fez (Wilmer Valderrama), Fenton (Jim Rash), Leo (Tommy Chong), Jackie (Mila Kunis), and my favorite by far Kelso (Ashton Kutcher.) I had nothing but excitement to watch my favorite characters reappear on the screen.
If you wanted to turn off the TV halfway through the pilot episode, I know what you mean. It starts out a little cheesy, but since when has any pilot episode been really good anyway. I mean think back to the pilot episode of That 70s Show, did we really think that was going to continue for eight seasons based on the first episode?
Like any devout fan, I kept going. Some of my favorite episodes were Episode 3 Lip Smackers, and Episode 5 Step by Step. Not only were the episodes funny due to Leia’s awkward but powerful first kiss, or Nate (Leia’s best friend’s brother) getting conned into spending the day in a hot tub with a senior citizen, but they also took the time to comment on Ozzy’s sexual identity. Ozzy is Leia’s friend and decides to come out as gay to not only his friends but to Kitty as well. It is a heartwarming scene and makes you think about being gay in the 90s.
Let’s give a quick shout-out to whoever cast Jay Kelso, Leia’s first boyfriend. Kelso and Jackie’s son looks exactly like Kelso with some darker features to represent his mother. They almost look related, which I guess was the intention. No wonder Leia falls for Jay almost immediately, he is a Kelso after all. Who can blame her? I was in love with his father, Kelso, and his stupidity anytime I watched That 70s Show, and Jay is not too far off on both ends.
Netflix has announced that there will be a second season of That 90s Show. All I can say with the cliffhanger at the end of season one is thank you. I highly recommend putting That 90s Show on your watchlist, but skip the intro song, they tried and I commend them, but nothing beats the original That 70s Show intro song. HELLLOOO WISCONSIN.