For better or for worse, it’s the age of reboots and spinoffs, especially those that come from classic, nostalgic shows and movies. Many popular sitcoms from the golden age in the 90s and early 2000s (likeSaved by the BellandHow I Met Your Mother) have been getting rebooted recently, or had some sort of reunion special à laFriends. They’ve been released to varying degrees of success, and it seems like this is going to continue to be the trend for the foreseeable future. It makes sense; people loved these shows for a reason, and that original fanbase is usually more than willing to tune in for a new installment.
That 70s Show, theclassic sitcomabout a group of teenagers living in Wisconsin in the late 1970s, has recently been rebooted with an unknown release date on Netflix. The story is going to follow Leia Forman, the daughter of Eric and Donna, as she lives with her grandparents in Point Place in the 1990s and makes new friends there. This new show has a lot to live up to in terms of legacy, especially because the final season ofThat 70s Showwas so widely disliked. The reboot is a chance for the show to redeem itself, so what exactly doesThat 90s Showneed to do to be a good show on its own merits and succeed where its predecessor failed?
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Correcting The Mistakes of Season 8
Season 8 ofThat 70s Showwas an unfortunate way to end a show that had been strong pretty much the whole way through. For starters, the main character Eric Forman was missing from most of the season (as actor Topher Grace had other filming commitments), which left this weird,empty hole in the show. Eric was really the heart of the story, and without him there, the show felt directionless and as though the group was missing its glue. They tried to introduce a new character, Randy, as a way to sort of replace Eric in the group, but he came off as annoying and pointless, and most fans hated him. What’s more, many odd writing choices left a bad taste in people’s mouths, such as the decision to pair Jackie with Fez at the end of the season.
One big thing thatThat 90s Showcould do to win over a lot of fans is to correct some of those mistakes from Season 8, whether by changing those decisions within the show itself, or simply not repeating the same kinds of blunders in the reboot. For example, the writers might want to make a point of showing that Jackie and Fez are not together inThat 90s Show, and appease that fans that hated that decision (which was a majority of the audience) by making it clear that they are no longer romantically involved. If anything, it might make sense to pair up Jackie and Kelso again, as a wink towards the fact that Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher aremarried in real life. Having characters like Eric and Donna play an important role in the story would also help ground it, and help it to feel like a continuation of the story of the original show.
Returning Characters
Speaking ofThat 70s Showalum, the reboot needs to utilize these old characters properly. They should, for the most part, have an active part in the story and not just show up for a two-second cameo. The returning characters also have to strike the right balance of feeling like they did in the original show while alsoshowing a bit of growth, since it’s been about 20 years since the audience last saw them (both in the show and in real life).
Some of these characters have their iconic lines or gags, and these are obviously going to make their way intoThat 90s Show. However, they shouldn’t be overdone, especially now that the culture kind of frowns upon the idea of character catchphrases. The characters need to feel familiar, but not stuck in the exact same personalities that they had as teenagers in the original show.
New Cast
Obviously, one of the draws of the original series is the cast of characters. Much of the show is based around their personalities and archetypes, and how that affects or causes the situations they get into (as well as their relationships with each other). The core cast is all interesting and lovable in their own ways, and part of whyThat 70s Showworked so well was precisely because of that. This also explains why new characters and the absence of old cast members was one of the reasons that the final season was so disliked. The show was very character-based, which is something thatThat 90s Showis going to have to live up to.
Since the story will revolve around Leia and her newfound group of friends in Point Place, the show’s creators should make sure that the group is just as funny and endearing as they were in the original show. There should be a variety of personalities, some of whom conflict with each other, in order to create the perfect environment for sitcom antics. The show would also be greatly helped by having a more diverse cast. The racial representation in the original show is iffy at best, with Fez being the only major non-white character many seasons — and his character was written with problematic stereotypes and other questionable traits. It would be great to see Leia have a more diverse friend group in terms of race and sexuality. Amore female-heavy castwould be great to see as well, since there aren’t many inThat 70s Show, and they’re also often written in a more stereotypical way.
A Story To Tell
The show needs to explore where the characters are at in their lives now, juggling the teenage problems of Leia and her friends while also following the returning cast and what new problems they face as they enter middle age (and perhaps even Red and Kitty’s experiences as seniors and grandparents now). The show should still be focused on the teenage characters and telling their story, but it would still be nice to have check-ins with the returning cast to see that their stories are being continued in a way that doesn’t feel contrived.
The show can’t just feel likean excuse for nostalgiaand cameos (though that’s obviously part of the appeal). It also needs to be a story that stands on its own. As long asThat 90s Showcan manage to right the wrongs of the end ofThat 70s Show, introduce new and fun characters, and properly utilize the returning original characters, this reboot could be one of the more successful sitcom reboots in recent memory.
