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That 90s Show begins at Point Place, Wisconsin, on July 3rd 1995, 11.47am, in Kitty Forman’s Kitchen, as we’re told by the captions.
It take us back to the days of a traditional old-style sitcom with canned laughter… sorry, recorded in front of a live audience, although I know in many circumstances (at least for UK sitcoms), they’ll use laughter from one scene to pep up another which didn’t get such a reaction, especially if they’ve had to do several takes. And in the case of ITV’s new show, The Family Pile, it’s clear they had an audience, but NOBODY laughed!
I never saw That ’70s Show, but the UK did get a terrible version of it – Days Like These – which lasted one series before being scrapped. I just about managed one episode.
In this new series, one of the opening gambits comes when grandma Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) embarrasses nerdy teenage grandaughter Leia Forman (Callie Haverda) – daughter of ’70s counterparts and guest stars Eric (Topher Grace) and Donna (Laura Prepon) – by pointing to her chest and announcing, “Those buds are blooming!”, to which she gives the awkward response, “Yours.. look good, too?”
Comparing the cast list, I see several cast members are back for more, including just as cameos, while Leia is new because the actress wasn’t even born at the time that series was broadcast, and she’s come to stay for the summer, with Eric dropping her off.
10 episodes are released at the same time, and I’ve just seen the first two, but it’s very cheesy, there’s lots of overacting, there’s some double-entendres, the kids all get high – so I’m guessing this is at least a 12-certificate since it’s fairly light on *how* they get to that state, and on a plus, there’s a Joe Vs The Volcano reference.
Additionally, teen Jay Kelso is son of Michael (Ashton Kutcher) and Jackie (Mila Kunis), who pop up for a cameo together, and are about to get remarried. MEG!!!!
That ’70s Show ran for 8 seasons, so this will probably do the same. Strap yourself in until the end of the decade!
For me, however, two episodes is more than enough, and given my age, I get antsy about people walking around indoors with their outdoor shoes on, and there’s a LOT of that in here. Stop it!
Thanks to our friends at Netflix for the screener prior to release.
That 90s Show is not available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD, but is on Netflix from today.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 25-30 minutes per episode (10 episodes)
Release date: January 19th 2023
Studio: Netflix
Format: 2.00:1
Series Directors: Gail Mancuso, Laura Prepon
Producer: Steve Sandoval
Creators: Mark Brazill, Terry Turner
Writers: Clarissa Carson, Erin Foley, Jake Lasker, Gregg Mettler, Andrew Ti, Bonnie Turner, Lindsey Turner, Terry Turner, Jessica Goldstein, Chrissy Pietrosh, Tommy Johnagin
Music: James Iha
Cast:
Red Forman: Kurtwood Smith
Kitty Forman: Debra Jo Rupp
Leia Forman: Callie Haverda
Eric Forman: Topher Grace
Donna Pinciotti: Laura Prepon
Gwen Runck: Ashley Aufderheide
Jay Kelso: Mace Coronel
Ozzie: Reyn Doi
Nikki: Sam Morelos
Nate: Maxwell Acee Donovan
Sherri Runck: Andrea Anders
Fez: Wilmer Valderrama
Donna Pinciotti: Laura Prepon
Leo: Tommy Chong
Serena: Olivia Sanabia
Bob Pinciotti: Don Stark
Guy: Sanford Hudson
Jackie Burkhart: Mila Kunis
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.