Finally, there’s amazing news for fans of Eric, Donna, Jackie, and Kelso: That ‘90s Show, the long-awaited spinoff of That ‘70s Show, is almost here!
In case you need a refresher, That ‘70s Show was a sitcom based on a group of teenagers getting into ~shenanigans~ in one of the kid’s basements in the suburbs of Wisconsin between the years of 1976 and 1979, per Deadline.
It was hilarious, running for eight seasons between 1998 and 2006, with an absolutely all-star cast: Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, and more.
Over a year after news of the spinoff came out in October 2021, it’s official: episodes will premiere in early 2023 on Netflix. Dropping nearly 16 years after That ‘70s Show ended, That ‘90s Show will have a similar plot, featuring both old and new faces. (But more on that later!)
Here’s everything to know about That ‘90s Show, including its release date, plot, and cast.
It’s dropping on Netflix v soon.
We’ll be getting all 10 episodes at the same exact time (!!!) on Netflix Jan. 19, so you can binge it all on your own timeline. Most of the episodes are unnamed (the first one is called “That ‘90s Pilot”), per IMDb, so unfortunately, I can’t even predict what each specific episode might be about.
Not only will Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp star as Red and Kitty Forman once again in the spinoff, but they’re also executive producing it along with the co-creators of That ’70s Show co-creators Bonnie and Terry Turner, their daughter Lindsay Turner, and Gregg Mettler, their showrunner, per Deadline.
And it’s been a long time coming.
That ‘70s Show was super popular on Netflix before it was taken off in September 2020, according to Deadline.
But this isn’t the first recreation of That ‘70s Show. Fox attempted to duplicate the hilarity of the original show with That ‘80s Show, which ran from January to May 2002, Deadline reported. It was about Corey Howard, Eric Forman’s cousin, and his life in San Diego with his 20-something friends in 1984, the outlet wrote. Needless to say, the show flopped.
Plus, the original cast has been asked if they’d support another go at a reboot in recent years. Topher Grace, who played Eric Forman, told The Hollywood Reporter in 2018 that he’d be all in.
“I would do it for sure because that was a very wonderful time for us,” he said. “We were all very close, having that experience every single day with each other. It was great to broadcast it out once a week, but, like, I’m still great friends with those guys.”
That ‘90s Show is about the children of the original characters.
It’s the year 1995, and Leia Forman, Eric and Donna’s 15-year-old daughter, is visiting her grandparents, Red and Kitty, in their same family home in Wisconsin for the summer.
She makes friends with the kids in Point Place, per IMDb and Variety. Leia eventually meets her next-door neighbor, Gwen, and makes friends with her whole friend group, including Gwen’s brother, Nate, his girlfriend, Nikki, and their other friends, Ozzie and Jay, Variety wrote.
“Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll never dies, it just changes clothes,” IMDb’s description says. I’m listening.
And as more seasons hopefully come, the plan is for them to take place during the summer when Leia visits her grandparents, per Variety.
“I wanted to have the same feeling as That ‘70s Show did,” Gregg Mettler told Variety. “The show had a very special tone. It was playful, it had a heart, it was sarcastic, it was filled with love within this family, within the friend group. I missed being in the basement with those kids.”
A lot of the original cast is returning.
From the number of episodes each actor is listed in, it seems like the main stars of the show will be Red and Kitty, as well as the actors who play the children of the returning cast. Here’s everyone who will be returning, according to IMDb, plus the new faces:
Original cast:
- Kurtwood Smith as Red Forman, 10 episodes
- Debra Jo Rupp as Kitty Forman, 10 episodes
- Topher Grace as Eric Forman, one episode
- Laura Prepon as Donna Forman, one episode
- Mila Kunis as Jackie Burkhart, one episode
- Ashton Kutcher as Michael Kelso, one episode
- Wilmer Valderrama as Fez, one episode
- Tommy Chong as Leo, one episode
New cast:
- Callie Haverda as Leia Forman, Eric and Donna’s daughter, 10 episodes
- Mace Coronel as Jay, 10 episodes
- Sam Morelos as Nikki, 10 episodes
- Ashley Aufderheide as Gwen, 10 episodes
- Reyn Doi as Ozzie, 10 episodes
- Maxwell Acee Donovan as Nate, 10 episodes
- Olivia Sanabia as Serena, two episodes
- Gabby Sanalitro as Mama, one episode
- Kandis Mak as Mom, one episode
Mila Kunis has gifted the world a *bit* of info about her character, too.
“My husband and I are together in it, which is weird because we shouldn’t have been. My character would be with Fez,” she said of her real-life husband, Kutcher, in an interview with Access Hollywood in September 2022. “Also, Kelso was married at the end of That’s ’70s Show. Now we are married with a kid [on the show]. It is very cute.”
Check out the trailer below.
I, for one, can’t wait for That ’90s Show, and am hoping it’s just as funny as the original show.
Addison Aloian (she/her) is an editorial assistant at Women’s Health. When she’s not writing about all things pop culture, health, beauty, and fashion, she loves hitting leg day at the gym, shopping at Trader Joe’s, and watching whichever hockey game is on TV. Her work has also appeared in Allure, StyleCaster, L’Officiel USA, V Magazine, and Modern Luxury Media.
