Behind-the-Scenes Drama That Led to That '70s Show Cancelation
That '90s Show will be returning fans of its predecessor to Point Place, Wisconsin. It will be a continuation of That '70s Show, a well-received show that crashed and burned in its final season. Several behind-the-scenes issues led to the show's freefall.
That '70s Show was a starting ground for several actors. Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have become A-list celebrities in the past two decades, both on-screen and behind the camera.
Topher Grace played Eddie Brock in Spider-Man 3, Laura Prepon starred as Alex Vause in Orange is the New Black, and Wilmer Valderrama has been cast as several secondary characters since That '70s Show ended. Danny Masterson starred in two sitcoms before his sexual assault charges essentially ended his Hollywood career.
The show peaked in its first season with 11.7 million viewers, holding steadily around 10 million through Season 6 in 2003-04. The cast became so popular, they wanted to branch out.
Topher Grace was the first to go after Season 7. He wanted to begin doing more dramatic work, starting with his critically reviled role in Spider-Man 3. He'd already been doing films while he played the lead character Eric Foreman, but wanted to break free of the rigorous sitcom schedule.
Ashton Kutcher was the next member to leave. Four episodes into Season 8, he left the role of Michael Kelso to focus on a production career.
The show was now without its main character in Eric and the fan-favorite Kelso. They tried to replace the two of them with Josh Myers, who played Donna's (Prepon) new love interest, Randy. Audiences didn't like the changes.
Rotten Tomatoes' audience score dropped to 23% in Season 8 – the average for the entire show was 77%.
Beyond the departure of its two core members, the stories of the characters they played had simply worn out.
Jackie (Kunis) began the show as Kelso's annoying girlfriend. Midway through the show, she ended up with Hyde (Masterson), leading to a dramatic rivalry between the two friends. That eventually ran its course and she ended up with Fez (Valderrama).
Jackie's dating habits were just one of many frustrating plot points of the later seasons. Like many shows, it reached a point where character relationships become less interesting and they choose to force dramatic but unsatisfying changes.
Despite a tumultuous last few seasons, the final episode was well-received. Its IMDb score of 8.8/10 is the highest of the entire series – higher than even anything in Season 1, the most revered stage of the show.
That '70s Show is still remembered fondly by '90s millennials; it was the third-most streamed sitcom on Netflix in its final quarter on the streaming service. It's now available for streaming on Peacock.
Netflix, who held the rights to the show for years, will be releasing That '90s Show on January 19, 2023. It will follow Eric and Donna's children as they spend time with their grandparents, with Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp reprising their roles and Red and Kitty. All members of the original cast have been confirmed as special guest stars with the exception of Masterson.