The ‘That ’70s Show’ Cast Member Fans Doubt Will Return for ‘That ’90s Show’ Spinoff
The hit series That ’70s Show was beloved by viewers, and it launched several big stars. Now, Netflix prepares is debuting a spinoff. Fans are eager to see who will join That ’90s Show from the original cast. However, there’s one actor no one expects to return.
A new generation takes the screen in ‘That ’70s Show’ spinoff, ‘That ’90s Show’
That ’70s Show debuted in 1998 and lasted for eight seasons. The series introduced several young actors who would go on to become Hollywood staples, including Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Wilmer Valderrama, and Danny Masterson.
The show was about a group of friends in their teens living in Wisconsin in the mid-late 1970s. It was a straightforward sitcom, focused on growing up in a simpler time. The characters, as well as the actors, grew up onscreen as the show progressed.
In 2002, producers attempted to recreate the magic with That ’80s Show. However, the series didn’t do well. It was canceled after a single season. Now Netflix is returning to that world with That ’90s Show. The new series drops into the lives of the next generation of kids, who, like their predecessors, are just looking for something to do.
Who will (and won’t) return for ‘That ’90s Show’?
Unlike That ’80s Show, the new series has one thing going for it: It invokes the nostalgia of the old by bringing back some of those characters. Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp are returning as Red and Kitty Forman, this time as grandparents. Grace and Prepon will also reprise their roles as Eric and Donna, but now they’re the parents.
Other original cast members scheduled to make cameo appearances include Kunis, Kutcher, and Valderrama. However, it’s highly unlikely that Masterson will join them.
Masterson was recently tried on multiple counts of rape. He was accused of drugging and assaulting three women. The New York Times reports that his trial ended in a mistrial when the jury became hopelessly deadlocked. Prosecutors have yet to decide if they will have another trial.
If Masterson is retried and found guilty, he could be sentenced to up to 45 years in prison. But even if the case doesn’t go back to court, the disgraced actor is unlikely to be welcome on the set of That ’90s Show.
What to expect from ‘That ’90s Show’
The new series brings viewers back to Wisconsin, where Eric and Donna’s daughter is now a teen. Leia Forman, played by Callie Haverda, comes to stay with her grandparents, Red and Kitty, for the summer. A new generation of friends begins.
According to Screen Rant, the creators of That ’90s Show, Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner, and Gregg Mettler all worked on the original series, and they felt that the 1990s was an ideal time period for a spinoff.
“We agreed amongst ourselves, we weren’t going to do it unless we could find a reason. And the thing that Gregg [Mettler] said that I really loved, and I know mom and dad [Bonnie and Terry Turner] did too was, the ’90s was the last time that people were looking up, they weren’t looking down at their phones. It was that last place of a real kind of engagement, having to make your own fun and really connecting with each other,” said Lindsey Turner, who joined her parents on the project.
“I wanted to have the same feeling as ‘That 70s Show did,” Metter agreed. “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.”
Fans of That ’70s Show have also missed that basement. If the new generation wants to be a hit, it will have to find the same humor and heart that made the original series a classic.
