A new era has begun in Forman’s basement, and this time, we’re in the days of grunge, flannels, and youthful Gen X malaise. When it started on Fox in 1998, That ’70s Show has become a comforting classic. In eight seasons and 200 episodes from ’98 to 2006, the show garnered millions of viewers and became Fox’s second longest-running live-action sitcom to date. In the process, it made the central household names.
Now, almost 25 years later, the first reboot season That ’90s Show launched by Netflix. The show focuses on a new generation who spend their summer days in Point Place, Wisconsin: Eric Forman (Topher Grace) and Donna Pinciotti (Laura Prepon) in Chicago, but their 15-year-old daughter Leia decides to spend the summer with her grandparents, Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) and Red (Kurtwood Smith). He befriends Jay, the son of Michael Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) and Jackie Burkhart (Mila Kunis), as well as fellow teenagers Ozzie, Gwen, Nate, and Nikki.
It’s been a long 17 years since That ’70s Show ended in 2006, and each actor from the original series is in a very different, sometimes star-crossed direction. Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis — who are now married in real life, as well as on the show as their respective characters — star in major romantic comedies, including “same concept, different titles” 2011 duo to No Strings Attached and Friends With Benefits. Wilmer Valderrama, who played Fez, continues to feature NCISwhile Laura Prepon appeared as a major role in the hit Netflix series Orange is the New Black.
Their cameos were mostly brief, but most of the core cast returned That ’90s Show for some nostalgic flair. And not only were Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith featured prominently, several side characters from the first show appeared – including Tommy Chong as Leo, Don Stark as Bob Pinciotti, and Jim Rash as Fez’s nemesis, the Fenton.
I wonder what those are the what was done before is back? To save you from the Wikipedia rabbit hole, we’ve compiled a summary of what those original core cast members have been up to since. That ’70s Show completed in 2006.