"That '70s Show" (1998) TV series 1998-2006

User Rating:

8.5/10   

Creators:

Mark Brazill
Bonnie Turner
Terry Turner

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Release Date:

23 August 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Be Groovy. Be Very Groovy.

Plot:

A comedy revolving around a group of teenage friends, their mishaps, and their coming of age, set in 1970s Wisconsin.

Plot Keywords:

Wisconsin | Friend | Basement | High School | Exchange Student

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 11 wins & 66 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. July 6	1:00 PM	FX	Who Wants It More?	#3.11
Mon. July 6	1:30 PM	FX	Fez Gets the Girl	#3.12

Cast

Mila Kunis	...	Jackie Burkhart (201 episodes, 1998-2006)
Danny Masterson	...	Steven Hyde (201 episodes, 1998-2006)
Laura Prepon	...	Donna Pinciotti (201 episodes, 1998-2006)
Wilmer Valderrama	...	Fez (201 episodes, 1998-2006)
Debra Jo Rupp	...	Kitty Forman (201 episodes, 1998-2006)
Kurtwood Smith	...	Reginald "Red" Forman / ... (201 episodes, 1998-2006)
Ashton Kutcher	...	Michael Kelso (184 episodes, 1998-2006)
Don Stark	...	Bob Pinciotti (184 episodes, 1998-2006)
Topher Grace	...	Eric Forman (180 episodes, 1998-2006)

Also Known As:

"Feelin' All Right" (USA) (working title)
"Reeling in the Years" (USA) (working title)
"Teenage Wasteland" (USA) (working title)
"The Kids Are Alright" (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

24 min (200 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:12 | Finland:K-7 (2007) (DVD) | Netherlands:AL (DVD rating) | Singapore:M18 (season 8) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG | Singapore:PG | USA:TV-14 (later episodes) | USA:TV-PG (early episodes)

Filming Locations:

CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Carsey-Werner-Mandabach Productions

Trivia:

The show was initially titled "Teenage Wasteland" and later "The Kids Are Alright". However, because both names were references to songs by The Who, legal issues prevented their use. As a result, the show was eventually announced as "Feelin' Alright", but because that name had few supporters, a search for a new title began. After noticing that audience members in focus groups would say, "I like that show about the '70s", or "I like that '70s show" it was eventually decided to simply call the series "That '70s Show".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In one of the Christmas episodes, when it snows, the snow doesn't fall on the cast at all. And it appears it snow in one spot, less in the other spots.

Quotes:

Kelso: I'm not afraid either. There are laws to protect a man and his van.
Steven Hyde: For instance, the Man-Van Act of 1847.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ocean's Twelve (2004)

Soundtrack:

That '70s Song

The only show I'll watch...

Along with reruns of "Seinfeld", of course, and maybe some "Friends" reruns.

We all know the plot by now: life in the 70s. My mom says that some of the characters actually remind her of people she knew when she was in high school then.

Lots of great pokes at the decade here, from disco to streaking to Star Wars to Charlie's Angels (and yet no jokes about TV's "M*A*S*H"), and all the usual coming of age jokes (men VS women). The beautiful red haired, deep voiced, 5-foot-10-inch Laura Prepon, who plays Donna (and was also the main reason I started watching this show), is probably the most normal character on the show (the only time she ever really got colorfully bent out of shape about something was when she found another woman's underwear in Eric's car, which is understandable for any woman, only to find out that her mom and dad were back there one night) with Topher Grace's Eric in second place. Danny Masterson is great as the dead pan conspiracy theorist Hyde. I don't see what's so great about Ashton Kutcher, but I will give him credit for giving his all in the role of the male bimbo, same to Mila Kunis (who's finally making the transition from simply cute to actually being beautiful) as the self-absorbed Jackie and Wilmer Valderamma (or however you spell his name) as Fez. However, this show has ruined my ability to enjoy the 1987 hit "Robocop" because I've come to enjoy Kurtwood Smith so much in the role of Eric's cranky dad Red Foreman that I can't stand to see him as the evil Clarence Boddicker who helps mutilate Peter Weller's Murphy in "Robocop". It's a shame they had to replace Lisa Robin Kelly as Lori, even though the new actress Christina Moore is prettier.

I will say this though: the show has now exhausted and run all good ideas, and yet it's still more endearing than TV's "M*A*S*H". Here's the rule for watching the reruns: if Donna's mom Midge (former Bond girl Tanya Roberts, who rallied a few other former Bond girls together for an episode) is there, you're good. However, if Eric and Donna have broken up, change the channel immediately (it's just not right, those two not being together) or if Donna is sporting blonde hair, or if Eric and Kelso just aren't there at all, also change the channel. The fifth season shows where Jackie starts dating Hyde are pretty much reliable. But all in all, it's a great watch, certainly a lot better than current "Friends" and "The Simpsons".