For almost 10 years, the sitcom That ‘70s Show chronicled the adventures of six teenagers learning about life and love, and trying to stave off boredom in small-town Wisconsin during the 1970s. The show launched the careers of stars Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher while also serving as a solid foundation for the rest of the main cast as well. It's a unique blend of both 70s and 90s nostalgia that still holds a soft spot in the hearts of many fans. Now, 17 years later (via Yahoo!), the sequel series That ‘90s Show takes us back to the Forman basement in that same Wisconsin town with a new cast and returning favorites, set in the final decade of the 20th Century.
That ‘90s Show Season 1 focuses on the daughter of Eric Forman and Donna Pinciotti, named Leia, spending the summer of her 15th birthday in Wisconsin with her grandparents Red and Kitty Forman. Just like her dad, Leia is a socially awkward teenager who relies on her friends to help her emerge from her shell. During this one summer, Leia experiences a rush of firsts that symbolize the transition from kid to young adult, making the series a coming-of-age story. All 10 episodes of this first season stand on their own while being mildly serialized, and we have ranked them below.
10 Lip Smackers
When bringing back a beloved series, there's going to be a heavy dose of fan service. For the most part, That ‘90s Shows sprinkles it throughout the season without it ever getting too invasive. The third episode, however, almost goes overboard by having Fez serve as the boyfriend of the new character Sherri. It makes sense that he would go on to have a hair salon (called Chez Fez), and Wilmer Valderrama hasn't missed a bear as the former foreign exchange student, but the coincidence of having Red and Kitty’s new neighbor also be the mother of two of Leia’s new friends and making Fez her boyfriend is a bit too convenient. Also, the story of Leia sexually harassing young men at the mall just so she can have her first kiss is weak and unfunny. However, seeing Red transform from a stubborn, curmudgeonly grump into a sweet and loving old man thanks to his new massage chair is hysterical.
9 Rave
In episode four, Leia and Jay (son of Michael and Jackie Kelso) try to outwit each other by stubbornly refusing to make the first move despite them both obviously like each other. This is a bit frustrating as the will-they-won't-they dynamic feels tired after seeing Eric and Donna go through the same thing. The subplot of Nate answering pages intended for Nikki’s father’s pages and having to sound like a doctor doesn't add up to much, but it's funny. Then, there’s Red and Kitty interrogating Ozzie about where Leia and the others were. Not only are Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp still phenomenal in their roles, but they have excellent chemistry with Reyn Doi. Their scenes elevate the entire episode.
8 Summer Storm
During a downpour, Kitty is desperate to get rid of some clutter in the house. She convinces Sherri to let Red come over and fix all the things wrong with her house so that she can get rid of the stuff Red has been holding onto for too long. This means she inadvertently packs away the stash of cannabis Leia and her friends have been hiding from her. It's a classic sitcom premise that sees our characters constantly making funny mistakes, but the thing that makes the story work so well is we get to see Nate and Gwen grow closer as siblings after a misunderstanding involving Gwen wearing and ruining the shirt Nate’s dad got him. It was some welcome character growth in the middle of all the chaos.
7 Kids in America
The season finale should be the best episode of the season, with all the various story elements coming to a head, but Kids in America forces a last-minute possible romance blooming between Leia and Nate that seems to come from nowhere and the Fez fan service gets in the way of the rest of the episode. While it was nice to see him getting high in the basement again, the superfluous flashback to the original series robbed it of its charm. That being said, it's hard not to wonder what will happen next and that's the sign of solid storytelling — even if the rest got a little lost in the weeds.
6 Dirty Double Booker
Season 1's penultimate episode is all over the place, but Kitty’s desire to start a new job keeps everything together. While Leia makes the classic sitcom mistake of making plans with two different people at the same time, Kitty is facing her fears of re-entering the workforce at her age. The two stories don’t exactly complement each other, with one being more about forced sentimentality and hijinks and the other focusing on a very human need to remain relevant, but Kitty and Red’s arc is so genuine that you can forgive everything else.
5 Boyfriend Day One
Now that Leia and Jay are dating, they try to prove to Red that he is responsible enough to come around the house. The couple and Gwen pick Kitty up from her doctor’s appointment while she’s high on medication. Gwen manipulated her compromised state to convince her to help her get a tattoo. Gwen chickens out, but Kitty goes through with it. This all classic sitcom stuff, but it’s also the one episode that feels the most like the classic series without trying to feel like the old show. It’s just pretty good comedy storytelling.
4 That ‘90s Pilot
The opening episode has to do two major things. The first is to bring us back into the world we left almost two decades ago. It does this by showing us familiar surroundings, and favorite characters, and providing just enough exposition to let us know where the Formans are now in their lives. The second is to establish the new characters. It is more successful than the former but does an excellent job of setting up who these new kids are with precision. The story itself is just an excuse to get everyone together, so it’s fine if it isn’t the strongest of the ten. Seeing Topher Grace return as Eric Forman after all this time is surreal. It’s as if he never left. Most of the laughs belong to him, and he’s so great that it’s a real bummer that we don’t see him again for the rest of the season. Also, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis’ scene may be abrupt, but it wouldn’t feel right without them.
3 Free Leia
The second episode finds the series settling into a rhythm it would follow for the rest of the season. We have one story about Leia trying to convince her new friends that she is cool by pretending to be a fan of the movie Clerks (claiming multiple times that she is attracted to Kevin Smith — whom she has never heard of), and a second story focusing on Red and kitty getting to know their new neighbor Sherri. Once again, the Leia and Co. story is the weaker of the two, but at least we get to see her grow somewhat by taking control of her situation and Tommy Chong returns to play Leo. The storyline involving Sherri is great because Andrea Anders is hilarious in the role and her invasive behavior (essentially making the Forman residence her home away from home) upsets Red which is always great for comedy.
2 The Birthday Girl
Leia makes the mistake of inviting her love interest Jay and his new girlfriend Serena to her new birthday party. While you would think that such an error in judgment would erupt into some serious dramatic tension, it is surprisingly underplayed. Most of Leila’s conflict plays out as fantasies wherein she and her friends play the characters from Beverly Hills 90210. Those scenes are cute, but get much funnier when Brian Austin Green shows up as David (his 90210 character) and is clearly a man in his middle age playing a high school freshman. The storyline featuring Red and Kitty feeling inferior to Leila’s other grandfather Bob (Donna’s father) is a lot of fun, with this great line from Red, “I blame Eric. There’s only one girl in the world with Bob as her dad, and he had to pick her.” The real heart of the episode, though, is Red passing on the family’s Vista Cruiser to his granddaughter.
1 Step By Step
There is almost too much going on in "Step By Step," but it all comes together nicely by the end. One story is about Nate and Jay trying to get a free hot tub from a local woman who advertised it in the paper. Turns out, she’s a borderline sexual predator who likes to lure young men into the tub with no intention of letting them have it. That revelation is pretty uncomfortable, but it results in Jay meeting Serena, who serves as another obstacle in the way of him and Leia becoming an item.
Then, there’s the story of Ozzie deciding to come out to Kitty. Leia isn’t sure it’s a good idea and tries to get advice from her grandmother, which Kitty misinterprets as Leia thinks she’s ready to start having sex. Donna speeds to the house from Chicago, petrified her daughter is going to make the wrong choice. In order to spend enough time with Kitty to feel comfortable coming out to her, Ozzie tried to help her understand their new computer. It’s pointless because she just doesn’t get it. He finally just tells her that he’s gay.
What’s so heartwarming and wonderful is Kitty is more concerned about him dating a Canadian and couldn’t care less about his sexuality. Leia and Donna Bond, and Kitty and Red try to look up photos of sexy celebrities online. There’s a lot of growth across the board here, and it even brings a tear to the eye.