When That ’90s Show recently brought an unseen character from That ’70s Show onscreen, it contradicted its own canon. The series is a fantastic spinoff of the original series about a bunch of 1970s Wisconsin teenagers on the cusp of adulthood that has proven to be just as popular. The series will soon stream the second half of its second season on Netflix, although it seems That ’90s Show season 2 will lose another original cast member ahead of the new episodes.
That 90s Show has not forgotten where it has come from. Not only does it include important characters such as Red and Kitty, who are now grandparents rather than parents, but it sometimes reintroduces characters and references from its parent show, such as when That 90s Show season 2 introduced a replacement character for Crazy Caroline. It also brought a character on-screen as part of its season 2 finale who has often been referenced but never seen before.
Related
That ’90s Show Part 2 Ending Explained: What’s Next For Leia & The Gang
Leia and her friends have a lot to work with in the coming episodes of That ’90s Show as the first part of season 2 comes to a chaotic close.
That ’90s Show Casting Kevin Smith As Leo’s Son Creates A Paradox With Season 1’s Clerks Storyline
Clerks Both Exists And Doesn’t Exist In That ’90s Show Universe
The final episode of the first part of season 2 introduced Kevin Smith as Sonny, Leo’s son, who had often been mentioned on That ’70s Show but had never been seen on-screen before. Sonny crashed his car into the Formans’ living room with his friend Bunch (Jason Mewes). He was likely brought on to replace That 90s Show’s Leo (Tommy Chong), as the legendary actor who plays him is now in his mid-80s. This casting decision is on-brand for That 90s Show, which features the children of many characters from its parent sitcom; however, it inadvertently creates a paradox.
Kevin Smith is well known for his starring role in Clerks, the cult ’90s slacker comedy about a pair of convenience store clerks that spawned two sequels and led to a series of spinoff movies starring Smith and Mewes as Jay and Silent Bob. Mewes and Smith dressing like their characters to literally crash a party at the Formans’ house is a cute reference to their iconic roles, but it contradicts established canon because Leia spent an entire season 1 episode trying to rent Clerks. Thus, Jay and Silent Bob both exist and don’t exist in the That ’90s Show universe.
Clerks
*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
Kevin Smith’s Clerks is a comedy film that follows Dante Hicks and Randal Graves, two best friends who work at a conjoined storefront of a convenience store and a video rental store. Presented entirely in black and white, the film goes through a day in the life of the two characters as they deal with the mundane, the weird, and the flat-out nonsensical as Dante continues to lament his current state in life, providing sharp satire on various discussed topics.
- Director
-
Kevin Smith
- Release Date
-
September 13, 1994
- Cast
-
Brian O’Halloran
, Jeff Anderson
, Marilyn Ghigliotti
, Lisa Spoonauer
, Jason Mewes
, Kevin Smith - Runtime
-
92 minutes
Kevin Smith’s Character Creates A Problem For That ’90s Show’s Future Movie References
Smith’s Movies Were A Big Part of 90s Culture That Now Can’t Easily Be Referenced
Kevin Smith joining the That ’90s Show cast could cause problems that the writers didn’t foresee because of this paradox. Smith’s movies were an important part of teenage culture in the 1990s, which is why That ’90s Show chose to give him and Mewes a cameo in episode 8. However, it will become more difficult to ignore the fact that Jay and Silent Bob’s doppelgängers exist in the show unless the writers also choose to ignore some of their other movies. For example, 1997’s Chasing Amy was both popular and controversial, making it a must-watch for these characters.
That ’90s Show could turn the paradox into a running joke by having the characters note that Jay and Silent Bob remind them of people they know or that Sonny and Bunch seem familiar. However, that type of joke will grow stale quickly. The series is left with a paradox that cannot be resolved. Regardless of how it’s handled, it’s still a fun nod to have such iconic symbols of the ’90s in a show that is all about the decade.
That 90s Show
*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
That ’70s Show returns set two decades later with That ’90s Show, acting as a sequel but bringing back old cast favorites. Led by Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) Forman, the new cast arrives as the next generation, with the daughter of Eric and Donna, Leia Forman, leading the charge. Spending the summer with her grandparents, Leia makes new friends and forges new bonds in Point Place, Wisconsin. That ’70s Show series regulars make cameos in the show to maintain that sense of familiarity, and the show adopts the conventions of the ’90s as expected. That ’90s Show first aired on Netflix with a total of ten episodes.
- Cast
-
Kurtwood Smith
, Debra Jo Rupp
, Mace Coronel
, Callie Haverda
, Ashley Aufderheide
, Sam Morelos
, Reyn Doi
, Maxwell Acee Donovan - Release Date
-
January 19, 2023
- Seasons
-
1
- Streaming Service(s)
-
Netflix