Wilmer Valderrama’s recent Fez tease for That ’90s Show season 2 actually bodes well for the That ’70s Show spinoff’s future. After spending the summer of 1995 with her grandparents, Red and Kitty, 15-year-old Leia Forman will return to Point Place a year later for another couple months of mayhem in That ’90s Show season 2. The new season is set to release sometime in summer 2024 on Netflix, with the main cast of That ’90s Show expected to return. What remains to be seen is which original That ’70s Show characters will return in That ’90s Show season 2.
Although the spinoff centered on Eric and Donna’s daughter, there were still a number of connections and references to That ’70s Show in That ’90s Show season 1, including appearances by original characters. Among the actors from the cast of That ’70s Show to reprise their original roles in the spinoff was Wilmer Valderrama as Fez, who is now dating the Formans’ new next-door neighbor, Sherri, in That ’90s Show. Valderrama appeared in three episodes of season 1, but his recent comments about the status of his return as Fez have bigger implications for That ’90s Show season 2.
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That ’90s Show Season 1 Ending: What’s Next For Every Character
That ’90s Show’s season 1 finale leaves plenty of loose ends untied for Leia and the gang as summer 1995 comes to an end in Point Place.
Not Relying On ’70s Show Characters Is Good For That ’90s Show Season 2
That ’90s Show Needs To Move Forward As Its Own Series
Although the jury’s still out on the rest of the core ‘70s gang, Valderrama doesn’t seem too sure about whether he’ll be reprising his role as Fez in the future. When asked if he would return as Fez for That ’90s Show season 2, Valderrama gave an uncertain response before emphasizing the spinoff’s true purpose. “I don’t know… I mean I feel like I did it,” he told Collider. “And I think it was beautiful, it was a lot of fun, you know. But I think it’s really the kids’ show.“
Of course, Valderrama making another appearance as Fez in That ’90s Show season 2 wouldn’t necessarily be opposed, but he does make a good point. The cameos from That ’70s Show characters may have been necessary to properly link the original show to the spinoff and draw on nostalgia to attract viewers, but That ’90s Show is ultimately about the new generation of kids. Based on Valderrama’s comments, it sounds like That ’90s Show season 2 might not be featuring the original ’70s Show characters as much, if at all, which would actually be a good thing for the spinoff.
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That ’90s Show may have borrowed That ’70s Show‘s basic premise and original setting, but the spinoff also has many differences and strengths of its own. The ’70s Show cameos in season 1 served their purpose by bridging the gap between both shows; now, That ’90s Show can carry on as its own standalone series without relying on these kinds of associations with its predecessor to keep audiences interested. Avoiding That ’70s Show cameos in season 2 will prevent That ’90s Show from becoming too anchored to the original show, giving it a better shot at maintaining longevity going forward.
That ’70s Show Characters Who Returned In That ’90s Show Season 1 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Character | Actor | Episodes | Role In Spinoff |
Red Forman | Kurtwood Smith | 1-10 | Leia’s Grandfather |
Kitty Forman | Debra Jo Rupp | 1-10 | Leia’s Grandmother |
Eric Forman | Topher Grace | 1 | Leia’s Father |
Donna Pinciotti | Laura Prepon | 1, 5, 10 | Leia’s Mother |
Fez | Wilmer Walderrama | 2, 3, 10 | Sherri’s Boyfriend |
Michael Kelso | Ashton Kutcher | 1 | Jay’s Father |
Jackie Burkhart | Mila Kunis | 1 | Jay’s Father |
Bob Pinciotti | Don Stark | 6 | Leia’s Grandfather |
Leo | Tommy Chong | 2, 9 | Point Place’s Resident Stoner |
Fenton | Jim Rash | 10 | Sherri’s Landlord/Fez’s Nemesis |
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That ’90s Show Season 2 Should Focus On Another Kind Of Cameo Appearance
The Spinoff Should Feature More Celebrity Cameos From ’90s Stars
Pulling back from ’70s Show cameos would allow That ’90s Show to focus on another type of cameo the original show embraced. Huge stars like Bruce Willis and Mary Tyler Moore made celebrity cameos on That ’70s Show. Some of these guest stars were legends from the series’ titular decade, such as rock star Alice Cooper as himself and original Lando Calrissian actor Billy Dee Williams as a Star Wars-obsessed pastor. Others, like Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Green, were becoming notable stars during the time of their appearances in the ’90s and 2000s.
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That ’90s Show continued this ’70s Show trend with Brian Austin Green’s cameo in season 1, episode 6. Green guest-starred as a fictionalized version of himself playing his Beverly Hills, 90210 character, Dylan Silver, in a dream sequence that parodied the iconic ’90s teen show. To further lean into the spinoff’s time period, more popular ’90s celebrities should guest star in That ’90s Show season 2 as themselves, their well-known fictional characters, or, like Green, both. That ’90s Show season 2 could also include cameos by some of today’s biggest stars, just like That ’70s Show did during its run.
Notable Celebrity Guest Stars & Cameos On That ’70s Show | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Celebrity | Character | Season(s) | Episode(s) | Year(s) |
Joseph Gordon-Levitt | Buddy Morgan | 1 | 11 | 1998 |
Dwayne Johnson | Rocky Johnson (His Father) | 1 | 15 | 1999 |
Katey Sagal | Edna Hyde | 1 | 18-19, 22 | 1999 |
Gloria Gaynor | Mrs. Clark | 1 | 19 | 1999 |
Kevin McDonald | Pastor Dave | 2-4 | 23 (Season 2) 20, 22 (Season 3) 3, 11-12 (Season 4) | 2000-2001 |
Alice Cooper | Himself | 3 | 14 | 2001 |
Jessica Simpson | Annette | 5 | 1, 13-14 | 2002-2003 |
Betty White | Bea Sigurdson | 5 | 4, 8, 13-14 | 2002-2003 |
Seth Green | Mitch Miller | 5-6 | 17, 23 (Season 5) 19-21 (Season 6) | 2003-2004 |
Billy Dee Williams | Pastor Dan | 6 | 14 | 2004 |
Brooke Shields | Pamela Burkhart | 6-7 | 15-16, 19-20, 24-25 (Season 6) 1 (Season 7) | 2004 |
Lindsay Lohan | Danielle | 7 | 7 | 2004 |
Bruce Willis | Vic | 8 | 4 | 2005 |
Mary Tyler Moore | Christine St. George | 8 | 10-12 | 2006 |
That 90s Show
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
That ’70s Show
*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
That ‘70s Show was one of Fox’s most popular sitcoms upon its release in 1998. Starring Topher Grace (Eric Forman), Laura Prepon (Donna Pinciotti), Mila Kunis (Jackie Burkhart), Danny Masterson (Steven Hyde), Wilmer Valderrama (Fez), and Ashton Kutcher (Michael Kelso), That ‘70s Show revolves around the teens’ mishaps as they grow up in Point Place Wisconsin in the 1970s.
- Cast
-
Topher Grace
, Laura Prepon
, Mila Kunis
, Ashton Kutcher
, Wilmer Valderrama
, Debra Jo Rupp
, Kurtwood Smith
, Danny Masterson - Release Date
-
August 23, 1998
- Seasons
-
8