A sitcom such as That ‘70s Show banks on the chemistry between its leads since the series’ premise is basically about friends hanging out. Eric Forman had his friends and family around him in Point Place during their adventures, with the characters forming many duos throughout the series.
While some can be considered the best of friends or double-acts who were entertaining together, certain others were friends simply because they were at the same place as the other. It’s also interesting to analyze certain dynamics who had plenty of screentime together but weren’t really good friends at all. With That ‘90s Show set to serve as a revival, it’s worth looking back at the original group.
Best
Bob & Red
Most of what Red says comprises him insulting somebody and Red’s best quotes on That ‘70s Show largely feature threatening the likes of Hyde and Bob. Still, Red has a kind of soft spot for his neighbor, who is surprisingly okay with being bossed around.
Ultimately, Red did see Bob as his close friend and the two were usually around one another. Their friendship was mostly about Red insulting Bob, with the latter oblivious to this taunting and considering Red to be his best friend, much to the latter’s chagrin.
Donna & Hyde
Hyde was attracted to Donna when the series began but they became such close friends once that arc was done with, many don’t even remember Hyde’s interest in her. Out of all the friends, Hyde was the only one who actually paid attention to Donna’s friends, which is a big deal since Hyde was generally averse to such topics.
Donna also saw Hyde as a confidant whom she could trust, and Hyde was generally on the lookout for anyone who might hurt Donna. Hyde was also the male friend who didn’t make remarks about Donna’s attractiveness in later seasons, which Donna appreciated because she wasn’t one who wanted to be objectified.
Donna & Jackie
Donna and Jackie’s dynamic was pretty much the opposites attract trope, in that they were so different that they ended up being a perfect match. Being the only two women in the group, Donna and Jackie became best friends who were constantly exasperated by the boys’ antics.
Donna could count on Jackie to be there for her where her feelings were concerned, despite Jackie’s overall superficial personality. Jackie learned to be kinder through Donna’s influence, who was kind enough to let Jackie stay with her when the latter was having family problems.
Kelso & Fez
Fans wouldn’t have been surprised if the show ended up making Kelso and Fez a couple. The two had a long-running bromance where they would act like a couple that everyone noticed except for the two of them. They were the group’s comedic reliefs and found kindred spirits in one another.
The two were so close that Fez outright cried when Kelso left because he felt his “sweet tormentor” was someone he needed in his life. A lot of the show’s comedy came from their dimwitted antics, with Fez and Kelso appearing to be a match made in heaven.
Eric & Hyde
Eric and Hyde are the characters responsible for bringing the group together on That ‘70s Show. The duo were the original friends who took on the rest to create the circle. While Hyde busted Eric’s chops on a daily basis, there was always a brotherly love between them.
Hyde never admitted it, but he did whatever he could to ensure that Donna remained with Eric because of his loyalty to the latter. For his part, Eric is the reason Hyde had Kitty and Red as his surrogate parents as he convinced them to take his best friend in when his parents had left him.
Worst
Randy & Fez
Randy is rarely mentioned as one of the best characters introduced after That ‘70s Show’s first season but he actually fit in quite well with the group. He had a romance with Donna and got along well with Hyde, but his connection with Fez was a poor attempt to replicate the Kelso dynamic.
Randy liked to make fun of Fez’s antics, but unlike Kelso, Randy wasn’t a comic relief, which ended up making him and Fez a mismatched duo. Fez also seemed relatively annoyed with Randy’s jokes, and there just wasn’t any real chemistry between them to count them as a true friendship.
Donna & Kelso
There’s no doubt that Donna and Kelso brought a lot of laughs in several episodes, but that was mainly because of Kelso’s many failed attempts to seduce her. At the heart of things, Kelso wasn’t really there for Donna when she was hurting and didn’t try to talk her out of dating his jerk older brother even though Casey was clearly bad news.
Donna did see Kelso as a true friend, although that was mainly due to a lack of options. Kelso was usually Donna’s last choice to turn to in times of need, with even Fez being a better friend. Overall, Donna and Kelso’s awkward dynamic was funny but not heartwarming in the friendship category.
Hyde & Jackie
They are the best couple for many fans of the series, yet there was never any real friendship between Hyde and Jackie once the romance was removed. Hyde considered her nothing but an annoyance for the first half of the show until they got together.
They resumed the same dynamic after they broke up, and Hyde lumped Jackie in with Kelso and Fez to be the annoying ones in the friend group. The pair had next to nothing to do with one another in the final season when their relationship was history.
Charlie & The Entire Gang
Eric’s departure was a time where That 70’s Show’s friend group pretty much broke up. Charlie was brought in as a potential replacement, only for him to turn out to be a striking contrast to the rest. Charlie’s entire role was to be the butt of everyone’s jokes and he never actually became tight with any of them.
His supposed friendship with the gang was so weak that they easily forgot about Charlie despite witnessing his demise from the water tower. It was odd considering they all spoke highly of Charlie mere moments before he fell, which basically sums up his mismatched status within the group.
Jackie & Eric
While there can still be arguments made for the rest of the pairings’ friendships, Jackie and Eric were only ever together due to their mutual friends. In fact, Eric tried to have Jackie kicked out of the group because he couldn’t stand her. They were only ever friends since Jackie actually considered Eric to be one of hers.
Still, Eric had a very awkward response when Jackie called him to say goodbye before he left, as he was baffled why she was even calling him. The few times they were friendly was when they had similar goals to accomplish, apart from which Jackie and Fez were the friends who never hung out.
