That ’90s Show Season 2’s Fez Tease Is Actually A Good Sign For The Show’s Future

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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.