WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for That ’90s Show season 1.
While it was fun to see the original cast of That ’70s Show reunited in That ’90s Show, Ozzie’s coming out scene proved that the Netflix spinoff’s best moments come from its veteran stars. While Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Wilmer Valderrama, Ashton Kutcher, and Mila Kunis all return to their That ’70s Show roles in That ’90s Show, most of the stars only appear in brief cameo roles. This is not necessarily a bad thing, since their presence could be a distraction from the new characters and their stories if their appearances lasted a lot longer.
While Bob’s That ’90s Show return was a welcome surprise, the success or failure of That ’90s Show was more reliant on its young stars than its veteran performers. However, there is one exception to this rule. The spinoff really relies on Debra Jo Rupp’s Kitty and Kurtwood Smith’s Red, both of whom perform essentially the same plot function in the new spinoff that they did in That ’70s Show. That ’90s Show would be lost without the retuning duo, as proven by Ozzie’s poignant coming out scene in That ’90s Show season 1, episode 5, “Step by Step,” whose balance of comedy and drama recalled the best episodes of That ’70s Show.
How Ozzie Comes Out To Kitty In That 90s Show
In “Step by Step,” Ozzie had an elaborate 16-step plan to help him come out to Kitty. While Kitty had some sad storylines before, this was an unusually heavy premise for a subplot involving the goofy character. Of course, Ozzie’s plans went disastrously wrong as he helped to set up Kitty’s computers and her well-meaning interventions thwarted his attempts at personal revelations at every turn. Eventually, proving That ’90s Show relied on Rupp’s character for some of the spinoff’s best moments, Ozzie admitted to Kitty that he has a Canadian boyfriend and Kitty replied by saying that she was not sure if she approved.
After a gut-wrenching pause, Kitty continued by clarifying that she didn’t trust Canadians, before affirming Ozzie’s identity and thanking him for his candor. While That ’90s Show fixed a lot of That ’70s Show problems, it was still surprising to see a show set in the 90s tackle a character’s LGBTQ+ identity, and the spinoff handled the scene perfectly. Kitty’s obliviousness was funny enough to get one of the spinoff’s biggest laughs, and the scene’s reliance on the returning That ’70s Show heroine proves how much of That 90s Show’s success owes to Smith and Rupp’s performances.
Why That 90s Show Needed Its That 70s Show Connection
While it was nice to see the stars of That ’70s Show all grown up in cameos, the real reason That ’90s Show needed the cast back was to rely on its returning stars Kitty and Red. Kitty and Red are still the same lovable parents that they were in the earlier series a generation later, and the success of That ’90s Show hinges on the fact that the veteran sitcom performers are as warm, funny, and charming as ever. That ’90s Show could only work with the real stars of That ’70s Show back in their starring roles, and Ozzie’s coming out scene proves that the Netflix series pulled this feat off admirably.
