A lingering favorite of the streaming landscape, FOX's retro sitcom, That 70s Show, has been a consistent crowd pleaser since its initial debut in 1998. Though the show would launch the careers of almost everyone in the main gang ensemble, it was Topher Grace's protagonist, Eric Forman, that led provided the emotional anchor for all but the final season.
A goofy, awkward, sometimes pretentious and insufferable, high-schooler growing up with his friends in Wisconsin, Eric Forman was a mostly likable presence. However, Eric's more annoying traits, his jealous impulses, and his tendency to slip into mopy doldrums have led to some infuriating character moments. Here are five times we were on his side, and five times he had us rolling our eyes in anger.
Felt Bad: Eric Kills His Grandmother
After Eric's father, curmudgeon Red Forman, hosts his mother at the family home, she ends up passing away next to Eric after he blows up at her for being mean to his mother. One of the infrequent times when the lighthearted series took aim at the serious subject of mortality. True, they still did it with the same joke-a-minute writing and the sequence where Donna, Kitty, Kelso, and Red all find out about the old woman's demise is one of the funniest in the second season. However, the material is still considerably darker than the flings and dream sequences that make up the bulk of the show's other material.
Hated Him: The Halloween Night Revelation
That 70s Show always had great themed episodes. Perhaps the cream of the crop is the season 2 episode, "Halloween." As the gang decides to explore their burned down the elementary school, the discovery of abandoned permanent records leads to a tense epiphany.
As it turns out, it was Eric who essentially framed Steven Hyde and ostensibly set him on his path towards being a ne'er-do-well. While the best friends move past the new information, the childhood betrayal doesn't flatter Eric a bit. The tension set here would continue to ripple throughout other rifts between the unlikely pair.
Felt Bad: Eric Takes The Cigarette
One of Eric's biggest flaws as a character is his tendency to be selfish. However, in the episode "Eric Gets Suspended," Forman steps up and takes the blame for Donna's smoking habit. For his alleged crimes, he is suspended and forced to smoke an entire pack by his angered father. A truly genuine act of selflessness in Donna's interest, Eric's decision leads to a poignant exchange between him and Donna. One of the early examples of Eric's impulses maturing to consider other people, this was a moment where the viewer was firmly on his side.
Hated Him: Terrible Defense
Oh, Eric. Eric, what are you doing? In one of his cringiest onscreen moments, Eric is about to get beat again at basketball by Donna when he makes the colossally moronic move of pulling her pants down.
To make it all the worse, Hyde and Fez are standing there to soak in the remaining humiliation when it is revealed that she wears older lady styled underwear. So uncomfortable to watch that it isn't even funny, this represented a time when the character overstepped the teasing parameters set up by the group and entered the arena of bullying. Bad form, Eric.
Felt Bad: Unfortunate Passenger
Most people can recall a time when they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Of course, this piece of universal nostalgia was given the That 70s Show treatment in the season 1 episode, "Stolen Car." After his beloved Vista Cruiser is taken from him as a punishment, Ashton Kutcher's Kelso piles the guys into his cousin's car which, indeed, is a stolen vehicle. The boys end up in a police station with even more trouble on their hands than they started with. Eric's growing frustration is relatable and hilarious as the antics continue to escalate.
Hated Him: Banning the Ex
Season 4 of the series heavily focused on the fallout from Eric and Donna's breakup at the end up the previous season's finale. This divide between the gang came to a head in the episode entitled "Pinciotti vs. Forman." After Eric bans Donna from hanging out in his basement, the two begin a faux-custody battle over the gang's leisure time together.
Eric's behavior in this episode comes off spiteful and childish, his immaturity really showing itself here as he refuses to acknowledge the deep-set hurt the end of the relationship has brought upon him.
Felt Bad: First Date Bubbles
Eric and Donna's tumultuous relationship was one of the show's primary pillars. It all really began with their first date in season 1, which Hyde somewhat annoyingly tried to crash. Eric's innocent plan to use a class ring as a symbol of their relationship becoming official is consistently derailed by mishaps. Perhaps biggest of all, the server's lack of carding ends up with Donna becoming too drunk to properly adhere to the seriousness of the moment, which leads to Eric waiting to pop his question. A classic mixture of slapstick and sleeve-worn heart, Eric really could've gotten a break with this one.
Hated Him: Eric Leaves It All
Though Eric's decision to jumpstart his life with a move to Africa to teach for a year before pursuing his collegiate education on a full ride. On paper, Eric's choice to take the offer and leave Point Place makes a lot of sense for the character.
However, Eric's hasty exit negatively affected the show in a variety of ways, including Donna and Hyde's characters. Though he returned for the finale, Eric's absence severely diminished the final season's overall quality, and was once again, a selfish and impulsive move from the king of them.
Felt Bad: Goin' To California
While it was usually Eric who screwed things up for the couple, in the case of the season 4 finale, it was Donna who made a mess of things. Donna's freewheeling attitude is what makes her such a fun and endearing character on the show. However, after Eric refuses to take her back, she decides to hitch a ride with Kelso to California. Eric's trepidation about re-entering the relationship wasn't unfounded, and Donna's split from town was understandably shocking and confusing. Of course, Eric hops right in the car and heads across the country to get her back.
Hated Him: Eric Freezes
In season 2's episode, "I Love Cake," Eric finally gets ultimate confirmation from the girl of his dreams, Donna, of her affection for him. As soon as those three words leave her mouth, Eric freezes up. One of his most childish and baffling mess-ups, Eric simply responds "I love cake." After chasing Donna for years, and finally having her on the same romantic page, Eric is faced with the reality that she might take the coupling more seriously than him. This was one of the most obvious exhibits of when Eric really needed to grow up and smell the roses.