For those who paid attention to the timeline of That '70s Show throughout its eight seasons, things got a little confusing. That '70s Show arrived in 1998 and followed the lives of a group of teenagers in 1970s Wisconsin. The series featured a talented cast - serving as a launchpad for Topher Grace, Mila Kunis and Laura Prepon (Orange Is The New Black) - and witty dialogue. This winning combo made it a success with viewers, and as the show progressed it also began to focus on the grown-up characters, with Red and Kitty Forman becoming cult favorites.
That '70s Show suffered a double blow when Topher Grace and Ashton Kutcher departed to focus on their movie careers in the final season. Producers originally attempted to recast Grace's Eric for season 8 with new actor Josh Meyers, before realizing this was a mistake. Instead, Meyers played new character Randy, who was a weird hybrid of Grace and Kutcher's characters; fan dislike saw Meyers' role gradually reduced as the final season continued. There was also an attempt at a spinoff with That '80s Show, which sought to replicate its predecessors' mix of nostalgia and teen hijinks. Despite featuring Glenn Howerton (It's Always Sunny In Philidelphia) in an early lead role, it was critically drubbed and swiftly cancelled.
The creators of That '70s Show opted to start the series in 1976 so the trends that defined the decade had taken root. Since the show ran for eight years in total, already the potential issues with establishing a timeline start cropping up. The first season alluded to some major cultural shifts, such as Richard Nixon's resignation and equal rights, while the release of Star Wars in 1977 became a big deal in the latter half of the season.
By season two of That '70 Show, it was already burning through chunks of time, with opening title cards establishing firm dates like "June 1977." Later seasons were defined by the year they supposedly took place in, with season 3 to 6 taking place in 1978. Since That '70s Show proved more popular than the network could have predicted, this required a fudging of the timeline to make it work. Of course, this created all sorts of weird logic issues, like the fact it had five Christmas episodes despite the series taking place over the span of four years.
There's also the fact most of the supposedly teenage characters were played by actors who aged into their mid-20s as That '70s Show progressed. In the end, fans tend to laugh at the timeline flaws since it was a necessary evil to keep the show going. The finale is set on the last day of the 1970s, and as the countdown to 1980 ends, the show abruptly cuts to black to signal the end of the decade.