WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for That '90s Show season 1, episode 6!That ‘90s Show season 1 features an exciting appearance from a 1990s teen star, which continues a fun cameo trend from That ‘70s Show. As Leia Forman stays in Point Place for the summer with her grandparents Red and Kitty, That ‘90s Show season 1 greatly utilizes the title decade for its nostalgic setting. Point Place remains largely unchanged from That '70s Show, but town and its teenagers have certainly progressed with the times, which includes new music, clothes, movies, TV shows, and 1990s pop culture icons to dream about.
While much of the nostalgia in That ‘70s Show was derived from its references to the title decade, That ‘90s Show’s cameos by legacy characters double the sentimental value of the spinoff series. Not only is That ‘90s Show including references to the decade’s pop culture through its post-grunge and hip-hop soundtrack, normalization of home computers, and ‘90s-specific fashion trends, but the first season also exploits the love for That ‘70s Show’s original teen actors, who fittingly rose to fame in the 1990s. Still, That ‘90s Show’s most surprising cameo follows a nostalgic trend established early on in That ‘70s Show season 1.
Brian Austin Green's Cameo As David Silver In That '90s Show Follows A '70s Show Trend
That ‘70s Show was notable for its many cameos by musicians, actors, and public figures from the 1970s. From Mary Tyler Moore and The Brady Bunch actors to Kiss and Gloria Gaynor, That ‘70s Show’s celebrity cameos became a staple of its nostalgic premise. That ‘90s Show season 1 doesn’t disappoint in this area, as the spinoff series even takes its first major non-That ’70s Show cameo a step further by placing the actor within the bounds of the ‘90s pop culture output he was known for. Brian Austin Green has the honor of being the first ‘90s-era actor to cameo on the series, where he appears simultaneously as himself and his Beverly Hills, 90210 character David Silver.
Brian Austin Green cameos in That ‘90s Show season 1, episode 6, “The Birthday Girl,” when Leia and Ozzie have dream sequences imagining themselves as characters in Beverly Hills, 90210, the inspiration for Leia's 15th birthday celebration. While the rest of That ‘90s Show’s gang takes on characters like Kelly, Brenda, Brandon, Donna, Steve, Andrea, and Dylan, the 49-year-old Brian Austin Green reprises his role as David Silver, a character he began playing as a teenager. The gag is certainly enhanced by an adult Green playing the 15-year-old David, which also makes Leia’s Beverly Hills, 90210 fantasy more bizarre in nature.
How That '90s Show Referenced Other 1990s Pop Culture
Brian Austin Green’s That ‘90s Show cameo may be the biggest reference to the central decade, but there are plenty more Easter eggs, allusions to, and inclusions of notable pop culture relics in the Netflix sitcom. That ‘90s Show’s season 1 soundtrack brilliantly enhances the series’ mid-90s backdrop, featuring hit songs like Montell Jordan's “This Is How We Do It,” Salt-N-Pepa's “Shoop,” and Alanis Morissette's “You Oughta Know.” Decade-specific movies and TV shows are also frequently referenced in That ‘90s Show, such as Leia mentioning the “rave” reviews for Batman Forever, Leia trying to rent Clerks, Kitty chatting about Law & Order, and Gwen and Leia repeating the iconic “Kevin!” sequence from Home Alone.
That ‘90s Show’s opening credits and scene transitions also pay tribute to 1990s pop culture. The opening credits feature an updated, ‘90s-style cover of “In the Street,” the same song used for That ‘70s Show’s iconic credits sequence. Similar to how That ‘70s Show’s scene transitions had backdrops of graphics and designs associated with the decade, such as lava lamps, flowers, and polka dots, That ‘90s Show’s scene transitions have paint smears, graffiti-style art, mixtapes, and mom jeans in the background. That ‘90s Show does a brilliant job of maintaining the character and style of That ‘70s Show, but updating them to fit the “modern” setting.