It was recently announced that Netflix will be making That '90s Show, a spinoff of That '70s Show set 20 years later, and, just like the original, there are certain historical and cultural events the spinoff needs to reference. Ten episodes are lined up for the first season of the spinoff so far, with Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp set to reprise their roles as Red and Kitty Forman. That '90s Show is certainly shorter than the original but still has plenty of room to include references to the wider context of the 1990s, a decade that was packed with milestone events. In fact, there are a few moments that would feel strange for That '90s Show to completely ignore.
That '70s Show was one of Fox's most successful sitcoms. It centered on teenager Eric Forman (Topher Grace) and his gang of high school friends, including Kelso (Ashton Kutcher), Jackie (Mila Kunis), Hyde (Danny Masterson) and foreign exchange student Fez (Wilmer Valderrama), as well as Eric's next-door neighbor and teenage love, Donna (Laura Prepon). Throughout the series, Eric and his friends slowly grew up through the decade, wearing questionable fashion and obsessing over things like Star Wars, all from Red and Kitty's basement.
That '90s Show picks up about 20 years later in 1995 and is set to focus on Eric and Donna's daughter, Leia, who is now a teenager herself in the '90s. It's unclear whether Eric and Donna from That '70s Show will also appear in the sequel spinoff along with Kitty and Red. However, That '70s Show had a firm rooting in cultural moments of the 1970s, and it's likely That '90s Show will continue with that tone. Here are the major events of the latter half of the 1990s that the spinoff should include.
The Clinton-Lewinsky Scandal & Presidential Impeachment
In 1995, Monica Lewinsky was hired as a 21-year-old intern at the White House under the Clinton administration. Within six months, the president had coerced her into having an affair that lasted around two years. It spiraled out of control in the media, ultimately leading President Clinton to face impeachment charges, and Monica Lewinsky to face intense public shaming and harassment. This story has stayed in the public consciousness, most recently being dramatized in Impeachment: American Crime Story about the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal.
It's impossible to forget Bill Clinton's infamous line, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." The President's dishonorable behavior is definitely something Red Forman would feel the need to comment on in That '90s Show. Red never shied away from discussing politics or sharing his views with the people around him in the bluntest way possible. This is a moment that he is sure to have a lot to say about.
The Batman Movies
Assuming Leia inherited the same nerdy pop culture love as her parents, one thing That '90s Show would have to comment on would be the movies Batman Forever and Batman and Robin. Tim Burton's first two Batman movies starring Michael Keaton were followed up with those two, which had a much different tone. While Batman Forever received mixed reviews, Batman & Robin was universally disliked. George Clooney, who played the Caped Crusader in that film, commented publicly that he worried he'd killed the Batman franchise. From the rubber-nippled suits to the cringe-inducing puns, the films are just begging for Leia and her That '90s Show friends to mock them.
Titanic
One of the highest-grossing films of all time, Titanic, was released in 1997 and became the defining epic romance movie for an entire generation. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet were vaulted into superstardom playing the star-crossed lovers, Jack and Rose. While the true story behind Titanic is less romantic, the film itself is now a classic. The film could be a date night movie for Leia and her love interest, if she has one, or just for her group of friends to watch together. Perhaps even one of her Kelso-like friends could stand atop the iconic water tower and shout, "I'm king of the world!"–just before falling off. There were so many iconic lines and moments that the show could pull from this film that it would be difficult for the writers to resist.
Princess Diana's Funeral
Princess Diana of Wales was a key public figure who led a tragic life. She married into royalty but never fit the image and role that the Royal Family expected of her, and she chafed under the rigidity of palace life and the intense media scrutiny. Diana was beloved by the common people, fun-loving, free-spirited, and compassionate, but that in and of itself caused problems. Her story has led to several cinematic projects recently, including the recent controversial Diana: The Musical. In 1997, she died in a car crash, with many blaming the paparazzi that chased her incessantly.
One event that is unlikely to be ignored by That '90s Show is her funeral, which was watched live by around 2.5 billion people globally. With numbers that high, it's unlikely that no one in the Forman family or their friends watched the funeral. Given the recent revival in interest around her death, with several film adaptations, this is almost certainly something the series will want to touch on in some way.
GoldenEye
In 1995, it had been six years without an installment in the iconic action series when the James Bond movie GoldenEye was released. It was the first in the series to feature Pierce Brosnan, who went on to do a few more James Bond movies. The film was incredibly well-received, with one of the highest rankings by audiences and critics, even spawning an equally successful video game of the same name.
Though the Pierce Brosnan era of James Bond went off the rails and is now somewhat mocked for its ridiculous plotting and laughably dated CGI, they were huge movies in the 1990s and ones Leia and her friends would definitely see. Kitty, for her love of television dramas, would probably also jump at a chance to see Remington Steele's lead actor on the big screen. Aside from that, the original That '70s Show featured James Bond Easter eggs throughout, so it's a safe bet the revival will as well.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered in 1997 and ran for seven seasons. While the original 1992 movie that spawned it was something of a cult classic, the series reboot was incredibly popular. It featured a strong female lead in Sarah Michelle Gellar's Buffy and had generally good writing that influenced genre TV for decades after. That '90s Show could go either way when deciding whether to include it. Still, the series is still so popular that Buffy has been set for a revival.
Overall, there are so many great moments from the 1990s for That '90s Show to choose from when looking for pop culture references. There are epic movies that they would be remiss to exclude, and cultural moments from the decade that can not be ignored. There is so much excellent '90s content, this show is sure to do justice to its precursor's passion for pop culture.