WARNING! This article contains major SPOILERS for That '90s Show's season 1 finale!Netflix’s That ‘90s Show works to recreate the magic of its predecessor, but falls short due to a pacing problem shared by the spinoff series How I Met Your Father. The modern TV landscape has seen the resurrection of many beloved sitcoms from the 1990s and 2000s, including the nostalgic counter-culture series That ‘70s Show and narrated love story show How I Met Your Mother. Both sitcoms have seen revivals through spinoffs picked up by streaming services, with Netflix’s That ‘90s Show being a direct sequel series and Hulu’s How I Met Your Father being an indirect spinoff of their respective predecessors.

While That ‘90s Show season 1 does a great job of incorporating That ‘70s Show’s style into its “modern” context, the inaugural season still fails to capture some key aspects that made the original show’s early episodes so great. The development of That ‘90s Show’s new characters isn’t nearly as strong as the introduction of the gang in That ‘70s Show season 1, especially since much of the spinoff’s first season is dedicated to reacquainting audiences with the legacy figures. However, That ‘90s Show’s inability to recreate the compelling charm of the original's first season partially stems from an amendable problem that also hindered the success of How I Met Your Father season 1.

Related: All 4 Major '70s Show Characters Missing From That ‘90s Show Season 1

That '90s Show Season 1 Is Too Short

That 90s show how i met your father

Both Netflix’s That ‘90s Show and Hulu’s How I Met Your Father were only given ten half-hour episodes for their first seasons. The problem with such short first seasons is that it usually takes the first four or five episodes for the sitcoms to establish their tones, break away from initial comparisons to the original series, and become familiar with the many new characters. By the time audiences have settled in with How I Met Your Father and That ‘90s Show, the season 1 finale has already arrived.

How I Met Your Father season 1 also didn’t have to spend time catching up on the lives of the original characters, which allowed the new gang to be fleshed out much faster. This isn’t the case for That ‘90s Show, so the new teens are far less familiar and developed than required at the end of the That ‘70s Show sequel’s first season. How I Met Your Father season 2 then received a 20-episode order that allows the HIMYM spinoff to have more “filler” episodes and expanded arcs that deepen character investment, which is a more fitting half-hour sitcom format that would greatly benefit That ‘90s Show season 2.

How Short Seasons Can Hurt That '90s Show

That 90s Show Season 1 Ending Leia Kitty Red Nate Gwen Jay Ozzie Nikki

The arcs for the new characters set out over the course of That ‘90s Show season 1 are too rushed, which wouldn’t be the case if it had a 20-episode order similar to That ‘70s Show season 1. By the time Leia and Jay officially begin dating, summer is already coming to an end, with Jay deciding to break up with her only three episodes later. Similarly, Leia and Nate's last-minute romantic twist was ultimately unearned, as they only had one prior scene to establish their connection. That ‘90s Show season 1's overall storylines are half-baked, which wouldn’t be the case if the sitcom had another ten episodes to better familiarize the characters and deepen their arcs.

In a series that benefits from nostalgia and “filler” storylines that cater to the culture and activities of the title decade, That ‘90s Show needs a longer season that can accommodate this approach that aided That ‘70s Show’s success. With only ten 30-minute episodes, That ‘90s Show season 1 was too short to effectively balance character-focused storylines, plot-progressing episodes, and nostalgia-based pivots that utilize its 1995 setting. While Netflix doesn’t typically grant half-hour sitcoms such long seasons, That ‘90s Show’s promising future would be strengthened by following in How I Met Your Father’s footsteps of an extended second season.

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