While Donna didn’t want to have a child young in That ‘70s Show, her daughter Leia doesn’t actually betray her character in That ‘90s Show. Netflix's That ‘90s Show will follow Eric Forman and Donna Pinciotti’s teenage daughter Leia as she spends the summer of 1995 in Point Place, Wisconsin with Red and Kitty. While the upcoming sitcom is centered on their daughter forming bonds with a new generation of Point Place teens, Donna and Eric won’t have starring roles in That ‘90s Show. However, Laura Prepon and Topher Grace are set to return as their That ‘70s Show characters in guest appearances.
Set 15-and-a-half years after That ‘70s Show’s series finale, That ‘90s Show already reveals a few key details about Donna and Eric’s future. The pair is now confirmed to have reunited after their kiss in That ‘70s Show’s ending, with the couple very quickly becoming pregnant, considering their daughter is around 15 years old at the start of That ‘90s Show. Donna’s desire to not have a child young was already a prominent plot point in That ‘70s Show season 1 when she went on birth control pills, which has led to criticisms of That ‘90s Show betraying Donna's character by having her do just that.
Despite Donna originally not wanting to have kids so young, That ‘90s Show revealing that Leia was born soon after That ‘70s Show’s ending doesn’t necessarily ruin her character. Donna was primarily motivated by not getting stuck in Point Place for the rest of her life, as she always had dreams for a bigger, independent future elsewhere. Even in That ‘70s Show’s alternate timeline from Eric’s It’s A Wonderful Life experience, Donna’s future was set up as fairly tragic because she wasn’t able to keep writing after having kids so young with Hyde. However, That ‘90s Show hints this won’t be the case, as even though Donna had Leia when she was only 20 or 21 years old, she got out of Point Place. The fact that Leia is “visiting” her grandparents, That '70s Show's Red and Kitty, for the summer as she meets the new Point Place teens suggests she, Eric, and Donna don’t live near town. Donna didn’t want to be stuck in Point Place, and That ‘90s Show suggests she successfully made it out – even with a young daughter.
Donna Can Still Have Achieved Her Dreams In That '90s Show
Eric’s That ‘70s Show season 4 It’s a Wonderful Life dream indicated that Donna wouldn’t be able to achieve her dreams of being a successful writer if she got married and had kids young. However, this was just an imagined alternate reality, not how her life would truly end up in the real world. If Donna escaped Point Place, it can also be assumed that she became the talented writer she had always dreamed of being in That ‘70s Show. Donna presumably still went to college after That ‘70s Show’s ending, and with Eric’s schooling already being paid for after his year in Africa, they likely had the funds to go to school together while raising Leia outside of Point Place.
If That ‘90s Show followed Donna and Eric raising teenage Leia in Point Place only 15 years after That ‘70s Show, the criticisms of the spinoff betraying her character would be more justified. Donna simply wanted to get out of Point Place and have an independent career, with That ‘90s Show pointing to the notion that she was successful in these endeavors. With That ‘90s Show already describing Leia as a smart and snarky mix of her parents from That ‘70s Show, the sequel series seems to have a firm grasp on the core of Donna's character.