While That '90s Show had a frustratingly short season 1, That '70s Show's spinoff can now overcome that problem in season 2. Traditionally, sitcoms run between 20 and 25 episodes in each season. This provides ample opportunity to get to know the characters and their dynamics - something that has become trickier as streaming services frequently order shorter debut seasons. This problem arose for both How I Met Your Father and That '90s Show.
Both shows are revivals of earlier sitcoms, and both How I Met Your Father and That '90s Show brought back the sitcom trend of laugh tracks, but the two spinoffs have something else in common. How I Met Your Mother season 1 included 22 episodes, giving plenty of time to get to know the core cast. Similarly, That '70s Show season 1 had 25 episodes, meaning characters like Jackie, Kelso, Donna, Eric, Fez, Hyde, Kitty, and Red were all well-established by the end of season 1. In contrast, both sitcom's spinoffs had far shorter debut seasons.
That '90s Show Season 2 Can Solve A Common Sitcom Error
That '90s Show season 1 had only ten episodes, giving less than half the time spent with the cast of That '70s Show in its own debut season. Inevitably, this sitcom problem in That '90s Show was detrimental to season 1. While the best stories in That ‘90s Show did manage to make viewers care about characters like Leia and Ozzie, the Netflix revival did not have enough time to establish a recognizable rhythm among its central cast. However, That ‘90s Show season 2 can fix this issue with a longer episode run, 20 or more, that allows the heroes' personalities to truly come through.
To properly provide a feel for the main group’s dynamics, That '90s Show needs more time. It is not until the last episodes of That '90s Show season 1 that Nate’s love interest, Nikki, gets a chance to shine, as the sardonic, somewhat nerdy character is mostly lost behind louder, immediately impactful figures. Ozzie coming out in That '90s Show is a stellar piece of sitcom storytelling, but there is no equivalent scene that develops Nikki or Nate beyond broad strokes introductions. However, since That '90s Show has proven a hit with viewers, Netflix can now justify investing in a longer season 2 and solve this issue.
How That '90s Show Season 2 Will Fix S1's Length Problem
That '90s Show season 1 has proven that the spinoff carries enough potential to be more than a mere retread of That ‘70s Show. As such, a longer That '90s Show season 2 makes sense, especially after How I Met Your Father followed the same pattern in 2023. How I Met Your Father gained a little more faith from Hulu and made a 22-episode season 2 after a ten-episode season 1.
How I Met Your Father season 2 benefits from this by setting up storylines that pay off much later - something the show could not do in its shorter season 1. That '90s Show season 2 should now be given the same advantage, since the That '70s Show spinoff has now proven it can sustain a full-length season. If Netflix agrees, the characters of That '90s Show should shine more brightly in season 2.