WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for That '90s Show's season 1 finale!The creators of That ‘90s Show teased that the series will only be set during summer vacation (via Metacritic), which means it will miss out on big moments in the characters’ lives, major events from the decade, and chances to repeat iconic episodes from That ‘70s Show. That ‘90s Show season 1 picked up 15 years after That ‘70s Show’s series finale, following Eric and Donna’s 15-year-old daughter Leia Forman as she came to stay with her grandparents Red and Kitty for the summer in Point Place. Throughout the summer of 1995, Leia formed close bonds with the new generation of teens in Point Place, but said goodbye as she went back to Chicago for the school year.
That ‘90s Show’s cast and showrunners have already indicated that the plan for the series is to have each season set over summer break, where Leia will reunite with her friends in Point Place after each school year. The idea is to have the characters regroup after nine months so the series can respond to the major changes that happen over the school year, which leads to interesting storylines and arcs while more time is dedicated to the gang hanging out in the Forman basement. Although That ‘90s Show’s summer setting indicates the spinoff will have a more normal progression of time than That ‘70s Show, it also means that many of the best aspects of the original series will be gone.
1 That ‘90s Show Won’t Repeat Iconic Holiday Episodes
The series being set during the summer means That ‘90s Show’s timeframe will only depict the Fourth of July through Labor Day, which excludes the biggest holidays that served as backdrops for some of That ‘70s Show’s most memorable episodes. Unless the Netflix series introduces special episodes outside the main season, That ‘90s Show won’t have any Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year’s Eve, or Halloween episodes. This is a major loss for That ‘90s Show when considering how important many of That ‘70s Show’s holiday episodes were for the characters and their beloved dynamic, with the gang always joining in on the Forman family chaos.
Holiday episodes like Christmas or Thanksgiving would have been perfect ways to bring all the original That ‘70s Show characters back for a reunion episode, as they allow for the entire cast to organically be put in one room together. While That ‘90s Show’s returning characters can always reunite at a Fourth of July celebration, it may become too repetitive to have this be the only backdrop for such events, whereas That ‘70s Show’s year-long timeframe allowed for more variety in holiday get-togethers. Instead, That ‘90s Show only really has the Fourth of July and Leia’s birthday to utilize each season.
2 That ‘90s Show Is Losing That ‘70s Show’s School Dance Episodes
Some of the biggest “event” episodes in That ‘70s Show were set at Point Place High School dances, primarily the prom or winter dance. These were also typically when major changes for the characters occurred, such as Kelso and Jackie getting back together at prom in season 1, Eric and Donna hooking up while broken up at the “tornado prom,” and Kelso deciding to leave the Christmas dance in season 6 to prove his maturity to Brooke before their baby is born. Dances like these are rites of passage for teenagers, so it’s another big missed opportunity for That ‘90s Show to leave these events out of Leia’s coming-of-age story.
3 That ‘90s Show Won’t Include Most Characters’ Birthdays
While it’s possible that one of the characters could be born in June before That ‘90s Show’s season 1 timeline begins, Leia's 15th birthday is the only one celebrated in the summer of 1995. That ‘70s Show didn’t celebrate the birthday of every main character, but most of them had episodes centered around their big days. The birthday episodes were always a great way to better highlight the character and specifically reflect on their growth throughout the series, but this element will be missing if Leia is the only character whose birthday is celebrated in That ‘90s Show.
That '70s Show reveals Red’s birthday is in December and Kitty’s is seemingly in October, so Leia is the only Forman who will have her birthday celebrated in That ‘90s Show season 2. One of the new teens in That ‘90s Show still could have been born in the summer, but then it doesn’t make sense why their birthday wasn’t mentioned in season 1. Since Leia is the new Eric of That ‘90s Show, it's logical that her birthday would be the one celebrated, but it’s still a missed opportunity to not give episode spotlights to the other teens on some of the most momentous occasions of their lives.
4 The Spinoff Can’t Fully Explore Their Random Classmates
When That ‘70s Show occasionally showed the original gang at school, the sitcom introduced random classmates that would appear in one or two episodes and cause trouble for the gang. For example, Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s That ‘70s Show season 1 cameo was based around his character Buddy being Eric’s lab partner, with Eric’s next lab partner Shelly causing tension in his romance with Donna. The gang would also be connected to Rhonda, Pam Macy, Mitch, Timmy, and Leslie Cannon during the school year, so That ‘90s Show’s summer setting keeps the spinoff from fully utilizing the teens’ interactions with classmates that they typically wouldn’t see outside of school.
5 That ‘90s Show Misses Nate’s Football & Leia’s Basketball Seasons
The end of That ‘90s Show season 1 reveals that Nate Runck is about to start his football season, which would have made for an exciting subplot. Additionally, That ‘90s Show’s pilot reveals that Leia is a talented basketball player, which would have taken the franchise’s love for the sport outside the Forman driveway. That ‘70s Show’s main characters weren’t athletes (to the irritation of Eric's father Red Forman), yet two of the new teens play sports, which is a unique way to separate the two generations. But, since That ‘90s Show is only set in the summer, Leia’s skills on the basketball court and Nate’s talents on the football field won’t be seen on-screen.
6 Kitty Won’t Be Seen As A Nurse At Point Place High
That ‘90s Show season 1 confirmed that Kitty Forman was heading back to work, as she was offered a position as the new nurse at Point Place High School. That ‘70s Show occasionally depicted Kitty at work at the hospital, so it was an exciting prospect for her character to be back in this setting in That ‘90s Show. Additionally, her job at the school would have given the series an excuse for her to interact with the teenage characters more often after That ‘90s Show season 1's ending. Since That ‘90s Show season 2 will only pick up in the summer, her experiences as the school nurse won’t be depicted on-screen – unless in nightmare form again.
7 Will Their High School Graduations Still Be Included?
High school graduation was a big episode for the characters in That ‘70s Show season 5, especially since it led to Fez nearly being sent back to his home country. Unless That ‘90s Show makes an exception for such a momentous occasion in the teens’ lives, the spinoff won’t see Leia and the gang graduate from high school. While it wouldn’t be until at least That ‘90s Show season 4 that Leia graduates from high school, it's a big moment that should be included.
8 Red Won’t Be Seen Watching The Packers Win The 1997 Super Bowl
The original sitcom established Red as a massive Green Bay Packers fan, with his season tickets convincing him not to move to Florida with Bob in That ‘70s Show’s ending. Red’s Packers obsession wasn’t highlighted in That ‘90s Show season 1, but is apt to become more apparent as the team continues to do better in their seasons. In fact, the Packers win the Super Bowl in January 1997, which would be a huge moment for Red’s support for the team finally paying off. However, since That ‘90s Show isn’t set then, Red’s immediate reaction to the Packers winning the Super Bowl can’t be a major plot point.
9 That ‘90s Show Can’t Repeat That ‘70s Show’s Iconic Series Finale
That ‘70s Show has one of the greatest TV finale episodes of all time, partially due to the cleverness of how it chose to end the sitcom. The series finale of That ‘70s Show was set on New Year’s Eve 1979, with the characters preparing for the new decade while wrapping up their storylines. While they count down to the New Year, That ‘70s Show season 8 cuts to black as the calendar changes to January 1, 1980, making it the perfect ending for the decade-specific series.
That ‘90s Show could have brilliantly repeated this format to end the sitcom, with the added intrigue of New Year’s Eve 1999’s Y2K fears. However, if That ‘90s Show only sticks to its summer setting, it won’t be able to end on the last day of December 1999. Rather, That ‘90s Show’s ending will likely occur when the summer of 1999 ends and the teens leave Point Place, Wisconsin for college, or wherever they go on their separate paths.