The Big Picture
That '90s Show
Season 2 remains a charming ensemble comedy.- Cameos from the original series are scaled back, allowing the new cast to shine.
- The sequel series retains the charm of the original, with rooted teenage drama and character dynamics.
Summer is here, and that means it's time to head back to Point Place, WI for another visit to the Formans' basement. It wasn't much of a surprise last year when Netflix decided to bring That '70s Show spin-off That '90s Show back for a super-sized, two-part second season — officially called Part 2 and Part 3, out June 27 and October 24 respectively. After all, it's arriving right as the generation that grew up with That '70s Show is feeling nostalgic for the shows of their youth and for their actual youth — and, of course, those like me who can't quite believe that our childhoods were so long ago that the era can now be the focus of a "period piece" so to speak.
Since Part 1 served as an introduction to the new cast, and a bit of an eight-episode-long "where are they now" for the original cast, That '90s Show had quite the sophomore bar to clear, needing to prove that it could stand on its own as a comedy without relying on the flagship series; there are only so many callbacks a series can sustain before you start wondering who the show is really about. Fortunately for the show and those invested in the lives of Leia Forman (Callie Haverda) and her friends, the series more than succeeds, paving the way for a show that captures the heart of the original while crucially developing into its own thing.
That 90s Show
Now it's 1995, Leia Forman is visiting her grandparents for the summer where she bonds with a new generation of Point Place, WI, kids under the watchful eye of Kitty and the stern glare of Red.
- Release Date
- January 19, 2023
- Cast
- Kurtwood Smith , Debra Jo Rupp , Callie Haverda , Ashley Aufderheide , Mace Coronel , Reyn Doi , Sam Morelos , Maxwell Acee Donovan
- Main Genre
- Sitcom
- Seasons
- 1
What Is 'That '90s Show' Season 2 About?
Picking up nearly a year after Part 1, That '90s Show Part 2 follows Leia (Haverda) as she returns to Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty's (Debra Jo Rupp) for the summer. As excited as her grandparents are to have her back, her best friend Gwen (Ashley Aufderheide) and boyfriend Jay (Mason Coronel) are even more excited. There's just one tiny problem: Leia's almost-kiss with Nate (Maxwell Acee Donovan) at the end of last summer, which only his sister Gwen knows about, and which has somehow managed to stay secret from Jay and from Nate's girlfriend Nikki (Sam Morelos) for an entire year.
Fortunately, despite only eight 25-minute episodes in Part 2, the series doesn't spend too much time on relationship drama. The romance-related plotlines are sustained throughout the season, but that core tension isn't dragged out so long that it becomes exhausting. With such a focus on the two couples, though, especially with Gwen being so closely involved with both, this does mean that it sometimes feels like the sixth member of their little band, Ozzie (Reyn Doi), is left on the proverbial sidelines. I was glad to see, though, that an effort was made to include him more than in the first season, which hopefully means he won't end up feeling like the out-of-place comic relief that Fez (Wilmer Valderrama) could sometimes be back in the day.
'That '90s Show' Part 2 Doesn't Rely Too Hard on Cameos
When That '90s Show first premiered, it made sense that most of the original core cast would return for a cameo. Eric (Topher Grace) and Donna (Laura Prepon) returned to drop off Leia at her grandparents, Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) and Jackie (Mila Kumis) popped up to establish that Jay is their son, and Fez (Wilmer Valderamma) had a recurring role as a hairdresser and potential love interest for Gwen and Nate's mom Sherri (Andrea Anders). As lovely as it was for longtime fans to get to catch up with them quickly, they're not what the show was about. There were eight entire seasons about their teenage years.
Their appearance had its drawbacks too, mostly in that it invited comparisons between the current teenage cast and the old one —Leia is the "Eric," Gwen is the "Hyde," etc. — and for all that the first part did a charming job getting the ball rolling, it's really in this second season that the show starts to really stand on its own. Yes, it's a show looking back at the '90s, and as such is inherently nostalgic, but Part 2 keeps the nostalgia where it belongs — on what it was like growing up in the 1990s — and not on a TV that ended over 20 years ago. Yes, there are a few cameos. Tommy Chong and Seth Green briefly make appearances as their characters from the original series, but in a way that enhances the arcs of the current crop of teenagers, and not for so long that it risks pulling focus.
'That '90s Show' Part 2 Settles Into Its Own Charm
The relationships and situations the characters find themselves in on That '90s Show are familiar sitcom dilemmas, but updated to reflect both the changing times in which the show is set and the era in which we, the audience, are living. Gwen's experiences living as a Black teenage girl in a very white town, and with a white mom, are given space and treated as thoughtfully as it can be given the medium —particularly considering how similar issues were treated previously in That '70s Show. Ozzie, the show's other marginalized character, also gets a thoughtful arc, as one of only a handful of queer teenagers in '90s suburbia. The group's attitudes towards each other are also refreshing. They mock and tease each other, but, overall, you never once find yourself asking why they put up with each other. There's a genuine love there that really shines through, one that adds weight to the disagreements and levity to the funnier moments.
The real charm of That '70s Show, and the reason it lasted as long as it did, was it didn't rely solely on nostalgia to drive the plot, but instead took a relatable "the more things change, the more they stay the same" approach to its characters. With That '90s Show Part 2, the new series embraces this aspect of its predecessor, leaning hard into the charm for the second outing with the new cast of characters. If there's one place where the series lags, though, it's in how quickly things return to the status quo. I understand why this happens. We're two "seasons" in and still have fewer episodes than That '70s Show Season 1 had on its own. With only eight episodes per part, we just don't have the space for a half-a-season-long breakup, a friendship feud, a slow-burn romance, or for the kids to have part-time jobs. Fortunately, That '90s Show is weathering that particular storm for now, but if the showrunners want any hope of sustaining the show in the long term, it might be worth dragging these things out a bit longer. It's not like they don't know how, as the series is created in part by Bonnie Turner and Terry Turner, two of the minds behind That '70s Show.
It's harder not to still make the mental connection to the earlier series. I'd argue That '90s Show doesn't want people to set it aside entirely — why else would Red and Kitty have a season-long subplot about the state of their marriage? — but that doesn't weaken the show. However, the best choice they could have made, and one that's actively made this time around, is to really give the young cast a chance to shine, and flesh out those unique character dynamics independent of comparisons longtime fans might make. Free of those obligations to be a "sequel," That '90s Show Part 2 proves that it is a charming, funny sitcom all on its own.
Review
That 90s Show
That '90s Show Part 2 succeeds in breaking free of spin-off status, becoming a charming ensemble comedy in its own right.
- The cast really comes into their own as a comedy ensemble, making the series feel fresh.
- Cameos from the original series are majorly scaled back for the better.
- The story stays rooted in teenage drama and hijinks, retaining the charm of the original.
- Sometimes the series returns its characters to the status quo a little too quickly.
That '90s Show Part 2 hits Netflix with its first eight episodes on June 27.
Watch on Netflix
Comments
Post a Comment