That 70's Show - Season One

When That 70’s Show debuted on Fox in 1998, it was the only new show that survived. Fox has a nasty habit of cancelling shows after barely giving them a chance, so the fact that this one made it says a lot about its quality and popularity. Who would have a known such a popular half-hour comedy series would be about some teenagers growing up in Wisconsin during the late 1970’s? It is now in the 8th season and going on pretty strong.

This show’s success was due in large part to its perfect timing. Right as this show made its debut, fashion trends of the 70’s were making a comeback. From the poofy hair to the tight clothes, this was a show about young people from 30 years ago who dress a lot like young people of today. Even though the actors are all in ‘period costumes’, most of them could walk off set and right to the mall and fit in with the other kids. Another reason for this show’s success was the wide demographic that it covered. It had enough cute male and female actors to attract both sexes, plus it was a period show that attracted young people who liked the characters as well as older folks who actually lived during the 70’s.

In many ways, this show has a lot of the same energy and lovable characters as Happy Days. The characters are so strong that you’ll wait all episode just to hear a one-liner, and they are all so lovable that it’s easy to become engrossed in the series. This is the kind of television show where each episode stands on its own, so you can miss one or two and still keep up with what was going on. I still enjoy shows with long-running plot lines, like Buffy, but I enjoy a good laugh, too. This is one genuinely funny television show thanks to a healthy combination of good writing with perfect casting.

One interesting thing to note about this television show is that it helped launch the career of two actors who are steadily climbing in popularity. Ashton Kutcher got his start as the goofy Kelso, and he very soon started taking on leading movie roles. He’s the younger guy you always see out with Demi Moore. Topher Grace, who plays the lead character, got his start on this show, and he’s also played lead in several big movies. He’ll soon by on the big screen again in Spider-Man 3 as Venom. Another series co-star, Laura Prepon, just came back on TV in a role with the new show October Road.

Here’s a little about the main cast: Topher Grace plays Eric Forman, a regular kid from a decent family who just wants to meet the right girl and have some fun while he’s still young. He’s the Richie Cunningham of the series. Squeaky clean on the outside, but know for occasional bouts of mischief. Laura Prepon plays the pretty ‘girl next door’ who turns into Eric’s love interest, and they have great chemistry together on screen. Ashton Kutcher plays Kelso, the goofy but smart kid with the chiseled looks and no common sense. Mile Kunis plays his controlling girlfriend who refuses to let him break up with her, no matter how much he cheats. Danny Masterson plays Hyde, the cynical kid who spouts off about politics from time to time. He’s that 70’s kid who wanted to be a hippy but was born a little too late. Finally, there’s the hilarious Wilmer Valderrama as Fes (short for ‘foreign exchange student’) and I think if anyone was the Fonzy of this show, it would be him because has so many great lines and steals every scene that he’s in.

Besides the young cast members, the adults get to enjoy plenty of great scenes, too. At the head of the main household is Red Forman, played by Kurtwood Smith. You might remember Smith from playing the particularly nasty villain in Robocop, and he’s really good as the hardnosed father in this show. Smith also gets some of the best lines when he puts his often goofy son in place. Debra Jo Rupp, who plays Eric’s mom Kitty, is great as the typical Midwestern wife who often lets her temper flare, but does so with a smile. She and Smith play off each other very well and it’s great when they both do a scene with one of the kids. Former Bond girl Tanya Roberts is good as Donna’s goofy mother, and Don Stark has some great scenes with Kurtwood Smith as Donna’s trendy polyester leisure suit wearing father.

This first season boxed set comes on four discs and only has a few special features, including a short behind-the-scenes featurette and some trivia questions. I wanted to see more stuff about the early years of the show, but I guess there just wasn’t much material available.

I had always liked That 70’s Show, but never got into too much because it had gone on for so many seasons that I didn’t want to start watching right in the middle. Now that I’ve had the chance to see this show from the start, I fell in love with it and the characters and I’ve already started watching Season Two.