"That '70s Show" (1998) TV series 1998-2006

User Rating:

8.5/10   

Creators:

Mark Brazill
Bonnie Turner
Terry Turner

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Release Date:

23 August 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Be Groovy. Be Very Groovy.

Plot:

A comedy revolving around a group of teenage friends, their mishaps, and their coming of age, set in 1970s Wisconsin.

Plot Keywords:

Wisconsin | Friend | Basement | High School | Exchange Student

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 11 wins & 66 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. July 6	7:00 PM	FAM	A Man With Money	#6.16
Mon. July 6	7:30 PM	FAM	Happy Jack	#6.17

Cast

Mila Kunis	...	Jackie Burkhart (201 episodes, 1998-2006)
Danny Masterson	...	Steven Hyde (201 episodes, 1998-2006)
Laura Prepon	...	Donna Pinciotti (201 episodes, 1998-2006)
Wilmer Valderrama	...	Fez (201 episodes, 1998-2006)
Debra Jo Rupp	...	Kitty Forman (201 episodes, 1998-2006)
Kurtwood Smith	...	Reginald "Red" Forman / ... (201 episodes, 1998-2006)
Ashton Kutcher	...	Michael Kelso (184 episodes, 1998-2006)
Don Stark	...	Bob Pinciotti (184 episodes, 1998-2006)
Topher Grace	...	Eric Forman (180 episodes, 1998-2006)

Also Known As:

"Feelin' All Right" (USA) (working title)
"Reeling in the Years" (USA) (working title)
"Teenage Wasteland" (USA) (working title)
"The Kids Are Alright" (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

24 min (200 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:12 | Finland:K-7 (2007) (DVD) | Netherlands:AL (DVD rating) | Singapore:M18 (season 8) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG | Singapore:PG | USA:TV-14 (later episodes) | USA:TV-PG (early episodes)

Filming Locations:

CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Carsey-Werner-Mandabach Productions

Trivia:

The show was initially titled "Teenage Wasteland" and later "The Kids Are Alright". However, because both names were references to songs by The Who, legal issues prevented their use. As a result, the show was eventually announced as "Feelin' Alright", but because that name had few supporters, a search for a new title began. After noticing that audience members in focus groups would say, "I like that show about the '70s", or "I like that '70s show" it was eventually decided to simply call the series "That '70s Show".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In one of the Christmas episodes, when it snows, the snow doesn't fall on the cast at all. And it appears it snow in one spot, less in the other spots.

Quotes:

Kelso: I'm not afraid either. There are laws to protect a man and his van.
Steven Hyde: For instance, the Man-Van Act of 1847.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ocean's Twelve (2004)

Soundtrack:

That '70s Song

the '70s...those were the days

I guess that one might say that "That '70s Show" is to the 1990s what "Happy Days" was to the 1970s: a look at how cool things were twenty years earlier in Wisconsin. And they do a great job with it. The characters are: Eric Foreman (Topher Grace), a sometimes clueless high school student; Donna Pinciotti (Laura Prepon), Eric's strong-willed friend; Michael Kelso (Ashton Kutcher), a complete imbecile; Jackie Burkhart (Mila Kunis), the vain, egotistical member of the group; Steven Hyde (Danny Masterson), the cynical member of the group; Fez (Wilmer Valderrama), a foreign exchange student who always tries to be cool; Red (Kurtwood Smith), Eric's hard-ass father; and Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp), Eric's jolly mother.

Tommy Chong occasionally appears as Hyde's stoner boss Leo. Throughout the series, the circle of friends comes across all sorts of situations, which usually end up accentuating Kelso's stupidity or Hyde's distrust of authority. Oftentimes, they assess everything through popular culture (namely disco or any TV show that had existed up to that point). But no matter what happens, it's always safe to assume that Red will threaten to kick someone in the ass, or at least call someone a dumb-ass.

Either way, it's a great show. You gotta see it.