‘That ’90s Show’: What’s changed and who remains the same in Point Place – National | 24CA News

The gang — each outdated and new — have descended upon Point Place, Wisc., and That ’90s Show is lastly accessible to stream on Netflix in all its nostalgia.

Loads has modified over at Red and Kitty Forman’s home, which stays the de-facto hangout for each the unique characters from That ’70s Show, in addition to a brand new solid of (for now) comparatively unknown teenagers.

The premiere episode kicks off on the Fourth of July weekend of 1995 and the Formans, Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) and Red (Kurtwood Smith), are getting ready to welcome their son Eric (Topher Grace), daughter-in-law Donna (Laura Prepon), and granddaughter Leia (Callie Haverda) for an extended weekend celebration.

That’s proper — Eric remains to be an enormous Star Wars fan and has named his daughter after one of many franchise’s foremost characters. He’s even managed to show his fandom right into a profession and we be taught that he’s an adjunct professor in command of educating a category referred to as “The Religion of Star Wars.” (To dream.) We additionally be taught that Donna is now a printed writer.

Eric and Leia are supposed to go away for a two-week father/daughter area camp after their weekend with the Formans, however that plan rapidly dissolves when Leia — a self-professed nerd — meets a few of the native children and decides she desires to spend the summer season together with her grandparents and make some buddies.

One of these buddies, audiences quickly be taught, is none aside from Jay Kelso, the son of unique characters Michael Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) and Jackie Burkhart (Mila Kunis). The real-life couple seems for a few minutes on the finish of the pilot episode, revealing that they’re going to get “remarried” for the second time.

Fans of the primary collection will do not forget that Jackie ended up with Fez (Wilmer Valderrama), so it comes as a little bit of a shock to seek out Kelso and Jackie again collectively. In the second episode, Fez reveals to Kitty that 15 years earlier than, he and Jackie have been vacationing at a resort in Jamaica when he caught her speaking to Kelso on the cellphone. Jackie left the resort to return and be with Kelso, however Fez remained till the resort kicked him out “for talking too much in the hot tub.”

But don’t fear an excessive amount of about Fez; he owns a profitable line of hair salons referred to as “Chez Fez,” nonetheless loves Tootsie Rolls, and is pursuing a (considerably reluctant) love curiosity.

Aside from the characters, the most important shakeup viewers see are upgrades to the Formans’ house. Kitty has ditched the owl décor in her kitchen (save for 2 small owls on a shelf), choosing a brand new ’90s design that’s heavy on pale yellow, flowers and roosters.

Red and Kitty’s lounge has additionally gotten an improve with some very ’90s pink plaid sofas and ruffled, floral throw pillows, and we see the previous present’s mid-century sofa and chair are actually relegated to the Forman’s well-known basement hangout.

According to Netflix, the units have been painstakingly rebuilt and a few of the unique solid introduced again set gadgets from That ’70s Show so as to add continuity. Kutcher and Kunis introduced again a trunk, stool, and the multicoloured spherical pillow within the basement set. Rupp provided the basement espresso desk’s glass grapes.

The kitchen additionally nonetheless holds Kitty’s many Pyrex dishes and Tupperware containers she collected all through the ’70s and ’80s, which isn’t shocking as a result of the colorful cookware of that period continues to be coveted in as we speak’s kitchens.

And, subsequent door, we get to see the ’90s remedy given to Donna Pinciotti’s outdated bed room. A brand new household lives within the house now, and daughter Gwen (performed by Ashley Aufderheide) has put down purple shag carpet, owns a number of Caboodles make-up circumstances (fortunate!) and has plastered her partitions with “riot grrrl” band posters.

Without freely giving an excessive amount of of the primary season of That ’90s Show, it seems as a lot as issues change, issues additionally keep the identical. The unique characters carry ahead a lot of their quirky traits — Red remains to be a grump, Kitty maintains her wide-eye innocence and humorous giggle, Kelso remains to be a lovable fool and Fez remains to be leaning into his barely problematic-but-well-intentioned methods.

And, in fact, the notorious weed-smoking circle stays an enormous plot level within the new collection, as are extracurricular subject journeys to drink on the Point Place water tower.

Fans can have enjoyable selecting out all of the Easter eggs left behind from That ’70s Show, whereas additionally revelling in all of the collection’ references to the ’90s. It’s groovy and it’s completely rad and it’s a enjoyable journey down multiple reminiscence lane.

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