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Hello (Again) Wisconsin

Nostalgia rules as 'That '70s Show' reboots for a new generation with 'That '90s Show'

Nostalgia rules as ‘That ’70s Show reboots for a new generation with ‘That ’90s Show’

Among the most anticipated new series in recent memory, That ’90s Show has been generating a lot of interest ever since Netflix first announced, back in 2021, plans to revive/reboot That ’70s Show

As television’s love affair with revisiting beloved old shows has demonstrated, these occasionally work brilliantly (i.e. Cobra Kai, Battlestar Galactica) but are usually dismal disasters that exploit viewers’ love of the originals without providing anything fresh. 

Yet all the pieces appear to be in place for That ’90s Show, which offers a continuation of its predecessor while introducing a new cast of characters, in a new decade. That ’70s Show reboots for a new generation with That ’90s ShowNetflixThe series, set in 1995, focuses on Leia Forman (Callie Haverda), teenage daughter of Eric and Donna (Topher Grace and Laura Prepon, who’ll appear in cameos) as she spends the summer in Point Place, Wisconsin, with her grandparents, Red and Kitty (Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp, reprising their roles full-time). 

Leia winds up meeting a whole new group of friends, including rebellious next-door neighbour Gwen (Ashley Aufderheide), her lovable dolt of a brother Nate (Maxwell Acee Donovan), Nate’s whip-smart, laser-focused girlfriend Nikki (Sam Morelos), the sarcastic and insightful Ozzie (Reyn Doi), and the charming and flirtatious Jay (Mace Coronel). After hearing her parents’ stories of their high school exploits, Leia realizes she’s found the pals who can help her become her best self and embark on her own adolescent adventures. Meanwhile, Kitty is thrilled to see their basement full of teenagers again—Red, not so much. That 90s ShowNetflixIn addition to Grace and Prepon, original stars Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Wilmer Valderrama and Tommy Chong will pop by for cameos, allowing viewers to learn how the characters’ lives have turned out in the in the nearly two decades since we last saw them.  

That ’90s Show premieres Thursday, January 19 on Netflix