That 90’s Show
I first began watching That 70’s Show about five years ago. I remember seeing bits and pieces of it when it originally aired, but I just never sat down to enjoy it. As I began making my way through 90’s and early 2000’s sitcoms that I missed, it was hard to ignore That 70’s Show, since it showed up on all the lists of great sitcoms from the era.
It took a couple of episodes but soon I saw the appeal of That 70’s Show. The gang of friends were goofy, yet relatable and the team of Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith were always a joy to watch. The show is just fun to watch. It’s nothing groundbreaking nor deep, but a great way to spend half an hour.
When That 90’s Show was announced, I was excited to see a decade I was alive in featured in a sequel series still starring Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith. I went in with extremely low expectations, because let’s be honest, Netflix doesn’t have the best sitcom track record and honestly, we are not in a sitcom heyday right now.
That 90’s Show delivered, big time. The show managed to keep the spirit and feel of the original series without speeding things up too much like most sitcoms seem to do nowadays. The goofy, awkwardness is still present in every episode, and the show doesn’t try to do more than it needs to. It does a great job of telling funny, simple stories that garner the occasional laugh.
The 90’s decade could be better utilized, but it’s nice to get the occasional reference and keep the kids off cell phones. This isn’t Mad Men or Stranger Things, so there is very little use of retro packaging when you do name brand products which kind of stinks. I wish they would have put a bit more effort into channeling the 90’s.
I grew to really enjoy the entire cast and I thought the show ended well. My only complaint is I need more episodes and I want them now! I’m not sure how happy I’m going to be getting ten episodes at a time here and there, and I really wish it was just on broadcast TV. Nonetheless, That 90’s Show brought a smile to my face and helped me through a couple of bad moods I was in. I’m thrilled that the series got picked up for a sixteen-episode season two.
