That '70s Show

That '70s Show
That '70s Show logo
Created by	Mark Brazill Bonnie Turner Terry Turner
Starring	Topher Grace (1998-2005) Mila Kunis Ashton Kutcher (1998-2005) Danny Masterson Laura Prepon Wilmer Valderrama Debra Jo Rupp Kurtwood Smith Tanya Roberts Don Stark Lisa Robin Kelly Tommy Chong (2001-2002, 2005-2006) Josh Meyers (2005-2006)
Country of origin	USA
No. of episodes	188 (as of January 26, 2006)
Production
Running time	23 minutes (approximate)
Original release
Network	Fox Broadcasting Company
Release	August 23, 1998 – May 18, 2006

That '70s Show is a Fox Network television sitcom centered around the lives of a group of teenagers living in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin during the late 1970s. It debuted on August 23, 1998. Its final episode will air on May 18, 2006, the show's 200th episode total, ending the run at eight seasons. [1]

About the show

The first working title for the Fox Network series was called Teenage Wasteland, before being changed to That '70s Show. Other names considered were The Kids Are Alright, Feelin' All Right, and Reeling in the Years. That '70s Show is one of the longest continuous running sitcoms for Fox in the US.

The show follows the life of geeky Everyman Eric Forman (Topher Grace) and his five teenaged friends: Donna Pinciotti (Laura Prepon), his feminist girlfriend and next-door neighbor; Steven Hyde (Danny Masterson), a disillusioned hard-rocking stoner; Michael Kelso (Ashton Kutcher), a dim-witted narcissistic ladies man; Jackie Burkhart (Mila Kunis), a self-involved high school cheerleader overly preoccupied with wealth and status; and Fez (Wilmer Valderrama), the nicknamed goofy foreigner whose country of origin is ambiguous, real name is unknown to all but him, and hormones are out of control. Eric drives a 1969 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser, a station wagon given to him by his father in the first episode.

File:That 70s Show Cast.jpg

The principal cast of the show, 1998-2005

Other main characters include Red Forman (Kurtwood Smith), Eric's overbearing war veteran father, obsessed with making "...him a man, which he's not" (Red Forman: episode 421: Prank Day) and using the word "dumb-ass" frequently , and always threatening people to put his 'foot in your ass'; his overprotective menopausal mother, Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp), who is caught up in trying to be a fulltime mom and housewife, while maintaining a job as a nurse in a local hospital; and Laurie Forman (Lisa Robin Kelly, 1998-2001, 2002-2003; Christina Moore, 2004-2005), the promiscuous older sister who can do no wrong in the eyes of her father. The show also follows the relationship of Bob and Midge Pinciotti (Don Stark, Tanya Roberts), Donna's parents, both of whom are slow witted and easily influenced by the movements and fads of the '70s, which sometimes places stress on their marriage. Tommy Chong also appears as the recurring character of Leo, the stoner owner of the Foto Hut.

The show has gained recognition for providing a bold retrospective to a decade full of political events and technological milestones that have dramatically shaped the world today. The show cleverly tackles the significant social phenomena of 1970s America: feminism, new attitudes towards sexuality, the economic hardships of recession, developing mistrust in the American government among blue collar workers, teenage recreational drug use, and developments in entertainment technology, from the TV remote (or "the clicker"), to Pong.

The show was remade by the British ITV network as Days Like These using almost verbatim scripts with minor changes to cultural references. The show failed to attract an audience and was removed from the schedules after 10 of the 13 episodes had been broadcast. The remaining three episodes were shown in a later run of repeats.

Timeline

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Eric Forman and Donna Pinciotti

Although the show has been on for over seven years, the timeline has been noticeably slowed. When the show first began in 1998, the show was set in May 1976, and in the past seven seasons, only three years have gone by. The series was set in 1977 from the middle of its first season to the end of the third, and then in 1978 until the sixth season. Hyde had an 18th birthday in 1978, despite dialogue that suggests that he is older than Eric, who turned 17 in the second episode (which was in 1976). Eric also turned 18 in 1978, two years after turning 17. This, combined with the fact that new holiday-themed episodes run every year, means the sense of time on That '70s Show is loose at best. Currently, the show is vaguely set in "1979."

8th season changes

Several changes were made to the Red Forman and Leo characters in the 8th season. It is revealed that Leo, the aging hippie, whose full first name is Leonard, was a supply truck driver in WWII, who was decorated with a medal that "looked like a purple heart." Red, a fellow veteran (of both WWII and the Korean War) who in the past couldn't stand Leo, gains newfound respect for him. Collectively, they still have no respect for Bob's service in the National Guard.

Eric Forman was written out the series following the seventh season finale, as the actor opted to pursue interests outside That '70s Show. Michael Kelso was written out in the fourth episode of season eight for the same reason. A new character by the name of Randy Pearson was introduced to take up the slack. It was recently revealed that the 8th season will be the show’s last. Talks are in progress of bringing back Topher Grace and Ashton Kutcher for the May 18 finale.

Theme song

The show usually opens with the theme song, "In the Street," by Alex Chilton and Chris Bell of the band Big Star. Beginning with the second season, the song was performed by the band Cheap Trick. The lyrics are as follows:

Hanging out, down the street

The same old thing, we did last week
Not a thing to do, but talk to you
We're all alright! We're all alright!

The final line ("We're all alright!") is inspired by the chorus to the Cheap Trick song "Surrender".

Danny Masterson, who plays Steven Hyde, yells "Hello, Wisconsin!" at the end of the theme song in the first season. In all other seasons, the line is yelled by Robin Zander, the lead singer from Cheap Trick. In the first season, the lyrics were the same except that instead of shouting "We're all alright!" twice, they shout "Whoa yeah!"

Trivia

Main article: That '70s Show (Trivia)

Parallels with Happy Days

Main article: That '70s Show (Trivia)

Soundtracks

Several prominent songs from the decade can be heard on the series, and two soundtracks were released in 1999. The first is a collection of funk, soul and disco. The second is a collection of AOR songs.

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Jammin' Album

That '70s Album: Jammin'

1. Get Down Tonight - KC and the Sunshine Band
2. Tell Me Something Good - Rufus
3. Hot Pants - James Brown
4. Fire - Ohio Players
5. Jungle Boogie - Kool & the Gang
6. Play that Funky Music - Wild Cherry
7. Fight the Power - Isley Brothers
8. Pick Up the Pieces - The Average White Band
9. Respect Yourself - The Staple Singers
10. Rock the Boat - Hues Corporation
11. When Will I See You Again - The Three Degrees
12. So Very Hard to Go - Tower of Power
13. The Rubberband Man - The Spinners

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Rockin' Album

That '70s Album: Rockin'

1. That '70s Song (In the Streets) - Cheap Trick
2. I Want You to Want Me - Cheap Trick
3. Black Betty - Ram Jam
4. Radar Love - Golden Earring
5. Funk #49 - James Gang
6. Saturday Night Special - Lynyrd Skynyrd
7. Let It Ride - Bachman Turner Overdrive
8. Hold Your Head Up - Argent
9. Cities on Flame With Rock & Roll - Blue Öyster Cult
10. Hey Baby - Ted Nugent
11. Under My Wheels - Alice Cooper
12. Celluloid Heroes - The Kinks
13. The Wall Street Shuffle - 10cc
14. September Gurls - Big Star

Special guests

Maud Adams Paul Anka Rachel Bilson Danny Bonaduce Timothy Bottoms Barbara Carrera Dan Castellaneta Charo Erika Christensen Alice Cooper Roger Daltrey Eliza Dushku Shannon Elizabeth Bob Eubanks Jamie Farr Neil Flynn Jim Gaffigan Gloria Gaynor Bobcat Goldthwait Joseph Gordon-Levitt Seth Green

Monty Hall Alyson Hannigan Jeff Hardy (uncredited) Matt Hardy (uncredited) Valerie Harper Melissa Joan Hart Robert Hays Howard Hessman Mitch Hedberg Shirley Jones Tom Kenny KISS Richard Kline Wayne Knight Don Knotts Lindsay Lohan Pamela Sue Martin Kevin McDonald Gavin McLeod Mary Tyler Moore Ted Nugent

Jack Osbourne Ashley Peldon Courtney Peldon Mitch Pileggi Eve Plumb Tom Poston The Rock Marion Ross Katey Sagal Ken Shamrock (uncredited) Brooke Shields Jessica Simpson Ryan Starr French Stewart Dick Van Patten Lyle Waggoner Estella Warren Kristina Wayborn Betty White Billy Dee Williams Bruce Willis Luke Wilson

Crew

• Mark Brazill - Creator/Executive producer
• Bonnie Turner - Creator/Executive producer
• Terry Turner - Creator/Executive producer
• Marcy Carsey - Executive producer
• Jackie Filgo - Executive producer
• Jeff Filgo - Executive producer
• Caryn Mandabach - Executive producer
• Tom Werner - Executive producer

See also

• List of That '70s Show episodes
• Recurring characters of That '70s Show

External links

• Official website
• That 70s Show at TV.com
• That '70s Central (Unofficial fansite)