Review of the Netflix series That 90s Show

That 90s Show is a 2023 Netflix series that follows the story of Eric and Donna’s 16-year-old daughter, Leia. The series attempts to replicate the success of its predecessor, That 70s Show, but unfortunately falls short in replicating the tone, themes, and core friendships of the original.

While the show features some of the original cast members, including Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp who reprise their roles as Red and Kitty, the show lacked depth in character development and natural acting. The series only needed the Foremans, Leia, Jay, and Gwen. The characters had zero depth, were written under the usual stereotypes or were so dumb, and the acting was forced.

Leia, played by Callie Haverda, had great potential, but her character was poorly written and failed to live up to expectations. The show's writers ruined her character, and her story deserved more. The series is meant to be a coming-of-age tale, but Leia’s storyline deserved more. She makes new friends and gets into trouble while staying with her grandparents for the summer. She also has to figure out a crush, but her storyline was lackluster.

One of the best parts of the new series was Kitty, who is one of the best grandparents in a TV show. She is open-minded, willing to listen, and has the biggest heart. However, the rest of the characters lacked depth, and their storylines were uninteresting.

The series only had the Foremans, Leia, Jay, and Gwen. Ozzie’s coming-out storyline is important, but it should have been given to Leia or another character. As for Nate, his stupid dialogue and personality were headache-inducing, and his love-triangle twist with Leia's character made no sense. Leia did not have romantic chemistry with him.

The show's creators forgot to remove modern references, like newspaper articles that mention events that occurred in the early 2000s. Unlike That 70s Show, which did prominent research for the 70s, That 90s Show failed to acquaint itself with the 90s. The show lacked any tone, and the comedy was forced. The kids did random things, like sharing a hot tub with an old woman. The whole point of that scene was unclear.

The dialogue was corny, and the laughter felt forced. While there was a live audience present, the show's creators mixed a laugh track in, which was distracting. I was ready to give up on the series because of the storylines or the dumb things the characters said.

The only thing that kept me interested in the series were the cameos from the original cast members, and hopefully, they will appear more in season 2. The audience reaction (when they used a real audience, that is) whenever the cast members from That 70s Show returned was priceless. I had the biggest smile on my face during Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis’ cameo. Casting Mace Coronel as Michael and Jackie’s son was the best casting, and it was evident how much Michael had grown with how Jay treats Leia with respect.

The episodes are 20 minutes in length, so it's a fast binge, and the show is streaming on Netflix. While I enjoyed the show for its nostalgia, it's clear that the show needs stronger directions along with better storylines. Since the series has been picked up for a second season, my only piece of advice is that the kid actors get better writing and directions to live up to the hype of its predecessor, That 70s Show.

In conclusion, That 90s Show has its strengths, but it ultimately falls short in replicating the success of its predecessor. While the series had its moments, it lacked depth in character development