It looks like Netflix has found a new, totally awesome generation of teenagers for its follow-up series to the classic FOX series That ’70s Show. The new series, That ’90s Show, will return to Point Place, Wisconsin twenty years after the original series, following a new generation of teenagers as they navigate life in the suburbs. Today, Netflix has announced the new cast and characters, which are sure to inspire nostalgia for the original series and excitement for new characters and adventures in the grungy 1990s.
The new series will follow Callie Haverda as Leia Forman, daughter of That ’70s Show characters Eric and Donna, as she visits her grandparents in Point Place for the summer. Returning from the original series are Leia’s grandparents — Eric’s parents — Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp). Joining Leia in the new lineup of Point Place teenagers is Ashley Aufderheide as Gwen, a rebellious Riot Grrrl; Mace Coronel as Jay, an attempted flirt; Maxwell Acee Donovan as Nate, Gwen’s popular older brother; Reyn Doi as Ozzie, who brings a hefty dose of both sarcasm and loyalty; and Sam Morelos as Nikki, Nate’s brainy girlfriend who aches to rebel from her straight-laced image.
The series will take place in the summer of 1995, nearly twenty years after the beginning of That ’70s Show, and will serve up an equal amount of nostalgia as the original series, even though this spin-off takes place only three years before the original series aired. (Ouch.) That ’90s Show will prove that no matter who you are or when you grow up, your core memories can and will be flattened out into a collection of throwbacks and offhand references. History is a costume we wear without knowing, and so on.
But, besides the throwback theme of the original series, the show functioned to tell universal stories of coming-of-age that transcend time and place. Hopefully, That ’90s Show will capture what made the original series so special, balancing the datedness of the show’s premise with lovable characters and hilarious antics. The inclusion of the original series’ fan favorites Red and Kitty will certainly help.
Gregg Mettler will serve as showrunner for the series. He also serves as creator of the show alongside Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner, and their daughter Lindsey Turner. (Bonnie and Terry created the original That 70s Show.) Executive producing the series are Mettler, the Turners, as well as Marcy Carsey, and Tom Werner under The Carsey-Werner Company. The series will consist of ten episodes and will share the original series’ multicam format. No premiere date has been set.
via Collider