If you are anything like me, you love old shows your parents watched when they were your age. The nostalgia makes the program exponentially more enjoyable. Those were the times when cheesy scripts were still funny. However, some things are better left alone, as many people have expressed in their input on reboots for shows such as “Boy Meets World” or “90210.” The remake is almost never as good as the original. Whether it is because they try too hard or don’t try hard enough, the initial nostalgia is rarely captured in the revamp.
From what I have seen so far, “That 90s Show” is different. Netflix’s newly released sitcom is a reboot of “That 70s Show,” and the essence of the original successfully translates into the reboot.
The characters grew up, but their humor remained and has been passed down to the new generation of Point Place dwellers. The show takes place in 1995 in which Eric and Donna are married and raising their daughter Leia. As much as he may try, Eric struggles to pass down his adoration for “Star Wars” to his daughter.
Apart from the “Star Wars” dilemma, Eric finds himself struggling with many aspects of parenthood that only become more apparent while he and his family visit his and Donna’s hometown of Point Place, Wisconsin. Within their first week, Leia befriends Gwen Runck, the girl who lives in Donna’s old room next door to the Foremans.
This friendship leads to Leia meeting the rest of Gwen’s crew, quickly demonstrating a reflection of the original friend group and all their mischief from 20 years ago. You get Nikki and Nate, who’s hot-and-cold relationship emulates the iconic situation between Jackie and Michael. There’s Jay who carries on the bromance with Nate to reflect that of Michael and Steven. Finally, Fez’s legacy continues through the wholesome character that is Ozzie.
Minus the decor in Donna’s childhood room, every other aspect of the original set remains untouched. Even major props such as the iconic van that holds many of the stories from “That 70s Show” was rebooted to emulate the original. To make the correlation even more clear, the transitions between scenes are completed by crazy-colored backgrounds and mirrored images of the different characters acting like their carefree selves just as the transitions were done in the original sitcom.
Leia and her new friends follow in the footsteps of figuring out who they are, who they love and what they want in life just as her parents and their friends did 20 years ago. Eric and Donna struggle with the realization that those kids are “learning the ropes” just as they did, and are still learning how to go about parenting wisely.
As the two parties continue to learn about these new stages in life, viewers are still kept just as entertained as they were when the original show was released. The 10 episodes currently available on Netflix make me excited to see what else is to come out of the reboot in future seasons.
Rating: 5/5
