Hello there!
So this past week "That 90's Show" premiered on Netflix and as fan of the original series, I just devoured it as it came out and now I'm gonna do a little review of it to share my opinion.
This may contain spoilers, so if you haven't seen the show and don't want to know what happens yet, I recommend you to skip this and come back once you have finished it all (or seen the most of it at least).
That 90's Show is a teen sitcom, sequel of That 70's Show (1998-2006), produced by Netflix which narrates the summer of 1995 in the Forman House in Wisconsin. It centers around Leia Forman, (Donna and Eric's daughter) her newly made friends, and her grandparents, Kitty and Red Forman.
Credits: PATRICK WYMORE/NETFLIX
The show has 10 episodes, and offers multiple comedic situations of Leia enjoying the summer with her friends, alongside many cameos of members of the original cast and other coming-of-age sort of situations.
The nostalgia surely hits when you start watching, and it's very lovely to see Kitty, Red, Donna and Eric appear, but then that's it. Once you get over the nostalgia, the first episodes may feel a little bit cheesy. It takes a while to adjust, but after that you can really enjoy it. The new kids have big shoes to fill, since the original cast demostrated to have such a great chemistry and sense of comedy. But I feel that when seeing the show, one must put al of the memories of the original show aside for a second and just enjoy the work of this new cast as a new thing, because it is.
Even when it's a sequel, this is a whole new show and we, the people that grew up with the original series, are not the target audience for this. That's why I think many scenes doesn't feel right.
Now, to be more specific I'm goint to talk about certain points and what I liked and what not.
The Gang:
It was a great decision to focus solely on Leia and the other new kids, as a chance for the audience to grow onto them and enjoy their moments. But still it's something to work on, since most of the time the spotlight of the show was taken by Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith, Kitty and Red respectively, and other cameos from original cast members. If Eric, Donna, Fez, Kelso or Jackie appeared more time than they did, I feel like the new kids would have go from main characters to support members.
For me the most memorable one is Mace Coronel, who plays Jay Kelso. Not only was a hit in terms of look but also in the acting and direction. His biggest challenge it's to not imitate the characterization of Ashton Kutcher, since his character has many similarities with his dad (Michael Kelso, manwh*re). I liked that we can see him as an slighly mature character, someone who can be responsible of its actions and aknowledge his wrongs while still being funny. Just as Michael said during first episode: "Got his dad's looks, and mum's brain".
Mace Coronel starred in Nickelodeon's Nicky, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn during four years and I think that this previous role prepared him very well in the comedic scene.
My favourite scene is one during the last episodes (I think episode 9 or 10) when he cites his dad's iconic: BURN!
As for the rest of the new cast, I feel like they need to be developed a bit more. Overall, Nate and Nikki are the ones who need the most work since their characters lack essence and personality other than being the couple of the group. I cannot remember much from them other than them being a couple, and don't feel like the brought lot to the table (except for the Leia-Nate drama twist at the end, but I'll talk about this later).
Gwen seemed as a parody of Hyde, in a femenine version and even when she has more substance than the other kids, the acting seems exagerated and falls over the place most times. And as for Ozzie, I liked that he was very outspoken, sassy and loyal to his values, but it felt as if the only purpose of the character was to bring diversity to the series, not only for being asian but for being gay. It looks like being part of the community was the only noteworthy part of him since the only time they gave him spotlight, was to talk about him being gay.
Lastly, for Callie Haverda character, Leia the protagonist, it feels like a mimick of Eric most of the time. Still, the actress does a good job at being awkward and insecure and it was nice to see a teenage character acting like a teenager, with their tamtrums, worries and insecurities.
The Setting:
Even with a very noticeable chemistry between characters, the show doesn't very 90-ish. Besides the obvious reference to 90210, and that Leia's name comes from Star Wars, there's not anything else that would give a hint about the show being in the 90's. Either for the way the talk, they dress, the music and how they treat themselves and others, it gives more of a "what 00's kids thinks of the 90's" kind of vibe.
I'm not sure if "That 70's show" ever gave an accurate 70's vibes, but I see that a general complain of the show is that it doesn't stick to the 90's feeling. So I hope this is something they fix in further seasons; I'm expecting to see them playing with tamagotchis or gameboys maybe, being obsessed over a boyband and playing better with the fashion.
Memorable Scenes:
For this sequel I really like that they're having a more "woke" aproach of teenage situations, and I liked that they portaryed them in a nice way in the show.
My favorite scene is when Ozzie asks Leia for help to come out to her grandma, and the situation somewhat get confused by Kitty which ends up calling Donna with alert that Leia is about to have sex. There are many comedic shots in between, but I loved more that Leia was capable of keep her friend's secrets when she's confroted with the confusion and that Donna was able to talk to her about sexuality in a realistic manner. This type of mother-daughter support is very lovely to see.
Also that one scene during 1st episode when Eric and Leia fight over her staying the summer with the grandparents, and he ends up saying "You'll get in that car or else i'm shoving my foot up you ass" in a very Red way, felt very memorable as to see Eric, becoming his father and hating it, and then talking about it with Donna only to come to his senses, realize his wrongs and do the right thing —letting Leia stay and enjoy her summer.
The only moment that I really didn't like because it felt rushed and just out of place, is when Leia is about to leave and has a moment with Nate when they almost kiss and then realize that they have lot in common and that maybe they could be better together than with their respective partners. Even when this is the only moment when we see Nate as a character with personality, someone who's more than Nikki's boyfriend and Jay's best friends, this scene feels like it's only purpose it's to add drama and to make the audience yearn for another season, just to see what happens.
The Leia-Nate moments weren't enought to make me feel like this was a natural thing to happen, it was a big surprise even when Leia has a tendency of changing her mind easily. I not sure if I want to see how this end, but surely hope this doesn't go as near as the whole Hyde-Jackie-Kelso drama we got from the first show.
Overall I think the show it is very well done, most of the jokes are very well delivered and land where they suposse to, and the chemistry of the cast is very tangible. Obviously compared to the original series and cast, it lacks in terms of fun and plot, and the characters doesn't seem as memorables as the original, but It's a good start to introduce the new gang and their dynamics and it feels very open to growth in future seasons (which I hope we get).
Personally, I think Netflix must work on separate this new gang from the first one and give them situations that give a hint to the original show without imitating it fully.
If you want to give it a chance, it's now streaming on Netflix, and if you already saw it, you can share your opinion with me in the comments.
Thank you so much for reading and hope to see you soon.
