I think it’s safe to say that any time there is a remake of any popular show, there will always be skepticism that comes with it. Especially when the show or movie is a beloved classic like That ‘70s Show. Now, I am always the first to say people should give reboots, remakes, and spin-offs a chance. You never know what might happen – you could find a show or movie that could turn out to be really great. I think that it is a little excessive, with everything now becoming a reboot or remake. It confirms that there are no original ideas anymore, no fresh and entertaining ideas. I believe that if the right minds get together, spin-offs can be made correctly, but this is not so in the case at hand. There was some charm recognizable from the original series and some comedy, but other things did fall flat.

First off, what is That ‘90s Show about? It is a show that takes place 15 years after the original. The original cast has grown up, gotten married, moved on, and had kids. The series follows Leia Forman (Callie Haverda), the daughter of Eric Forman (Topher Gace), and Donna Pinciotti (Laura Prepon). She decides to stay the summer with her paternal grandparents Kitty Forman (Debra Jo Rupp) and Red Forman (Kurtwood Smith) in Wisconsin, wanting to make memories with her new friends Gwen Runck (Ashley Aufderheide), Nate Runck (Maxwell Acee Donovan), Nikki (Sam Moelos), Ozzie (Reyn Doi) and possible new love interest Jay Kelso (Mace Coronel) the son of Michael Kelso and Jackie Burkhart. As you can see, there are appearances from the original cast and one weird cameo from Brian Austin Green as his character David Silver from Beverly Hills, 90210. There are funny and sweet moments from the original cast mixed in with the new characters.

One thing I will say is that the casting for the two kids was spot-on, they do look like their kids, and the characterizations for them were pretty well done. There are little pieces of their parent’s characters in the kid’s personalities. But the show is very much a teen coming up and gaining new experiences like learning to drive, first kiss, first party, first heartbreak, and many other things. The main cast is still having fun making memories and some bad decisions in a basement. I will say that the show does a great job reminding the audience that it takes place in the ‘90s. Pop culture references here and there, a desktop, Lip Smackers, and older movies and shows like Batman Forever and Ricki Lake. Netflix usually does a good job with shows that are set in various time periods, and this was no different. There are good little jokes here and there throughout the show and some great small moments. But that’s exactly it; the small moments were the only good ones – the rest were a little questionable.

The show has a lot of awkward moments with jokes that aren’t funny, being backed with laughter. The humor in the show overall is predictable, and the small moments that were actually funny were not supposed to be funny. The writing is sometimes awkward, which makes the acting awkward as well, even for seasoned actors. And as much as I just praised the new characters, the reality is that they are just remakes of the original characters. It is nice watching spin-offs with subtle nods to the original. But it is annoying when characters or plotlines are not original.

Earlier in February, the show was picked up for a second season that is said to have 16 episodes. Hopefully, we get to dive more into the new characters, learn more about them, and see a little more of the original cast.