In 1998, Fox first aired the throwback sitcom "That '70s Show," which became a smash hit for the network, followed up in 2023 by Netflix's "That '90s Show." From alternate titles to surprising casting decisions, here's the untold truth of this classic Wisconsin-set sitcom.
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00:00In 1998, Fox first aired the throwback sitcom That 70s Show, which became a smash hit for
00:07the network, followed up in 2023 by Netflix's That 90s Show. From alternate titles to surprising
00:13casting decisions, here's the untold truth of this classic Wisconsin-set sitcom.
00:19Perhaps one of the most well-known bits of trivia about That 70s Show is the fact that
00:23Mila Kunis lied about her age in order to be cast as Jackie. The show had a policy that
00:28all actors had to be at least 18 when they auditioned, so Kunis chose not to reveal her
00:33true age, as she was only 14 at the time. During a 2012 appearance on The Tonight Show,
00:38she admitted,
00:39"...I told them I was a little bit older. I told them I was gonna be 18, which is not
00:43technically a lie, cuz at one point, I was gonna be 18."
00:47After finding out that Kunis was underage, the producers allowed her to stay on the show,
00:51as they felt she was a perfect fit for Jackie. The role jump-started Kunis' career, and her
00:56co-stars helped her achieve some important milestones in her personal life. Wilmer Valderrama
01:01taught her how to drive, Danny Masterson was her prom date, and Ashton Kutcher was her
01:05first kiss. And she and Kutcher eventually even became husband and wife in real life
01:10in 2015.
01:12Before That 70s Show, Topher Grace had absolutely zero professional acting experience. He ended
01:18up landing the lead role of Eric Foreman pretty much by fluke. On an episode of People TV's
01:22Couch Surfing, Grace revealed that he was approached to audition after appearing in
01:26a high school production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. As he remembers
01:30it,
01:31"...I was in a high school play, and I was really only in that because I sprained my
01:35ankle and I couldn't be on the tennis team."
01:37The play's set designer turned out to be the daughter of Bonnie and Terry Turner, two of
01:41the main producers of That 70s Show. After seeing Grace in the play, the Turners approached
01:46him shortly after he enrolled at the University of Southern California and asked him to audition
01:50to play Eric. Grace agreed, and went on to win the part.
01:54One of the most memorable supporting characters on That 70s Show was surely no-nonsense patriarch
02:00Red Foreman, who served as a constant foil to Eric and his friends. He was a well-written
02:05character, but what really brought him to life was the performance from Kirtwood Smith.
02:09"...Haggling is part of being an adult. Here's $40. I want $50. Knock it off!"
02:16But as it turns out, Smith wasn't the actor that the producers originally had in mind
02:20for Red. Instead, they really wanted none other than Walker, Texas Ranger himself, Chuck
02:25Norris.
02:26By casting someone as hyper-masculine as Norris, the producers hoped to establish a clear contrast
02:31between Red and bookish nerd Eric, who had zero interest in conventionally masculine
02:36activities. However, Norris was unable to commit to That 70s Show due to his pre-existing
02:41commitment to Walker, Texas Ranger. And so, perhaps for the best, the role ultimately
02:46went to Smith.
02:47Like some of his co-stars, Ashton Kutcher had precious little acting experience prior
02:52to That 70s Show. However, he did have a significant amount of experience as a professional model.
02:57His modeling days began when he was a student at the University of Iowa. A wandering talent
03:02scout discovered him at a local bar in Iowa City and encouraged him to enter the Fresh
03:06Faces of Iowa modeling competition. He ended up placing first, and then he moved to New
03:10York City, where he signed as a model with the agency Next and appeared in ads for Calvin
03:15Klein.
03:16After a few years, he decided to shift towards acting, and his first big role was empty-headed
03:20teen heartthrob Kelso. While the role really launched Kutcher's acting career, he doesn't
03:25exactly have fond memories of the first season. During Fox's 25th anniversary special in 2012,
03:31he admitted that he assumed his lack of experience would almost certainly get him fired, which
03:36made him a nervous wreck in the show's early days. As he admitted,
03:40I was so nervous when I was hired for That 70s Show. I was doing everything I could to
03:44look awesome. I thought I was going to get fired for the first three, four episodes.
03:50I was convinced I was going to get fired."
03:52"...faking it until you make it, for like the first entire season."
03:57From the moment he first appears in season two, Leo proved to be one of the most popular
04:02recurring characters on That 70s Show. Played by Tommy Chong and originally introduced as
04:07Hyde's absent-minded hippie boss, he was promoted to main cast member status by season four.
04:12But then he was nowhere to be seen during the fifth and sixth seasons, though his absence
04:16is addressed by Eric and his friends in the season five episode, The Battle of Evermore.
04:21Apparently, Leo remembered he had a wife and child and had to get back to them.
04:25"...maybe a UFO appeared, and it shot down a beam."
04:33In reality, Leo's temporary departure was due to Tommy Chong's arrest and legal battles
04:38in the early 2000s. He was reportedly caught up in a 2003 police investigation trying to
04:43halt the sale of drug paraphernalia. As the financier behind his son's company, Chong
04:48was charged with distributing around 7,500 water pipes and bongs for marijuana use.
04:53He ultimately agreed to a plea bargain that spared his wife and son from prosecution.
04:57As part of the plea deal, he was sentenced to serve nine months in prison, during which
05:01time he shared a cell with Jordan Belfort of the Wolf of Wall Street fame. After Chong
05:06served his time, he was welcomed back to That 70s Show, and so, Leo re-emerged in point
05:11place in season seven's Down the Road to Peace. Chong became a full-time cast member again
05:15for the eighth and final season, as Leo took a job at Hyde's record store.
05:20Any That 70s Show fans who are old enough to remember the actual 1970s have surely spotted
05:26plenty of pop culture references appropriate for the decade. Case in point, various episodes
05:31that take their names from well-known rock songs of the era. Specifically, every episode
05:35in season five is named after a Led Zeppelin song, and every episode in season six is named
05:40after a song by The Who. Meanwhile, season seven is dedicated to the Rolling Stones and
05:44season eight to Queen.
05:46But that rock and roll connection was originally planned to go even deeper. In the early days
05:50of the show's production, the showrunners were going to call the series Teenage Wasteland,
05:54a reference to the lyrics of The Who song, Baba O'Reilly.
05:58Could you please play Baba O'Reilly by The Who?"
06:03Other potential titles included The Kids Are Alright, another song by The Who, as well
06:07as Reelin' in the Years, which was a track by Steely Dan. The showrunners also seriously
06:12considered using the title of Traffic's Feelin' Alright as the name of the show, but Fox felt
06:17that it wasn't strong enough.
06:19As executive producer Tom Warner revealed to The Hollywood Reporter in 2012, fellow
06:22producer Bonnie Turner said,
06:24"'You know, why don't we just call it That 70s Show? Because that's what everyone is
06:28going to end up calling it anyway. No matter what we come up with, they'll say, "'Did
06:32you see That 70s Show?' We all looked at her and said, "'You're right.'"
06:36Few fictional sitcom cars are as iconic as Eric's Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser, the station
06:41wagon that his dad gives to him that serves as the main means of transportation for him
06:46and his friends. The cast members, of course, spent a ton of time in it, so inevitably certain
06:51actors grew more than a little attached. In fact, Wilmer Valderrama became so fond
06:55of the car that he promptly purchased it after the series wrapped in 2006.
07:00As Valderrama revealed on The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2021, he went to the props department
07:04and asked them to sell the car to him. The props specialist soon agreed, allowing Valderrama
07:09to purchase the car for $500. As the actor recalled,
07:13"'When I look at the car, it reminds me of when I was, you know, 17, 18 years old, booking
07:18that 70s show and doing that opening sequence when we're just driving in the street. And
07:22honestly, it's going to be in my family forever. And I truly believe I'm going to put it in
07:26my will and make sure that my kids have the burden of keeping that car in the garage,
07:30you know?"
07:31"'Honestly, it's the best thing I've ever acquired for my whole career.'"
07:36One of the biggest mysteries that continues to surround That 70s Show is Fez's nation
07:40of origin. Throughout the show, he offers only vague hints about where he's from and
07:44never outright reveals his official nationality. Not only that, but his actual name also remained
07:50unknown when the series concluded in 2006. This has never been elaborated on by either
07:55the showrunners or Wilmer Valderrama himself.
07:58The closest That 70s Show ever comes to revealing Fez's real name is the season four episode
08:03Class Picture. The friend group remembers their first encounter with Fez when they help
08:07him out of a storage closet after he's locked inside by a group of bullies. When Hyde, Kelso,
08:11and Eric then introduce themselves to him, Fez recites a lengthy name. But the school
08:15bell rings at the same time, preventing viewers from hearing the truth. When Hyde appears
08:20perplexed at the long name, the gang gives him the nickname Fez, a casual version of
08:25the acronym F.E.S., which stands for Foreign Exchange Student.
08:29"'I know. Let's call him Captain Poo-Face.'"
08:33While Fez's difficult name is played up for laughs, there was a secret meaning behind
08:38When Valderrama is drowned out by the ringing bell, he's actually saying the first names
08:42of every main cast member on the show. The reveal behind Fez's name was meant as a subtle
08:47inside joke that the showrunners thought up for the series' very special season four episode
08:5320. We assume Tommy Chong was very proud.
08:57When Topher Grace announced that he was leaving That 70s Show at the end of the seventh season,
09:02producers wondered how they were going to continue the show in the wake of their lead
09:05actor's departure. They ended up introducing a new character near the end of season seven
09:09in the form of Charlie Schmidt. In the context of the series, Charlie was the son of one
09:13of Red's old war buddies. Played by Brett Harrison, he was established as one of the
09:17new members of the friend group, with the eventual goal of phasing Eric out and replacing
09:22him with Charlie.
09:23However, Harrison landed a starring role on the Fox show The Loop right around the same
09:27time, so the producers then decided to write Charlie out of the show at the beginning of
09:31the eighth season, unceremoniously killing him off after he falls off the water tower.
09:36As Harrison revealed to PopEntertainment.com in 2006,
09:49After Brett Harrison was no longer available, the producers brought in Josh Myers as a new
09:54addition to the main cast to play the role of Randy Pearson. In an odd twist, though,
09:58Myers actually wasn't hired to play Randy right off the bat. Originally, the showrunners
10:02hired him to literally take over the role of Eric Foreman in season eight, as discussed
10:06in the DVD director's commentary of the season eight episode, Bohemian Rhapsody.
10:11In this original outline for season eight, Eric would have returned from Africa as a
10:15changed man to explain his physical transformation into the significantly taller, longer-haired
10:21Myers. But fearing viewers' potential reaction to Eric's recasting, the showrunners ultimately
10:26chose not to go this route, opting instead to create a new character. This character,
10:30who would eventually become Randy, combined some of the characteristics of Eric and Kelso
10:35with Myers acting as a successor to both roles after Kutcher left the show near the start
10:39of season eight, while also serving as a prospective love interest for Donna.
10:44"'One of the first things that was said to me about my character is he sort of is so…
10:48he enjoys these people so much. They're so interesting.'"
10:52Unfortunately, fans' reception to Randy was mixed at best, and Myers was gradually given
10:57less prominent screen time as the season progressed. This would continue until the very final episode
11:03of the series, with Randy only appearing in one brief scene in the finale.
11:08That 70s show featured a fair number of famous guest stars throughout the show's run. One
11:12of the most recognizable was surely Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who played Eric's newfound
11:17best friend, Buddy, in the season one episode, Eric's Buddy. In the episode, Buddy and Eric
11:21quickly begin to spend more and more time together, eclipsing the time Eric usually
11:25spends with the rest of his friend group. When Eric confides his inner troubles to Buddy
11:29one night, Buddy leans over and kisses Eric, revealing that he's been romantically interested
11:34since the beginning of their friendship.
11:36"'You're smart and sensitive and nice-looking.'"
11:41It's a moment that stands out, since there wasn't much romantic LGBTQ representation
11:46on TV at the time. Years later, in a Reddit AMA, Gordon-Levitt shared the funny backstory
11:51behind the famous on-screen moment by revealing,
11:53"'I remember the director asking me and Tofer to kiss longer, and then, on the next take,
11:57kissing for what felt like several minutes. But when you watch it, our lips touched for
12:01probably less than a second.'"
12:04The actor also told Pride Source in 2013,
12:06"'I certainly am proud to have made that small contribution of whatever kind to that progress.'"
12:11That 70s Show's memorable opening sequence features the main characters singing along
12:16and dancing to classic 70s rock music while driving through Point Place in the Vista Cruiser.
12:22It's an intro that perfectly captures an image of the carefree days of the era.
12:26The theme song, entitled, "'In the Street,' was originally written and performed by the
12:30band Big Star and released on their cult classic 1972 album, No. 1 Record. The first season
12:36of the show features a modified cover version of the song performed by Todd Griffin, lead
12:40singer of the 90s band Graveyard Train, with additional lyrics contributed by composer
12:45Ben Vaughn. From the second season onwards, the showrunners opted for another version
12:49of the song performed by Cheap Trick.
12:51As is standard practice for a song that appears in a TV show or a movie, songwriter and Big
12:56Star lead vocalist Alex Chilton received a regular royalty check every time "'In the
13:01Street' was used on the show, and the specific amount of money he received was a hilariously
13:07coincidental amount — $70."
13:10As Chilton quipped to Rolling Stone in 2000,
13:12"...it's actually ironic that the amount is $70. To me, it's that $70 show."
13:19One of the most innovative ways that 70s show got around establishing the characters' routine
13:23use of marijuana without actually showing it was the rotating camera from the series'
13:27signature circle scenes. Amid a heavy haze of smoke, the camera would individually focus
13:33on one of the main characters in a close-up, then quickly turn to another one and repeat
13:37this process. This was meant to suggest the passing of a joint, as everyone suddenly becomes
13:42a lot giddier than usual.
13:44"...marijuana is the bee's knees."
13:47It was a clever way to appease the censors, and soon became one of the most memorable
13:51running gags on the show. In a 2012 chat with Smashing Interviews magazine, Danny Masterson
13:56revealed that the smoke was actually a combination of scented artificial smoke from the props
14:01department, and smoke from his, Ashton Kutcher, and Laura Pripon's cigarettes held offscreen.
14:06As he explained,
14:07"...we'd be smoking cigarettes and holding them low, and then they would just pump in
14:11this movie smoke that smelled like strawberries. It was like some incense in the background."
14:16At the peak of That 70s Show's popularity, Fox looked to further cash in by creating
14:21a loosely connected spinoff about the following decade, fittingly titled That 80s Show. Set
14:26in 1984, the series focused on a group of friends in their 20s living and working in
14:30San Diego.
14:31The focal point of the show was Corey Howard, played by Glenn Howerton, who would eventually
14:35go on to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Corey is an aspiring musician working at
14:39a local record store who begins a romance with a co-worker, spiky-haired punk rocker
14:44June.
14:45"...I don't remember it ever taking this long."
14:48Debuting in January 2002, That 80s Show garnered mostly negative reviews and disappointing
14:54viewership numbers. Variety, for one, declared,
14:56"...That 80s Show attempts to play off the decade's superficialities, and the result
15:01is as conceptually thin as a new waiver's tie."
15:05Owing to those abysmally poor ratings, the spinoff was canceled after just one season
15:10on Fox. Here's hoping Netflix's That 90s Show does better than its short-lived 80s counterpart,
15:15although it certainly can't do much worse.
15:18That 80s Show wasn't the only attempt to spin off the success of That 70s Show. There was,
15:22in fact, another previous spinoff attempt in the form of Days Like These, a British
15:26remake that was released around the same time as That 70s Show's first season.
15:31Remake That 70s Show, Days Like These, takes place in the 1970s and follows a group of
15:36teenage friends, but this time it took place in a real-life town, Luton in southeastern
15:40England. There are some slight differences between the two shows, with certain characters'
15:44names being changed in the British version, but Days Like These retained many of the same
15:49storylines as its predecessor, as scripts were recycled for the British counterpart.
15:53Nowadays, it's become rather commonplace to see American TV series remaking an earlier
15:58British show, with The Office perhaps the most prominent example. Decidedly less common
16:03is seeing a British reboot of an American show, with something getting lost in translation
16:08when the show crosses the Atlantic. But Days Like These is one such show, as it failed
16:13to gain any serious traction among English audiences. It was promptly canceled, with
16:18just 10 of the 13 episodes that were produced ever being aired on TV.