A new era has begun in the Forman basement, and this time, we’re in the days of grunge, flannels, and young Gen X malaise. When it began on Fox in 1998, That ’70s Show became a comforting classic. Across eight seasons and 200 episodes from ’98 to 2006, the show gained millions of viewers and became Fox’s second-longest-running live-action sitcom to date. In the process, it made its central cast household names.
Now, nearly 25 years later, the first season of reboot That ’90s Show has launched on Netflix. The show focuses on the newer generation that spends their summer days in Point Place, Wisconsin: Eric Forman (Topher Grace) and Donna Pinciotti (Laura Prepon) are off in Chicago, but their 15-year-old daughter Leia decides to spend the summer with her grandparents, Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) and Red (Kurtwood Smith). She befriends Jay, the son of Michael Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) and Jackie Burkhart (Mila Kunis), as well as fellow teens Ozzie, Gwen, Nate, and Nikki.
It’s been a long 17 years since That ’70s Show ended in 2006, and each actor from the original series has gone in very different, occasionally star-crossed directions. Both Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis — who are now married in real life, as well as in the show as their respective characters — starred in major romantic comedies, including the “same concept, different titles” 2011 duo of No Strings Attached and Friends With Benefits. Wilmer Valderrama, who played Fez, continues to feature in NCIS, while Laura Prepon appeared as a major role in the hit Netflix series Orange is the New Black.
Their cameos are mostly brief, but most of the core cast returns in That ’90s Show for some nostalgic flair. And not only are Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith prominently featured, several side characters from the earlier show appear — including Tommy Chong as Leo, Don Stark as Bob Pinciotti, and Jim Rash as Fez’s nemesis, Fenton. (Notably absent from That ’90s Show, and thus this list, is That ’70s Show cast member Danny Masterson, due to the accusations of sexual assault he faces.)
Wondering what those who are returning were doing before now? To save you the Wikipedia rabbit hole, we’ve compiled a summary of what those original core cast member has done since That ’70s Show finished in 2006.
