Nostalgia has been the inspiration for plenty of series over the years, with networks bringing back characters from some of our childhood shows and introducing younger protagonists to appeal to new generations. Netflix's That ‘90s Show is the latest of these spinoffs — joining the likes of Fuller House, Girl Meets World and How I Met Your Father — as it introduces Leia Forman (Callie Haverda), daughter to That ‘70s Show's central couple Eric and Donna, along with a new group of teens primed to take over Red and Kitty’s Wisconsin basement. The reviews are here to tell us whether they‘re able to capture that same magic in a different decade.
The series is set in 1995, 20 years after the original, with Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith returning as Kitty and Red to welcome their granddaughter Leia to their house for the summer. That ‘90s Show blends the old with the new, as fans are also introduced to Jay Kelso (Mace Coronel), son of Jackie and Kelso from the OG series, and others, while Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Wilmer Valderrama and more make guest appearances as their famed characters. (Danny Masterson does not reprise his role.) Let’s see what the critics have to say about the series.
Laura Sirikul of IGN rates the Netflix series a “Good” 7 out of 10, saying That ‘90s Show hits all the right nostalgia points, but focuses too heavily on the original cast, rather than developing the new faces. The critic says:
Netflix’s That ‘90s Show is a blast from the past of the ‘90s and of memories from That ‘70s Show. With funny moments filled with nostalgia, That ‘90s Show is charming and has a lot of potential. The series follows the same format as the original, which works for the characters and their storylines, but relies too heavily on the original cast – leaving little room for the new wave of talented teens to fully develop their relationships with each other.
Angie Han of THR says the spinoff brings back a number of old tricks from its predecessor, including the multicam format, laugh track and 22-minute runtime. It also calls back to that same laid-back humor and, of course, the smoke circle. From this review:
No one is likely to describe the new sitcom as a bold take on the source material or praise its originality and bravery; it aims for nothing much more ambitious than recreating the low-key charm of its predecessor. But it hits that target with enough confidence and consistency to become a treat in its own right.
Kelly Lawler of USA TODAY, however, isn’t quite as charmed by the update, rating That ‘90s Show 1.5 stars out of 4. The critic says the new characters don’t capture the same lightning in a bottle as the OG cast, and along with the bad writing and lackluster attempt at recreating the 1990s, this series is a chore to watch. The review continues:
Forced, unfunny and lacking any kind of charm, [That '90s Show] feels like a parody of a sitcom rather than an actual TV show. The jokes don't land, the actors are miscast and all the Kutcher and Kunis cameos in the world can't make a bad script good. [That '90s Show] feels like a show that was created by committee and focus group: Boring, bland and just familiar enough to make you ache for the original.
Miles Surrey of The Ringer says the 10-episode first season suffers from a lack of imagination, with many of the new characters simply mirroring those from That ‘70s Show. However, the potential is there for something better, the critic opines, and Reyn Doi as Ozzie is a bright spot of the series. According to the review:
Centering the last generation of teens whose lives weren’t heavily impacted by screens—one episode sees Kitty learning the basic steps of using Windows 95—That ’90s Show indulges in familiar pleasures like the circle and trips up the local water tower because the gang has nothing better to do. Really, the biggest differences are the cultural references: the likes of Alanis Morissette, Beverly Hills, 90210, and video rental stores are treated with nostalgic reverence, while Gwen embraces being a riot grrrl. On paper, at least, That ’90s Show checks all the necessary boxes—so why does the sitcom fall flat more often than it succeeds?
Dave Lemetz of TV Line isn’t sure who That ‘90s Show is geared toward, with the OG cast being more relegated to the background (and some of the actors not putting in much effort). Younger audiences, meanwhile, also aren’t likely to latch on to the series that is “half tired nostalgia tour and half mediocre retread.” The critic gives it a D+, saying:
If it won’t appeal to That ’70s Show fans, maybe That ’90s Show will find a following among younger viewers — but given the lame punchlines and clumsily manufactured storylines, I doubt it. … It actually feels like a run-of-the-mill network sitcom from the 1990s, with its brightly lit sets and overly broad performances mugging for laughs from the studio audience. So in that way, That ’90s Show is a throwback… just not the kind of throwback we wanted.
While many of the critics aren’t throwing their full-fledged support behind the project, which is available for streaming now with a Netflix subscription, That ‘90s Show has compiled a better-than-average 72% Fresh rating from 18 critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with the Audience Score even a little higher, with 78% as of this writing.
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