That 70s Show: Classic

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You know it.

Mitch Lastnamewithheld, Monday, 13 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I watch it from time to time. I like the slightly bawdy humouor even if you can see the jokes a mile off. Michael Ironside is classic and so is that theme song tho'. Wasn't there a british version on ITV?

Michael Bourke, Monday, 13 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Laura Prepon = oh so classic. Show = moderately amusing time-waster for those times when yr wasted. Typically overdone seventies signifiers - disco/swinging/Led Zep etc - but appearance of Tommy Chong surprisingly funny. Took me ages to get over my stoopidly purist belief that the theme tune was a travesty of the Big Star original (see also: 'Charmed' w/ref to The Smiths...) Is Michael Ironside in it? He's GRATE in 'Scanners' and 'Total Recall', but have never seen in TSS - sure you don't mean Kurtwood Smith, another familiar face who plays the Dad?

Used to like the early seasons of Third Rock too, but thought it went downhill v. rapidly (Don character esp. irritating...)

Andrew L, Monday, 13 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

The laugh track on that show is annoying, get rid of it (or tone it down) and I may watch more than once a year. Once had a waiter in an Indian restaurant who talked just like Fez.

Steven James, Monday, 13 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

You're right. I did mix 'em up.

Michael Bourke, Monday, 13 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

i think fez is kinda queer, in that hip shirt i love girls but don't kinda way

Geoff, Tuesday, 14 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

So queer !

anthony, Tuesday, 14 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Surely, the only show on Channel 5 thats actually worth watching.

MSmith, Wednesday, 15 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

mark s, Wednesday, 15 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Classic. You're darn tootin'. "Hey Dude Where's My Car?" sucked ass, though, unfortunately. The redhed posing in Stuff or Maxim: Classic. She didn't even look like the same chick and she adopts the hot slut look perfectly!

Nude Spock, Wednesday, 15 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

UK version Days Like These was bizarre. Exactly the same script with references changed. Half hearted lack lustre studio audience but nothing per se wrong with the cast. It just didn't work. Curse of the ITV sitcom some might say.

Pete, Wednesday, 15 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Mila Kunis = rowr!!

AP, Wednesday, 15 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

two years pass...
Is it funny? Is it queer?

@d@ml (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 04:23 (twenty years ago) link

little of both. it's hardly '70's' any more, thank god.

g--ff (gcannon), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 04:24 (twenty years ago) link

Classic when Kelso isn't a major focus. Even more classic when Prepon is. She and the guy who plays Hyde should be getting movie roles, instead of Kelso and Topher Grace.

miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 04:33 (twenty years ago) link

what the hell do you mean is it funny? it is probably the only consistently funny show on television. although I hardly ever watch it.

anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 05:41 (twenty years ago) link

It doesn't look funny from where I am. But it had a cheerleader in it, so that was cool.

@d@ml (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 06:20 (twenty years ago) link

This show ruled when I watched it. I imagine it still rules; I just don't have a TV anymore.

Ian Johnson (orion), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 07:22 (twenty years ago) link

It's bullshit that they replaced the actually really good Lisa Robin Kelly with some anonymous bore to play Foreman's sister.

Classic, especially Kurtwood Smith, though I'm waiting for the episode where he goes to Miguel Ferrer's house, shoots him in the knee, and blows him up with some grenades.

Gear! (Gear!), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 07:35 (twenty years ago) link

Yeah they definitely should've just written off the Laurie character rather than bring in somebody new. It's exactly like what happened in Roseanne, with the two different Beckys. The first one was perfect (she WAS Laurie/Becky). It's a lot more obvious that you are watching actors when you replace someone like that. It just feels wrong and makes me wanna shout out "Imposter!" every time she's on-screen.

oops (Oops), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 07:52 (twenty years ago) link

Also, mucho props to Mila Kunis for playing someone who is actually the same age that she is. She was just 15 when the show started and was able to completely lose her accent.

oops (Oops), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 07:55 (twenty years ago) link

what the hell do you mean is it funny? it is probably the only consistently funny show on television. although I hardly ever watch it.

OTM, love it but can't remember it exists

TEH ONE AN ONLEY DEANN GULBAREY (deangulberry), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 08:48 (twenty years ago) link

seven months pass...
I haven't watched this show in a few years, but just read that it's going into a seventh season this fall (with new addition of Tim Reid, aka Gordon "Venus Flytrap" Sims on WKRP in Cincinnati).
How much time spans on a season of this show? Is it still taking place in the 70s? Seems like they should be in the 80s by now.

Jonathan (Jonathan), Thursday, 29 July 2004 13:40 (nineteen years ago) link

gah, ever since we got tivo, my wife watches anywhere from 1 to 3 episodes of this a night!!!

JaXoN (JasonD), Thursday, 29 July 2004 19:20 (nineteen years ago) link

I will say it again: Hottest cast on TV. And I don't even like Laura Prepon!!

jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 29 July 2004 20:21 (nineteen years ago) link

(I do though)

St. Nicholas (Nick A.), Thursday, 29 July 2004 20:25 (nineteen years ago) link

who is hot besides the skinny guy?

amateur!st (amateurist), Thursday, 29 July 2004 20:26 (nineteen years ago) link

Laura "Grey" Prepon

St. Nicholas (Nick A.), Thursday, 29 July 2004 20:27 (nineteen years ago) link

one of the few current shows i dig. what did they do with tommy chongs character when he was in the big house?

kephm, Thursday, 29 July 2004 20:28 (nineteen years ago) link

i like it, even though i dislike most of the actors, but it's not anything approaching 'classic'

gabbneb (gabbneb), Thursday, 29 July 2004 20:29 (nineteen years ago) link

Ashton Kutcher, Topher Grace, and Mila Kunis are all hot. And I could make a case for Wilmer Valderrama, too -- except he's not really hot on the show, he's only hot in recent candid photos with Lindsay Lohan.

jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 29 July 2004 20:40 (nineteen years ago) link

I would spread some of that Grey Prepon on my luncheon meat any day.
I'm so sorry.

St. Nicholas (Nick A.), Thursday, 29 July 2004 20:41 (nineteen years ago) link

There's not enough to fit on all that meat.

dean? (deangulberry), Thursday, 29 July 2004 20:42 (nineteen years ago) link

Topher Grace is hot??? Yay! As a skinny guy with a oblong head, that gives me hope.

oops (Oops), Thursday, 29 July 2004 20:42 (nineteen years ago) link

you and me both

JaXoN (JasonD), Thursday, 29 July 2004 21:15 (nineteen years ago) link

my wife thinks Hyde is totally hot

JaXoN (JasonD), Thursday, 29 July 2004 21:16 (nineteen years ago) link

and he's brother's with the oldest brother on Malcom in the middle

JaXoN (JasonD), Thursday, 29 July 2004 21:16 (nineteen years ago) link

five years pass...

Catching reruns of this show reminds me of:

a) how remarkable the chemistry between the actors in the cast was, both kids and parents
b) how consistently funny the show was, even after it jumped the shark (ie, Donna dyed her hair)
c) how successful many of the cast members have been since the show went off the air (obv Ashton is the big winner, but Topher, Mila, Wilmer* and Kurtwood all have had high profile projects since the show and Laura is about to be a recurring character on "How I Met Your Mother")
d) how many fucked-up first names this cast had

* I recognize that a terrible MTV show is pushing it as "high profile project" but dude appears to be omnipresent regardless

PIES! PIES! PIES! PIES! PIES! (HI DERE), Tuesday, 9 February 2010 16:22 (fourteen years ago) link

e) pretty much every episode alludes to weed smoking at some point

am0n, Tuesday, 9 February 2010 16:59 (fourteen years ago) link

f) all episodes improved by you weed smoking at some point

Lamp, Tuesday, 9 February 2010 17:31 (fourteen years ago) link

dope show tho iirc

Lamp, Tuesday, 9 February 2010 17:31 (fourteen years ago) link

fave scene was when the mom sang "Bad Blood" in the car w/ Eric

Fusty Moralizer (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 9 February 2010 18:07 (fourteen years ago) link

is Ashton still 'the big winner'? until this month's SNL hosting gig and being one of like 80 stars in a new rom com the only things he's seemingly done in the last few years are camera commercials, post on Twitter and have candid pictures taken of him w/ his family and Bruce Willis

some dude, Tuesday, 9 February 2010 18:10 (fourteen years ago) link

he's the only one married to Demi Moore

PIES! PIES! PIES! PIES! PIES! (HI DERE), Tuesday, 9 February 2010 18:11 (fourteen years ago) link

(also he's done the most high-profile movies out of all of them IIRC, although Topher is catching up)

PIES! PIES! PIES! PIES! PIES! (HI DERE), Tuesday, 9 February 2010 18:12 (fourteen years ago) link

mila kunis probably works the most consistently out of all of them but kutcher is inarguably the most famous out of all them. also i think he still produces a lot of junk for mtv et al

Lamp, Tuesday, 9 February 2010 18:13 (fourteen years ago) link

ugh, Demi Mannequin. I prefer to envision him playing tonsil hockey with Seann William Scott.

Frankly I thought T. Grace would get some Jack Lemmonlike film parts for awhile, but not much since that mediocre Dennis Quaid thing.

Fusty Moralizer (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 9 February 2010 18:15 (fourteen years ago) link

i dunno, 'having the most famous spouse' and 'being the most famous largely because of having the most famous spouse' don't scream big winner to me, definitely doesn't have as much career momentum to go on in the future than some of the others

some dude, Tuesday, 9 February 2010 18:16 (fourteen years ago) link

it seems like the dude is spending most of time on his production/new media company - i mean its hard for me 2 say what his priorities are but i think being superrich and superfamous screams "big winner" to me

it is p lol that both he and topher grace are in that valentines thing

Lamp, Tuesday, 9 February 2010 18:20 (fourteen years ago) link

re: "Valentine's Day"

Joe Jonas voices the dog of Alba's character Morley.

PIES! PIES! PIES! PIES! PIES! (HI DERE), Tuesday, 9 February 2010 18:25 (fourteen years ago) link

and Laura is about to be a recurring boner on "How I Met Your Mother"

WARWICK. CAPPER. (sic), Tuesday, 9 February 2010 23:37 (fourteen years ago) link

ten months pass...

http://www.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/celebrity.news.gossip/01/06/that.70s.show/index.html?hpt=T2

lisa robin kelly : /

omar little, Thursday, 6 January 2011 18:58 (thirteen years ago) link

ayeeee that mugshot. That has tarnished my memories of her.

Dr. (Johnny Fever), Thursday, 6 January 2011 19:01 (thirteen years ago) link

ha, it was really funny paging through all that and seeing the last one. kinda ruined her for me too

frogbs, Thursday, 6 January 2011 20:14 (thirteen years ago) link

one year passes...

lisa robin kelly : /

― omar little, Thursday, January 6, 2011

buzza, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 23:13 (twelve years ago) link

wow, she's 42 now?

quite a mug shot

mookieproof, Tuesday, 3 April 2012 23:27 (twelve years ago) link

one year passes...

Lisa Robin Kelly has died

Uncle Cyril O'Boogie (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 15 August 2013 19:57 (ten years ago) link

three months pass...

http://i.imgur.com/Zh9ZWTu.png

StanM, Tuesday, 26 November 2013 03:36 (ten years ago) link

Season 1-7 classic, season 8 avoid?

StanM, Tuesday, 26 November 2013 03:36 (ten years ago) link

the expendibros

mookieproof, Tuesday, 26 November 2013 04:09 (ten years ago) link

three years pass...

Dud: trying to figure out where exactly in Wisconsin Point Place is supposed to be. For a while I had it pegged in the Port Washington/Grafton area, but then there's an episode where they drive to Canada to get beer, which is like an 8 hour drive from there. Alas, it seems to float all over the state.

Ditto with Fez's country of origin...did they ever have something specific in mind? Was it Trinidad and Tobago??

For that matter it always irritated me that Bob had such a pitch-perfect Midwestern accent - pretty much every Wisconsin lifer I know who's around that age talks like that - but none of the other characters do

frogbs, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 13:58 (seven years ago) link

the whole point about Fez's country of origin was that they'd never reveal it to the viewers. I highly doubt they had a specific country in mind.

Le Bateau Ivre, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 15:26 (seven years ago) link

I always thought it was one of those things where they'd never reveal it but they'd give you enough clues to figure it out by the end of the series if you were paying attention.

For some reason this all came up during lunch a week ago, when I mentioned that I remembered the show trying to replace Eric with a character named Charlie, NOT the blonde wavy haired dude Randy, and that this was very funny to me because it's one of those weird "WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU??" moments where there's just some random dude who suddenly starts hanging around the cast and getting a bunch of speaking parts. As I recall they killed him off by having him fall off the water tower and die. For some reason this was played for laughs, though maybe it was just the show lampshading how over the shark it had gotten with Topher and Ashton gone (see also Red constantly barking "Why are you people still here?" at the rest of the cast). Nobody else remembered this. Lesson learned...I read far too much into this show.

frogbs, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 15:39 (seven years ago) link

Mila Kunis = rowr!!
― AP, Tuesday, August 14, 2001 5:00 PM (fifteen years ago)

To me, this kind of sums up the show's basic appeal, except that different viewers responded most to whichever one of the boffable actors best fit their fantasies. The scripts and acting were consistently mediocre.

a little too mature to be cute (Aimless), Wednesday, 18 January 2017 18:25 (seven years ago) link

Dud: trying to figure out where exactly in Wisconsin Point Place is supposed to be. For a while I had it pegged in the Port Washington/Grafton area, but then there's an episode where they drive to Canada to get beer, which is like an 8 hour drive from there. Alas, it seems to float all over the state.

Figured there'd be an insanely detailed Wiki page and There Is!

Important bit:

Point Place is located within the fictional Greater Oshkosh Area of Wisconsin.[1] The "FAQ" on the program's official website says, "Point Place is a fictional suburb of Green Bay, Wisconsin. This is why many Wisconsinites may recognize names of towns such as Kenosha. In reality, Kenosha is more than two hours south of Green Bay, and the location of Point Place has no sensical basis in actual Wisconsin.[2] There is an episode where the gang travels "down" to Kenosha to go to a movie."[3] This seemed to be directly contradicted by concrete information given in several episodes,[4] such as the fact in one episode ("The Velvet Rope") it was possible to drive to Chicago, attend a party, and drive back in the course of a few hours; and in another Kelso explicitly states that Chicago is a two-hour drive from Point Place. Over the course of the series many local businesses and events were identified as being in or taking place in Kenosha (which is actually 155 miles from Green Bay). The name Point Place was chosen for the town because co-creator Bonnie Turner is from Toledo, Ohio where there is a section of town called Point Place.

Must be that Sinbad Genie Movie thing in effect for me, because back in the day I swear I found Point Place in the Wisconsin map in this huge coffee table atlas book my grandma had.

"I must believe that my charm was not in my ass." (C. Grisso/McCain), Wednesday, 18 January 2017 19:14 (seven years ago) link

in other fictional wisconsin locations: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genoa_City_(The_Young_and_the_Restless)

mookieproof, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 19:19 (seven years ago) link

My mom was from the actual Genoa City. Not the same as depicted on the show, but there was merch at the local drugstore that proclaimed "The Home of the Young and the Restless!"

how's life, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 19:22 (seven years ago) link

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u120/kingkonggodzilla/genoa_zpsaxargc8d.jpg

Well, that's where the drug store used to be anyway.

how's life, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 19:30 (seven years ago) link

This & That Shoppe! It's the spelling of Shoppe that makes all the difference.

a little too mature to be cute (Aimless), Wednesday, 18 January 2017 19:38 (seven years ago) link

Ditto with Fez's country of origin...did they ever have something specific in mind? Was it Trinidad and Tobago??

Fez was a derived from FES - Foreign Exchange Student iirc

(•̪●) (carne asada), Wednesday, 18 January 2017 19:47 (seven years ago) link

To me, this kind of sums up the show's basic appeal, except that different viewers responded most to whichever one of the boffable actors best fit their fantasies. The scripts and acting were consistently mediocre.

― a little too mature to be cute (Aimless), Wednesday, January 18, 2017 6:25 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

hmm i'd disagree i think the cast was pretty consistently elevating some of the weak material and had excellent chemistry. i mean it's actually probably a pretty prime example of a vv good sitcom cast.

nomar, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 19:50 (seven years ago) link

In one episode they talk about a modeling agency in Sheboygan, which, as a resident of Sheboygan, was rather hilarious to me

frogbs, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 20:00 (seven years ago) link

true that the writing could be hacky sometimes but at the very least they deserve credit for not using the 70's as an easy punchline

also Red is pretty much the best sitcom dad of all-time

frogbs, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 20:32 (seven years ago) link

hmm i'd disagree i think the cast was pretty consistently elevating some of the weak material and had excellent chemistry. i mean it's actually probably a pretty prime example of a vv good sitcom cast.

I think it was specifically this show where I really started to notice how cast chemistry could make or break a show for me and started retroactively noticing it in previous faves

(The caption: “fine dining.”) (DJP), Wednesday, 18 January 2017 20:51 (seven years ago) link

Mila Kunis was the sole reason i watched this show. the cast was pretty funny tho. the guy who plays Red was awesome in Robocop.

AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, 18 January 2017 22:04 (seven years ago) link

the man's name is kurtwood smith*

*i only remember this because literally no-one is called kurtwood other than this guy

Islamic State of Mind (jim in vancouver), Wednesday, 18 January 2017 22:20 (seven years ago) link

lots of weird names in that cast - Wilmer, Ashton, Topher, Mila...

frogbs, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 22:23 (seven years ago) link

Literally none of those names are weird.

rb (soda), Wednesday, 18 January 2017 22:26 (seven years ago) link

weird as in, I don't know anyone personally with any of those names

frogbs, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 22:30 (seven years ago) link

earlier posters on otm, this is probably the last really good ensemble of the three-camera era. Not exactly a great show, but every cast member was a good to very good sitcom actor.

intheblanks, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 22:52 (seven years ago) link

did any Christophers actually call themselves "Topher" before Topher Grace?

soref, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 22:53 (seven years ago) link

Not exactly a great show, but every cast member was a good to very good sitcom actor.

yup, sums it up nicely

Οὖτις, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 23:01 (seven years ago) link

I knew a Topher prior to the show and everybody agreed that it was a weird name.

how's life, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 23:37 (seven years ago) link

Like, the guy was intentionally being weird by going with that nickname.

how's life, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 23:37 (seven years ago) link

Knew a guy named Chip, which isn't that weird, but it was short for Christopher.

Chip Walken
Chip Reeve
Chip Gaines

pplains, Thursday, 19 January 2017 02:51 (seven years ago) link

CHIP BITCOIN

The beaver is not the bad guy (El Tomboto), Thursday, 19 January 2017 02:53 (seven years ago) link

Bringing Christ Back Into Christopher.

this device is capable of killing you without warning (Sanpaku), Thursday, 19 January 2017 02:56 (seven years ago) link

four months pass...

somehow fell into watching a few of these episodes because it's apparently the default show on IFC (?!?)

all I can say is that looking up what random cast members did post-show got weird when I was wondering why the sister, Laurie, was recast

the original actress did not fare well

on the bright side, she didn't live to be a scientologist Steve Aoki protege

mh, Tuesday, 6 June 2017 00:51 (six years ago) link

also, calling back to the most recent posts, there was a dude at my magnet high school who went by Topher in, maybe, 1995ish? so it was a thing dudes did, but I have no idea where it originated

one of his peers was Dylan, pronounce die-lan

mh, Tuesday, 6 June 2017 00:54 (six years ago) link

the other main thing I remember from this show was that I'd learned at some point that Wilmer Valderrama lived in Venezuela, met a coworker some years later, and nearly immediately tagged him as being from Venezuela from his accent

mh, Tuesday, 6 June 2017 00:58 (six years ago) link

one of his peers was Dylan, pronounce die-lan

did he spit hot fi-yar?

Who's puttin' sponge in the zings I once zung (stevie), Tuesday, 6 June 2017 09:27 (six years ago) link

the original actress for Laurie was so perfect for the part, recasting her was a dumb move. just write her out for Christ's sake

frogbs, Tuesday, 6 June 2017 13:18 (six years ago) link

six years pass...

sheesh what was going on behind the scenes here

frogbs, Sunday, 10 September 2023 14:59 (seven months ago) link

a lot of shady shit apparently

though my favourite thing from this recent drama was tangentially finding out that Topher Grace dealt with the discomfort of playing David Duke in BlacKkKlansman by making a 2-hour recut of The Hobbit trilogy (and apparently has made recuts of other trilogies like the Star Wars prequels)

Roz, Sunday, 10 September 2023 16:20 (seven months ago) link

Interesting that a few people have come out to clarify that Topher wasn’t involved, not sure what they’re trying to imply about the rest of the cast

frogbs, Sunday, 10 September 2023 17:53 (seven months ago) link

I've never knowingly seeing Topher Grace in anything, but I've been a fan ever since he went on The Daily Show to plug the movie Traffic and instead spent the entire time telling Jon Stewart the plot of the movie Wild Wild West, which he'd rented the night before.

https://www.cc.com/video/ugplhl/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-topher-grace

Lily Dale, Sunday, 10 September 2023 19:54 (seven months ago) link


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