It’s been 20 years since That ‘80s Show spectacularly failed to recreate That ‘70s Show’s monster success and wound up being canceled just weeks into its first season. The way That ‘70s Show went out with a lackluster bang a few years later could easily have been the end of the franchise, but Netflix is gearing up to bring the Point Place crew back with the very imaginatively named That ‘90s Show.
Similar to That ‘70s Show, That ‘90s Show revolves around a group of young Wisconsinites whose budding friendships are destined to become lifelong relationships as they all grow up and get to know one another. As much as Leia Forman (Callie Haverda) loves her mom and dad, she knows that if she ever wants to really get out there and explore the world for herself, she’s probably going to need more friends her own age. Other young people are the last thing Leia expects to find while visiting her grandparents Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) at their place back in Point Place, where her parents first met all of their best friends. But when new faces like punk rocker Gwen (Ashley Aufderheide), unathletic jock Nate (Maxwell Acee Donovan), and nerdy MMA fighter Nikki (Sam Morelos) start to come into Leia’s life, she realizes that staying with her grandparents might be the key to having an unforgettable summer.
Watching That ‘90s’ Show’s trailer, it’s kind of hard to get a lock on who the show’s for exactly. Aside from Red and Kitty, it’s unclear whether other older characters from the original series will make appearances, and everything about the show’s jokes and premise feels like it might only work if you didn’t personally live through the ‘90s and That ‘70s Show’s first run.
That ‘90s Show also stars Mace Coronel, Andrea Anders, and Reyn Doi. The show hits Netflix on January 19th.