In 2002, FOX’s successful series That 70’s Show was at an all time ratings high and one of the most popular shows on the network thanks to its popular stars and great writing. FOX had displayed amazing foresight by tapping America’s love affair with the 70’s by giving nostalgia buffs a show that dealt with issues during and around that time period in pop culture. What made the show even more successful is that it was never heavy on preaching morals or politics. It was a coming-of-age sitcom about a group of high school teenagers learning how to grow up in a small town of Wisconsin.
What made That 70’s Show such a big hit, beyond FOX tapping the seventies love at the right time, was that the characters of the show could technically be transplanted into the 21st century and nothing much would change. Eric’s sarcasm, Donna’s girl next door sex appeal, Hyde’s pot-loving rebellion, Kelso’s girl crazy idiocy, and even Red Foreman’s conservative thinking and tough love doling father figure could be easily understood by a modern audience.
While I’m no fan of the series, it was just smart business to make a show set in the 70s during a time when young girls were wearing bell bottoms and large sun glasses once again and a little movie called Charlie’s Angels was a riding high on its reboot success at the box office.
You can guess what happened next. FOX, having reached a peak in the nostalgia bandwagon, decided that they’d pair their hit show about the 70s with another sitcom set during the 80s. It’s only a logical next step, right? I mean the 80s were huge, right? Surely, but FOX, like most corporations that hit gold with a trend, overplayed their hand. Still swooning over the 70s, America wasn’t yet ready for the big 80’s boom, and That 80’s Show premiered with a thud.
With a name like That 80’s Show, many implied that it had something to do with the aforementioned 70s series set in Wisconsin. In reality, the new series had nothing to do with any of those characters. It wasn’t even set in Wisconsin. Not even minor characters from That 70’s Show appeared. Any illusion that this was a spin off or continuation of FOX’s hit series was completely false. Not only that but That 80’s Show completely missed the point of what made That 70’s Show such a huge hit.
Surely, 70s kids could watch the show and think back to their coming of age during cassette tapes and Star Wars, but young audiences could also relate to the situations the teens endured. Stuff about rebelling against parents, getting your first major job, trying to get into a cool party, getting your first car, and trying to make your relationship with your girlfriend work. Sure, every guy wanted Laura Prepon to be their girlfriend during that time… but that’s beyond the point.
“That 80’s Show” was heavy on nostalgia and light on comedy and likable characters. The first minutes of the pilot features our two main characters Corey and Roger singing “Once in a Lifetime” on their way to work. After the opening theme song, we cut to Corey’s sister Katie singing along to “Love is a Battlefield” while drinking Bartles & Jaymes. By the time the third nostalgia trip came along, I found myself talking to the TV screen: “Okay. We get it. It’s the 80’s! Can we see a story now?”
Glenn Howerton stars as struggling musician Corey, a young man who works with punk rock boss Margaret in a record store, while looking to become a big musician himself. Meanwhile, Chyler Leigh is a punk rocker who is friends with Corey and sports an evident romantic chemistry with him, but she’s much too radical for Corey to even notice her. That is until she lets her hair down and reveals that–holy crap–she’s hot. Yes. Chyler Leigh is hot. Big revelation.
Not only does the show pack in the 80’s nostalgia like it’s going out of style, but there are too many sub-plots for the viewer to process in one episode. Sure, the pilot for That 70’s Show suffered the same problem, but survived because it was a funny show. The writers introduced us to gags that would become consistent and hilarious devices, like the wobbling wall, and the marijuana round table in Eric Foreman’s basement. That 80’s Show was bland and unfunny right out of the starting gates.
Yeah, it’s funny seeing someone sing along to the Talking Heads, but after a while you want to see something with more substance. Corey and his sister Katie have nothing interesting to offer, and Brittany Daniels as Corey’s ex-girlfriend had nothing to offer beyond sex appeal. Chyler Leigh was also unconvincing as a punk rocker and a love interest. Beyond that, there simply wasn’t a point to this series. Fans were still following That 70’s Show and I can even recall FOX considering shifting it into the 80s.
So why did we need this show at all? If FOX held out and premiered the show during 2006 when America was in the middle of the “I love the 80s” craze, perhaps it may have made it past two or three seasons and even become a cult hit. Hell, Family Guy has ridden on the 80’s nostalgia humor for nine years, so surely they could have pulled it off.
Not surprisingly though, That 80’s Show barely made it through an entire season before it was yanked off the air and has since become a passing joke. As such, it’s yet to see a DVD or Blu-Ray release. Thankfully, many of the stars went on to varying degrees of success including Glenn Howerton who pulled a short stint on ER before co-creating one of most acclaimed comedies on cable television It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia… so it wasn’t a complete loss.
