‘That ’90s Show’ Season 2 Review

The big picture

• That 90's show
  Season 2 remains a charming ensemble comedy.
• Cameos from the original series are toned down, allowing the new cast to shine.
• The sequel series retains the charm of the original, with rooted teen drama and character dynamics.

Summer is here, and that means it's time to head back to Point Place, WI for another visit to the Formans' basement. It wasn't a huge surprise last year when Netflix decided to bring That 70's show spin-off That 90's show is back for a second season of two super-sized parts, officially called Part 2 and Part 3, which will be released on June 27 and October 24, respectively. After all, he's coming up like the generation he grew up with That 70's show he is feeling nostalgic for the shows of his youth and for his own real youth—and of course those like me who can't quite believe that our childhoods were so long ago that the era can now be the focus of a “period piece,” so to speak 'somehow

Since Part 1 served as an introduction to the new cast and a bit of an eight-episode “where are they now” for the original cast, That 90's show it had quite the second bar to clear up, the need to prove it could stand on its own as a comedy without depending on the flagship series; There's only so many callbacks a series can take before you start wondering who the show is really about Fortunately for the show and those invested in the life of Leia Forman (Callie Haverda) and his friends, the series is more successful, paving the way for a show that it captures the heart of the original while crucially developing into its own.

What is “That '90s Show” season 2 about?

Picking up nearly a year after Part 1, That 90's show The second part follows Leia (Haverda). it's back to Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) for the summer. As excited as her grandparents are to have her back, her best friend Gwen (Ashley Aufderheide) and boyfriend Jay (Mason Colonel) are even more excited. There's just one small problem: Leia's almost kiss with Nate (Maxwell Acee Donovan) late last summer, which only his sister Gwen knows about, and which he has somehow managed to keep a secret from Jay and Nate's girlfriend, Nikki (Sam Morelos) for a whole year.

Fortunately, despite only eight 25-minute episodes in Part 2, the series doesn't spend too much time on relationship drama. Romance-related plotlines remain throughout the season, however this central tension is not prolonged so much as to become exhausting. With so much attention on both couples, though, especially with Gwen so closely involved with both of them, it means that at times it feels like the sixth member of her little band, Ozzie (Rey Doi), is outside of the proverbial. I was glad to see, though, that an effort was made to include him more than in the first season, which means he won't end up feeling like the out-of-place comic relief that Fes does (Wilmer Valderrama) could sometimes catch up.

The second part of “That 90's Show” does not rely too much on cameos

when That 90's show first released, it made sense that most of the original core cast would return for cameos. Eric (Topher Grace) and Donna (Laura Prepon) left Leia again with her grandparents, Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) and Jackie (Mila Kumis) appeared to establish that Jay is his son and Fez (Wilmer Valderamma) had a recurring role as a hairdresser and potential love interest for Gwen and Nate's mother, Sherri (Andrea Anders). As nice as it was for longtime fans to catch up on them quickly, they're not what the show was about. There were eight whole seasons about his teenage years.

Her appearance also had its drawbacks, mainly because it invited comparisons between the current and old teenage cast (Leia is “Eric”, Gwen is “Hyde”, etc.) and because of all this, the first part was lovely. work to get the ball rolling, it's really in this second season that the show starts to stand on its own. Yes, it's a show that looks back to the 90s, and as such is inherently nostalgic, but The second part keeps the nostalgia where it belongs, what it was like to grow up in the nineties, and not on a television that ended more than 20 years ago.. Yes, there are some cameos. Tommy Chong i Seth Green make brief appearances as their characters from the original series, but in a way that enhances the arcs of the current crop of teenagers, and not for so long that it risks becoming a focus.

The second part of “That 90's Show” settles into its own charm

The relationships and situations in which the characters find themselves That 90's show they are familiar sitcom dilemmas, but updated to reflect the changing times in which the show is set and the time in which we, the audience, live. Gwen's experiences living as a black teenager in a very white town, and with a white mother, are given space and treated with as much thought as the medium can give, especially considering how issues similar to That 70's show. Ozzie, the show's other marginalized character, also has a thoughtful arc, as one of the few queer teenagers in 1990s suburbia. The group's attitudes toward each other are also refreshing. They tease and taunt each other, but overall you never wonder why they stick together. There is a genuine love that really shines through, one that adds weight to disagreements and lightness to the funniest moments.

The real charm of That 70's show, and the reason it lasted as long as it did, was that it didn't rely solely on nostalgia to drive the plot, but instead took a relatable “the more things change, the more they stay the same” approach to its characters. with That 90's show Part 2, the new series embraces this aspect of its predecessor, leaning heavily on charm for the second outing with the new cast of characters. However, if there's one place where the series falls behind, it's in how quickly things return to the status quo. I understand why this happens. We're already two “seasons” in and still have fewer episodes than That 70's show Season 1 stood on its own. With only eight episodes per episode, we don't have room for a mid-season breakup, a friendship feud, a slow-burn romance, or for the kids to have part-time jobs. Fortunately, That 90's show weather this particular storm right now, but if the showrunners want any hope of keeping the show going long-term, it might be worth dragging these things out a little longer. Not that they don't know how, since the series is created in part by Bonnie Turner i Terry Turner, two of the minds behind it That 70's show.

It's harder not to still make the mental connection with the previous series. I would argue That 90's show he doesn't want people to put it aside altogether; why else would Red and Kitty have a season-long subplot about the state of their marriage? — but that doesn't weaken the show. However, the best choice they could have made, and one that was actively made this time around, is to really give the young cast a chance to shine and develop those unique character dynamics regardless of the comparisons longtime fans might do. Free from these obligations of being a “sequel”, That 90's show The second part proves to be a charming and funny sitcom in its own right.

That 90's show Part 2 hits Netflix with its first eight episodes on June 27.

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