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That ’90s Show, a follow-up to That ’70s Show that debuted on Netflix, follows Leia, the daughter of Eric and Donna, as she spends the summer with her grandparents, Kitty and Red. This has excited fans of That ’70s Show, who started watching the old program out of nostalgia but discovered that it hasn’t held up well over time.
It’s crucial to keep in mind that many of these jokes are probably an attempt to capture the spirit of the 1970s. But, what they really manage to accomplish on occasion is a reflection of how prevalent these viewpoints were in the late 1990s and early 2000s when the show had been on the air. You can believe that not one of these remarks would be acceptable if That ’90s Show were to air them now and That ‘90s Show would be canceled faster than That ‘80s Show.
8 Was That ‘70s Show Episode “Let’s Spend the Night Together” Controversial?
When Hyde finds out his father is African-American, he and the Foremans make some very inappropriate remarks they believe to be funny, at his father’s expense. Hyde, who is overjoyed to discover that he now knows who his biological father is, tells the worst ones. He repeats a slew of misconceptions about African Americans and arguments for how his father’s ethnicity explains a few features of himself in an effort to convince his friends of the parallels that he shares with his father.
The “‘fro” and “suspicion of the Man” that Hyde displayed. Awkwardly, he also cracks an offensive comment about how his mother was undoubtedly pleased when he “came out white” at birth in order to alleviate the concerns of her white boyfriend at the time.
7 Was That ‘70s Show Episode “Thank You” Controversial?
In “Thank You,” Michael Kelso dates Carol McGee, Eric’s math instructor. Eric finds it awkward when Carol attends Thanksgiving with his family as Kelso’s guest since he is trying to keep from his parents the fact that he bombed a math test recently. Since Kelso is a stereotypical dream boy character, fans assumed that dating his High School teacher would be common.
Yet viewers today are wiser. In addition to the fact she is a teacher at his school, she is 30 and dating a teenager. It just makes the entire thing inappropriate. This kind of joke was popular in the 2000s, but by 2023, people are much more aware that males can also be harmed in relationships, not to mention, it is never ok for a teacher to date their student.
6 That ‘70s Show Episode “Red’s Last Day” Is Controversial
In the season 2 episode “Red’s Last Day,” the sitcom makes an effort to portray Laurie physically taking advantage of Kelso as a huge comedy accomplishment. Kelso was not interested in what Laurie wanted when she approached him in his van. She straddles him and closes the door despite his pleadings for her to stop. His so-called friend Hyde even set up a lawn chair outside for him to sit in and enjoy the performance.
Later, Kelso claims Laurie “violated” him by exploiting him. But also that he undoubtedly found it enjoyable. The trauma of the actual a*sault is minimized by this outdated and erroneous image of a*sault, which is also very offensive.
5 Why That ‘70s Show Episode “What is and What Should Never Be” Is Controversial
Eric has always thought Jackie unpleasant and repulsive, so the fact that his best friend Hyde is dating her horrifies him. Hyde is desperate to persuade him that because Jackie is attractive, she’s worth putting up with. That in itself is 50 shades of wrong, but it continues.
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Hyde insists that Eric visualize Jackie in a tiny bikini with music so loud as to block away her indescribably annoying voice. “She’s hot, by God!” screams Eric after seeing it in his head. Jackie being made fun of in this way is completely misogynistic and inappropriate. Women have fought and continue to fight everyday to break free from this mold, so to have made fun of is just vulgar.
4 Was That ‘70s Show Episode “Eric’s Buddy” Homophobic?
In “Eric’s Buddy,” Eric becomes friends with Buddy, a wealthy and popular young man, who elevates Eric’s status and style. It was as if they had known each other forever. However, when Buddy makes a move on his new best friend, Eric is nothing short of horrified.
Because of the episode’s outmoded methodology, Buddy’s sexuality is shown as predatory, and one of the main jokes is on how the less-than-masculine Eric, was clearly mistaken by his new friend as reciprocating the feelings.
Even worse, by the end of the show, Eric is portrayed as being a superior character because he gets over the issue with Buddy and decides he will still work with him on their science project; like it’s so big of him.
3 Was That ‘70s Show Portrayal Of Fez Completely Inappropriate?
The origins of Fez are one of the show’s major mistakes. Fans have been curious since its inception, and the program even makes fun of the gang not knowing his hometown or last name. Many of the things that happen to Fez as well as things he does are made fun of by his friends. People were often extremely prejudiced in the 1970s, they weren’t as politically correct as they try to be now.
As if the discrimination weren’t terrible enough, the writers gave Fez a repugnantly wrong behavior toward women, frequently treating them poorly and like objects of his desires. Although these aspects may have been accurate to the ’70s era, it seems odd to incorporate them in a program that aired from 1998 to 2006.
2 Was That ‘70s Show Portrayal Of Kitty Completely Inappropriate?
It can be difficult to handle sexism in a television show, mainly because it is wrong, but That ’70s Show made it a priority to use it as a compass for important narrative points. Family structures evolved in the 1970s as more women entered the workforce.
Women were frowned upon for going to work as if they were somehow less than. Children were made of if their mom worked for the same reason. This was effectively illustrated on That ’70s Show when Jackie and Midge, two women with greater socioeconomic positions, commented on Kitty’s work.
1 Was That ‘70s Show Portrayal Of Rhonda Completely Inappropriate?
Rhonda is introduced in season 4. She has six episodes on the show and all of them make fun of her size. All of Fez’s friends are perplexed by the relationship between him and Big Rhonda. They make fun of the amount of space she takes up, the amount of food she eats (she’s the county champion at eating hot dogs), and her dominance over men in wrestling.
These days, people are generally more cautious (not always) of their words. It is very inappropriate to continually criticize a young woman for not meeting unrealistic societal standards. Rhonda, as she was, was in fact the same size as the average American woman today.
