Mila Kunis 'Called B.S.' On Who Jackie Marries In That '90s Show
Throughout all eight seasons of "That '70s Show," it's Jackie Burkhart (Mila Kunis) who seems to most often go through relationship drama. She spends the first few seasons in a tumultuous relationship with Kelso (Ashton Kutcher), then gradually falls in love with Hyde (Danny Masterson), before trying out a new relationship with Fez (Wilmer Valderrama) in the final season.
The upcoming Netflix spin-off sitcom "That '90s Show" will focus on Eric and Donna's kids spending the summer with Red and Kitty in 1995. Although the original cast members won't be the main focus, they will be making appearances, and that includes an older Jackie and Kelso, now married. That's right: it's now canon that Jackie and Fez's relationship doesn't pan out, and that Jackie will return to the dopey-yet-lovable Kelso to start a family with.
Despite the fact that the actors are married in real life, Mila Kunis isn't a huge fan of this decision. "I called B.S.," she said. "I was like, 'My character would be with Fez.'" She also pointed to the fact that by the end of the show, Kelso had moved to Chicago to be closer to Brooke (Shannon Elizabeth), a woman who was the mother of his child and whom Kelso had strong feelings for.
A questionable choice
It's not that it's impossible for Kelso and Jackie to end up together in the end, but there's a lot that must've happened for this to unfold, and most of it is depressing. Season 8 of "That '70s Show" presents Jackie falling in love with Fez as a sign of character growth; whereas Kelso and Hyde often outwardly seemed to hate Jackie but begrudgingly admitted to liking her, Fez has always been pretty clear about thinking she's great, and would never cheat on her or casually insult her. (Granted, Fez is also a massive creep, but that's a conversation for another time.)
When Jackie begins to recognize and appreciate this side of Fez's personality, it's a sign that she's grown from the shallow version of herself we've seen throughout the early seasons. Season 1 Jackie would never even consider going out with the poor foreigner of the group, but season 8 Jackie has grown past such prejudices. The final season presents Jackie and Fez's relationship as the two graduating from a string of more childish, unhealthy relationships to something more mature and stable.
And as much as Kelso is an idiot throughout most of "That '70s Show," he does start to mature a lot after he accidentally becomes a father. He becomes more responsible for the sake of his daughter, gets himself a stable job, and moves away from Point Place. Much like Jackie with Fez, Kelso's relationship with Brooke is written as a sign of his maturation. If Kelso wants to keep being a useless idiot he can go back to Jackie, the show seems to say, but if he wants to grow as a person he should keep trying with Brooke.
Then again...
Although bringing Kelso and Jackie back together would sort of undermine a lot of what happened in the later seasons of "That '70s Show," it's also worth remembering that most of the final few seasons were pretty terrible overall. From Hyde drunkenly marrying a random girl from Las Vegas and ruining his relationship with Jackie, to Eric leaving the show and being replaced with that horrible character Randy, "That '70s Show" was very much past its prime by this point. And as much as the show tried to pass off Fez and Jackie as a good couple, the fans never really bought it.
When people think of "That '70s Show," they typically think of the first five seasons or so, back when Jackie's main romantic choices were Kelso and Hyde. The reboot can't have her end up with the latter character (because it turns out Danny Masterson's a terrible person), so that makes Kelso the obvious choice. Most fans are pretty happy to just pretend as if season 8 in particular never happened, and that seems to be what "That '90s Show" is doing.
So far at least, signs indicate this was the right choice for the spin-off. Although Mila Kunis still thinks her character should've ended up with Fez, she also clarifies that she likes the spin-off overall. "Anyone who has ever watched or loved That '70s Show will be really happy with it," she explained.
Although there's no release date announced yet, "That '70s Show" is expected to come out on Netflix either late this year or in early 2023. How will the spin-off handle Jackie and Kelso's surprising fates? We'll just have to wait and see.