That '90s Show Trailer: Welcome To Chez Fez
Hello Wisconsin! The first full trailer for "That '90s Show" is here, and along with the new generation of Point Place kids, fans are getting a first look at what the original series ensemble has been up to since we last saw them. First thing's first: Fez (Wilmer Valderrama) has a chain of hair salons, and a wonderfully tacky commercial to go with them. Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, and even Tommy Chong also pop up in the new footage.
This is the best look we've had at "That '90s Show" to date, and the sitcom series so far seems a whole lot like its predecessor — in what will hopefully be a good way. The show follows Leia (Callie Haverda), Eric (Grace) and Donna's (Prepon) teen daughter, who decides to spend the summer at her grandparents' house in Point Place after befriending the rocker girl next door, Gwen (Ashley Aufderheide). It's pretty clear that Leia takes after Eric: she's not exactly a cool girl, but she says she's "a pretty big deal in Debate Club." Still, she seems to become fast friends with a group that includes Gwen's brother Nate (Maxwell Acee Donovan), Nate's girlfriend Nikki (Sam Morelos), and two other boys named Jay (Mace Coronel) and Ozzie (Reyn Doi).
The nostalgia is strong
We also get a better look at '90s Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp), who are much the same in the comforting way that sitcom characters tend to be. While Kitty makes plans to buy the kids Doritos, Fritos, Tostitos, and any other -itos she can think of, Red repeatedly grumbles about having more punk kids in his house. While Red's Korean war vet character has always been a hardass type, I had hoped he would soften up a bit in his old age. If he has, we don't get to see that here, but we do get to see him telling Eric and Donna it's good to always stand behind your kids, because that way it's easier to — do we even need to finish his thought?
This new look at "That '90s Show" isn't particularly laugh-out-loud funny, but the appearance of the old core cast brings an instant rush of nostalgia for the eight seasons we spent watching them grow up. "That '90s Show" already has plans to time jump any future seasons, showing how these kids change year by year, which seems like a recipe for the kind of funny-but-emotional storytelling the original series did so well.
We'll see whether or not they pull the whole thing off when "That '90s Show" hits Netflix on January 19, 2023.