The Big Picture

Collider’s Steve Weintraub speaks with Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith for
That 90s Show
Season 2.
Rupp and Smith discuss the success of the spin-off, guest stars, and their new core group of costars.
The duo also reveal the changes necessary for streaming on Netflix versus Fox and compare filming
That 70s Show
to
That 90s Show
.

When That 70s Show aired on Fox in the ‘90s and early 2000s, the buddy sitcom contended with other ensemble series like Boy Meets World, My So-Called Life, and more, but there was something timeless about it. The tight-knit group withstood the test of eight seasons, and in 2023, Netflix brought us all back to Kitty and Red Forman’s house in Point Place, Wisconsin, as if no time had passed at all. That 90s Show was an ambitious reboot, but it managed to bring a fresh look at a new decade, introduced a new core group, and still satisfied fans of the original series’ need for familiar faces. Now, with Season 2 available to stream, Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith — Kitty and Red — sit down with Collider’s Steve Weintraub to talk about why this spin-off series has been such a success.

That 90s Show follows Leia Forman (Callie Haverda), Eric Forman (Topher Grace) and Donna Pinciotti’s (Laura Prepon) daughter, as she navigates new friendships and potential romantic relationships during a summer at her grandparents’ house. It invites back actors from the original series, including Fez (Wilmer Valderrama), Leo (Tommy Chong) and more, and establishes a new crew with Ashley Aufderheide as Gwen Runck, Mace Coronel as Jay Kelso, Reyn Doi as Ozzie, Sam Morelos as Nikki, and Maxwell Acee Donovan as Nate.

During this interview with Rupp and Smith, the dynamic duo who once again open their home in the series to a group of teens, sit down to discuss how the two series compare. They talk about the success of Season 1 and why they believe it resonated with new fans and fans of the original. “It’s a different show, but we have something strong to bring with us,” Rupp says, referring to her in-show granddaughter and her friends. It isn’t just the faces that changed, though, and during this conversation, Rupp and Smith discuss the difference between airing weekly on Fox and streaming on Netflix, film versus digital, and the vices you just can’t quite get away with these days.

You can watch the full interview in the video above or read the transcript below.

That 90s Show Now it’s 1995, Leia Forman is visiting her grandparents for the summer where she bonds with a new generation of Point Place, WI, kids under the watchful eye of Kitty and the stern glare of Red.Release Date January 19, 2023 Cast Kurtwood Smith , Debra Jo Rupp , Callie Haverda , Ashley Aufderheide , Mace Coronel , Reyn Doi , Sam Morelos , Maxwell Acee Donovan Main Genre Sitcom Seasons 1

COLLIDER: Kurtwood, I was scrolling through your very busy Instagram and noticed that your grandson Ryan was wearing a Robocop T-shirt, and I have to know, what does your grandson think of Robocop?

KURTWOOD SMITH: [Laughs] He’s only allowed to like it. No, he liked it. He got a kick out of seeing me. He’s a Cinema Arts major at Providence High School, so he’s getting kind of picky as to what he likes and what he doesn’t like, but I think he liked it because I was in it. I’m not sure that he appreciates some elements of the film, the satire, in particular, but he’s a smart kid, so he enjoyed it.

Image via Orion Pictures

Jumping into why I get to talk to the two of you. It’s really hard to have anything be popular or resonate with fans. When did you both realize That 90’s Show was gonna be a hit and you’d get renewed?

DEBRA JO RUPP: I think working with the young cast and realizing that they were special because they are. They’re very special. The growth from last season to this season is incredible. I think that there is enough of a blend of [That 70’s Show] and 90s to help ease the way a little bit. We’ve got a lot of the townspeople that live in Point Place that came as guest stars and the really funny comedians that we had on the show. We have those back. We have a good relationship with That 70’s Show. It’s a different show, but we have something strong to bring with us.

Image via Netflix

SMITH: I don’t think it took very long to realize that we had a good group of people and that there was a good chance that we would go on for a little bit.

RUPP: But you never know until it airs. It’s just gotta air. You don’t know. It depends on what’s going on in the world, what’s the new thing, whatever. You just don’t know, so you try to have as much fun as you can while you make it.

What’s Really Changed Since ‘That 70s Show’?

I am fascinated by the making of television shows and movies. How does the making of That 90’s Show compare to what it was like making That 70s Show? Is it very similar or radically different?

SMITH: Well, it’s not radically different. Bonnie and Terry Turner are working on this show, principally as advisors, and they were much more active on That 70’s Show, in particular in the first couple of years. We have Gregg Mettler, who’s the showrunner on this show, and he was a writer on That 70’s Show, so there’s a direct connection right there. There are other people who worked on That 70’s Show at various times, including some writers who have come back and just written one episode this season, like Mark Hudis. So, we have worked very particularly in terms of trying to make this show an outgrowth of that show, and I think we’ve succeeded.

RUPP: See, we have the same set, so we’re in the same place. Our furniture is a little different. For me, we shot That 70’s Show on film, and film is a little more lovely for women [laughs] — a little more forgiving than this. That was a little bit of a shocker for me, so lighting becomes terribly important in That 90’s Show. That was a big difference that I noticed. But the speed is kind of the same, the schedule is very similar, and because we’re dealing with the same sets, we don’t feel, possibly, what other shows feel.

SMITH: Well, the language is different, and that has to do with the fact that we’re on Netflix instead of on a broadcast channel.

RUPP: That’s true.

SMITH: I think that’s one of the first big differences that you notice about it.

RUPP: But it’s very interesting because, with the times, some things become not permissible. On Fox, Kitty could smoke. On Netflix, Kitty cannot smoke. It’s just interesting to me when these things come up. I go, “What?” It’s just interesting.

Image via Fox

SMITH: I don’t understand.

RUPP: They don’t want to promote it.

SMITH: But you were smoking last night.

RUPP: No, I was not.

SMITH: What were you doing?

RUPP: Putting it out. No, I couldn’t smoke it. Because I wanted to. I wanted to, but I couldn’t. [Laughs]

That 90s Show Season 2, part one, is available to stream on Netflix starting June 27.

Watch on Netflix