That ’90s Show Was Like a “Mini Reunion Every Week” - Netflix Tudum

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    Behind the Scenes at ‘That ’90s Show,’ Where Debra Jo Rupp’s Laugh Saves the Day

    “Everybody loves it.”

    By Jean Bentley
    Dec. 27, 2022

Here’s a hair and makeup secret straight from the set of That ’90s Show: that perfectly coiffed Kitty Forman hairdo? It’s a wig. 

OK, that might not actually be a secret — just look at it! — but stars Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith sat down for a chat with Netflix directly from their hair and makeup chairs and revealed some interesting information about their sitcom sequel in the process.

The two comedy veterans, who played parents Kitty and Red Forman on That ’70s Show for eight seasons, reprise their roles for the new series that follows the characters’ granddaughter, Leia (Callie Haverda), as she spends the summer of 1995 with them. Much like her parents before her, Leia comes of age with the eclectic group of friends she finds in Point Place, Wisconsin. 

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Leia is the daughter of Eric Forman and his high school sweetheart/girl next door crush Donna, but those characters aren’t the only ones returning to the series. Topher Grace (Eric), Mila Kunis (Jackie), Ashton Kutcher (Kelso), Laura Prepon (Donna) and Wilmer Valderrama (Fez) all reprise their roles as special guests in That ’90s Show.

“It was almost like we have a mini reunion every week,” Rupp says in the clip above. 

The original cast members “just want to make sure we’re not messing everything up,” jokes Smith. “But they’ve been extremely encouraging about the whole thing.”

As nice as it is for Rupp and Smith to see their on-screen children again, it’s even better for their characters. The notoriously grumpy Red “really does like the life these kids have brought back into his house, but he won’t admit it because he’s stubborn,” explains Smith. 

And no one actually worries about messing everything up. “Whenever things are going bad, we just throw it over to Debra Jo,” reveals Smith. Rupp gives one of her iconic laughs — you know the one — and “everybody loves it.” 

That ’90s Show premieres Jan. 19 on Netflix.

The Grooviest That '70s Show Easter Eggs in That '90s ShowThe more things change in the Forman house, the more they stay the same.
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