Summary
That ’90s ShowandThat ’70s Showare both set in nostalgic decades past, but this makes the timeline a little confusing.That ’70s Show, which got its start in 1998, has a total of eight seasons, all set within the decade of disco music, bellbottoms, and rock-n-roll. On the other hand, Netflix’sThat ’90s Showcurrently has two seasons, both set in the era of grunge music, the rise of technology, and butterfly clips. While the decade in which these series are set is pretty straightforward, the years each season covers is when it gets a little more sticky.
That ’70s Showis notorious for its confusing timelinesince the on-screen actors seemed to age far faster than their teenage character counterparts. It seemed like Eric and the gang were in high school for an awfully long time, and since the series ran from 1998 to 2006, this is technically true. Now, the confusion has only grown with thespinoffThat ’90s Show, which picks up 15 years after the end of its parent series. Still, while it takes a little twisting and turning, the timeline for theThat ’70s Showfranchise can be worked out.
That ’70s Show: The 20 Best Episodes Ranked
That ’70s Shows is one of the most beloved American sitcoms, and the best episodes delve into what it’s like growing up in the Midwest in the ’70s.
That ’70s Show Season 1
Set Between 1976 & 1977
The firstepisode ofThat ’70s Showseason 1 is set in May 1976, when Eric Forman is 16 years old and in the 10th grade. After 12 episodes, the tags on Eric’s license plate switch to 1977, though they briefly switch back in episode 23, “Grandmas Dead.” This isone of the few seasons ofThat ’70s Showin which the transition between years makes sensesince the year switches after the designated Christmas episode, “The Best Christmas Ever.”
That ’70s Show Season 2
Set Entirely In 1977
All 26 episodes ofThat ’70s Showseason 2 are set in 1977, which is interesting since it would have already been near the end of the year in episode 5, “Halloween.” The events between this and the rest of the season must have all taken place between October and the beginning of December since there were no Holiday episodes featured inThat ’70s Showseason 2.
That ’70s Show Season 3
Set Between 1977 & 1978
Once again, most ofThat ’70s Showseason 3 is set in 1977. There is finally another'70s ShowHoliday specialduring season 3, episode 9, “Hyde’s Christmas Rager,” and the winter setting continues for the next several episodes. Still, it’s not until episode 23, “Canadian Road Trip,” thatthe tags on Eric’s car switch over to 1978. From here on, it’s several seasons before the other year rolls over.
That ’70s Show Season 4
Set Entirely In 1978
That ’70s Showseason 4 is when the timeline really became ambiguous. It’s 1978 through all the episodes, and this doesn’t change until season 6. However, the seasons (summer, fall, winter, spring) cycle through normally. There is another Holiday special, and Hyde turns 18 in episode 23, “Hyde’s Birthday,” but these time markers mean nothing since season 4 repeats this cycle all over again (but apparently in the same year).
That ’70s Show Season 5
Set Entirely In 1978 (Kind Of)
Once again, another season ofThat ’70s Showcame and went with a complete cycle of weather changes and without a new year. While there was no Christmas special this time around, the series reestablished the year as the teens prepared themselves for graduation. In the episode “It’s a Wonderful Life,“it’s noted that Eric and the gang are part of the class of 1978. However, during the episode “Celebration Day,” their tassels say 1979. Since the finale ofThat ’70s Showsees the group celebrate the arrival of 1980, 1978 makes a bit more sense.
That ’70s Show Season 6
Set Between 1978 & 1979
While the gang’s graduation inThat ’70s Showseason 5 mixed things up a bit, Eric celebrating his 18th birthday near the beginning of season 6 indicates that it is still 1978 (since he turned 16 in 1976). Episode 7, “Christmas,” sees another Christmas special, again supporting the idea that it is still 1978. While there is no specific New Year’s episode inThat ’70s Showseason 6,it’s assumed that the year rolled over to 1979 at some point before the finale.
That ’70s Show: 15 Best Quotes, Ranked
Throughout all eight seasons of That ’70s Show, there were multiple amazing quotes from its characters that were both funny and emotional at times.
That ’70s Show Season 7
Set Entirely In 1979
Time again slows to a crawl inThat ’70s Showseason 7 since all these episodes (and the next season) are meant to be in 1979. The gang is all out of school and trying to figure out what to do with their lives, and another Christmas episode, “Winter,” comes and goes. Oddly enough, Kelso’s pregnant hookup,Brooke, carries a baby to term during this season, further indicating that the timeline just isn’t working inThat ’70s Show.
That ’70s Show Season 8
Set Between 1979 & 1980
All bets were off withThat ’70s Showseason 8. Though Eric had already spent a large chunk of 1979 in Point Place, he spent a gap year—still during 1979—in Africa during this final season. The series at least had the grace not to give another Holiday-themed episode, but the seasons seen throughout these episodes were still inconsistent with the timeline of season 7. Still, this is one of the few points in the series when we know exactly what year it is sincethe gang rings in 1980 in the final episode, “That ’70s Finale.”
That ’90s Show Season 1
Set Entirely In 1995
So far,That ’90s Showhas managed to establish a much less confusing format. 14-year-old Leia Forman visits her grandparents in Point Place during the summer of 1995 and ultimately chooses to stay until she returns to school in Chicago. This means thatall ten episodes of season 1 are set during the summer break of that single year. In the end, she goes back home to her parents, promising to return in 1996 for another summer with her friends.
That ’90s Show Season 2
Set Entirely In 1996
That ’90s Showseason 2 was released in two parts, each containing eight episodes. Part 1 (which has been dubbedThat ’90s Showpart 2, instead) picks up in May or June 1996 and concludes about halfway through the summer. The second part of season 2 (dubbed part 3) continues through the second half of the summer until Leia must again return to Chicago. AssumingThat ’90s Showcontinues this way,each season should be a new year—far simpler thanThat ’70s Show.
That ’70s Show’s Timeline Confusion & Inconsistencies Explained
Continuity Wasn’t The Focus Of That ’70s Show
That ’70s Showdidn’t put in much work to keep its timeline straight. There were more Christmas episodes than there were years that passed, and characters' birthdays just don’t line up. Graduation years changed, seasons came and went in random order, and actors aged far faster than their characters. However, it didn’t matter much in the end.That ’70s Showwas a mostly outrageous comedy, so timeline continuity wasn’t a serious issue. If the series stuck to each season being set in a new year, thenThat ’70s Showcould have only had four seasons before 1980 arrived.
If the series stuck to each season being set in a new year, then That ’70s Show could have only had four seasons before 1980 arrived.
That ‘70s Show Theory Finally Explains Those Timeline Issues
The confusing timeline of That ’70s Show has often been criticized, but one fan theory explains that there is a reasonable explanation.
How That ’90s Show Breaks That ’70s Show Season 8’s Timeline
That ’90s Show Hasn’t Helped The Timeline Issues
That ’90s Showhas done precisely whatThat ’70s Showavoided since it can only have five seasons before Y2K makes the show’s title redundant. However, this isn’t the worst timeline crime of the spinoff series.That ’90s Showcreated a plotholeby claiming that Leia turned 15 in 1995, which meansshe was born six months after the finale ofThat ’70s Show. Since Eric was in Africa right up until the final episode of season 8, Leia would have to have been born very premature for this to work. Ultimately,That ’70s ShowandThat ’90s Showhave proven that timelines just aren’t all that important.
That ’70s Show
Cast
That ‘70s Show was one of Fox’s most popular sitcoms upon its release in 1998. Starring Topher Grace (Eric Forman), Laura Prepon (Donna Pinciotti), Mila Kunis (Jackie Burkhart), Danny Masterson (Steven Hyde), Wilmer Valderrama (Fez), and Ashton Kutcher (Michael Kelso), That ‘70s Show revolves around the teens’ mishaps as they grow up in Point Place Wisconsin in the 1970s.
That ’90s Show
That ’70s Show returns set two decades later with That ’90s Show, acting as a sequel but bringing back old cast favorites. Led by Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) Forman, the new cast arrives as the next generation, with the daughter of Eric and Donna, Leia Forman, leading the charge. Spending the summer with her grandparents, Leia makes new friends and forges new bonds in Point Place, Wisconsin. That ’70s Show series regulars make cameos in the show to maintain that sense of familiarity, and the show adopts the conventions of the ’90s as expected. That ’90s Show first aired on Netflix with a total of ten episodes.
