That 70's Show: Complete Series 1 DVD Review:

Created by Bonny and Terry Turner, (Third Rock from the Sun) and producers, Marcey Caser and Tom Werner, (The Cosby Show), this sitcom is set in the bygone wonder years of the 70's and tells the tale of an average Wisconsin family, living life with a 70's attitude. This first season box set introduces us to the Forman family, RED (Kurtwood Smith) and his weary wife, KITTY (Debra Jo Rupp) are trying to raise their son, ERIC, (Topher Grace) who seems to spend most of his time in the family basement goofing about with his mates in the guise of DONNA (Laura Prepon) his next door neighbour and girlfriend, KELSO (Ashton Kutcher) a nice but dim dude, his girlfriend JACKIE (Mila Kudis), HYDE (Danny Masterson) the cumbersome but laid back friend and FEZ (Wilmer Vlderrama), the foreign exchange student who has become accustomed to the wonderful U.S of A.

Episodes that feature on the disc include, Prom Night where Eric and friends try to get to first base with the opposite sex, Sunday Bloody Sunday where Eric's grandmother comes to stay for Thanksgiving played by the wonderful Marion Ross of Happy Days. Woefully, there are no special features on this set but if you are interested, Season 2 includes behind the scenes features and commentary by the shows director, David Trainer.

The reason why the show works is because it reverts back to those great American sitcoms of the era such as Wait Till Your Father gets home, The Partridge Family and Happy Days. But it does so with the inclination and mindset of the 90's and the noughties. Included in each episode are segments of 70's iconography such as wrestling, Farah Fawcett and yellow smiley faces.

Two important elements that bring the show together are the cast and the writing. As you follow through with each episode the characters become more wholesome when put into different situations, including Eric finding out about his friend being pregnant and Kelsoe coming to terms with what love really means. Because the cast work well together in defining those stereotypes of the era, like the new feminist found with Jackie's character and Donna's ditzy parents as well as the horny high school geek with Eric and the writing is concise and delivered with perfect comic timing, the show alludes to those sitcoms aforementioned and can be put in the same league as them. My least favourite character has to be Fez as he seems to be there for amusement only and the, is he gay or straight debate springs to mind when trying to define his character.

Another endearing concept of the shows are the faces that greet you at the beginning of each episode, some of which are new such as the brilliant Laura Prepon who plays Donna and is beginning her film career as we speak and the amusing Fez with his "accent" played by Wimer Vilderrama, who’s is also making his screen debut. And of course the impenetrable Aston Kutcher, he of Dude Where's My Car and Punk'd fame and the effervescent Topher Grace who played the troublesome drug freak in Traffic.

The show ran briefly in England on terrestrial tv, through Channel Five but since they have revamped their output, it has now been relegated to satellite tv. This was definitely a wrong move because the show is a huge hit with it's target audience: the teenager, evidence of these can be found on the various discussion forums about what makes teenagers tick.

Earlier this year, there was a reunion of the cast of Happy Days in the States, and it was up against tough competition like CSI:Crime Scene Investigation and surpassed it successfully. There is something addictive and comforting about those popular shows from the seventies. Perhaps it's not only the sense of family and stability that was around in those days but also the sense of innocence that has maybe disappeared in the new century. This is why That 70's Show is still popular in the States now, still on air and in it's 8th season, the sense of nostalgia the show creates with it's funky clothes, references to ideologies that were emerging at the time including the single parent and women's rights and how kids of the age used to spend their time is reflective of our inherent sense of nostalgia for that time.

Final Comment

I first saw the show when it was on in the UK and even then I fell in love with the concept and thought it was brilliant. Imagine my joy when I had to sit through at least 6 hours of it. The thing that I love most about is the way it makes you yearn for those days when life was simple and fortunately or unfortunately, society was too. Instant flashbacks of disco dancing and huge lapels never failed to induce huge bouts of laughter. As the show continues to be a success in the states, I hope it begins to get the recognition it deserves and continues to remind us of that time when you could walk down the street with your hair as big as a house and your flairs sweeping behind you.



Catherine Emenike