The Biggest ‘70s Show Questions That ‘90s Show Can Answer

That ‘90s Show now has the opportunity to answer some of the biggest questions left from That ‘70s Show’s ending. After 8 years on the air, That ‘70s Show came to an end in 2006, cutting to black as the characters left the 1970s and entered a new decade. Although season 8 of That ‘70s Show is overwhelmingly disliked by fans, the rest of the series is still held dearly by fans, and left plenty of mysteries that were never explained or answered.

After 15 years, the beloved characters from That ‘70s Show are returning for an upcoming sequel series aptly titled That ‘90s Show. The Netflix series will follow Eric and Donna’s teenage daughter Leia Forman in 1995 as she spends the summer with her grandparents Kitty and Red Forman in Point Place. Aside from sequel series leads Debra Jo Rupp (Kitty) and Kurtwood Smith (Red), That ‘90s Show has yet to confirm appearances from That ’70s Show’s original actors reprising their roles. Nonetheless, Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Ashton Kutcher, Wilmer Valderrama, and possibly Mila Kunis are expected to at least make cameos. The only original star who can surely be counted out is Danny Masterson (Steven Hyde), who was fired from Netflix’s The Ranch in 2017 due to multiple pending sexual assault charges.

That ‘90s Show also offers an opportunity to amend the faults of That ‘70s Show season 8, which tanked in ratings and quality after Kutcher and Grace both departed in the season 7 finale. Although season 8 had its flaws, the consensus among most fans is that the series finale of That ‘70s Show was a proper sendoff. All of the main cast returned as the characters entered the ‘80s, and a few loose ends like Donna and Eric’s romance were tied up. That ‘90s Show revealing Donna and Eric to still be together and have a teenage daughter finally confirms a long-held question about the two officially reuniting, but several other important mysteries from That ‘70s Show still need answers.

What Happened To Eric In Africa?

After serving as the core protagonist and overall connecting character in That ‘70s Show, Eric Forman was almost entirely absent from season 8. While Topher Grace leaving to pursue a film career provided the behind-the-scenes reason for Eric’s departure, That ‘70s Show explained the character’s absence as an impulsive decision to teach in Africa. Eric discovers in season 7 that his passion is a future career in teaching, though his college money was spent by his parents. Eric has to teach one year in Africa in order to attain free education for his remaining school years, which he does even though it upsets Red, Kitty, and Donna.

Soon after leaving for Africa in the That ’70s Show season 7 finale, Eric breaks up with Donna and is only passingly mentioned for most of the show’s remainder. He finally returns for That ‘70s Show‘s series finale where he appears to make up with Donna and reconcile their relationship, but he never explained what his experience was like in Africa. It’s a huge change for Eric since he’s only ever known Point Place, and That ‘90s Show can finally reveal Eric’s experience in Africa and how that contributed to his teaching career and who he is as a parent. Even if Eric only makes a cameo in That ‘90s Show, Kitty and Red could tell stories they’ve heard about his experiences or mention certain anecdotes about his time there.

Where Is Fez From/What’s His Real Name?

The question that fans have been wondering since the premiere episode: Where on Earth is Fez from? While it was a running gag throughout That ‘70s Show that Fez’s origin country was cut off in sentences and any specifics when discussing it were avoided, fans really thought the finale would reveal this information. It’s still one of the burning questions left from the series, and That ‘90s Show could finally give fans an answer. If Wilmer Valderrama doesn’t turn for the Netflix sequel series, the show could possibly explain his absence as having returned to his home country and finally give it a name.

Fez’s mysterious home country also ties into another That ‘70s Show mystery about what his real name is. Throughout the entire series, Fez is only referred to by his nickname, which is really just an abbreviation for Foreign Exchange Student. During the class picture flashback episode of That ‘70s Show, Fez actually says his name to the gang when he first meets them, albeit inaudibly under the class bell. If fans try to go back to this scene to read Fez’s lips for his name, they’ll find no luck. Rumor has it that as the bell is ringing, Wilmer Valderrama is simply reciting the names of That ‘70s Show’s cast members in one long string. As one of the most popular characters from the series, it seems about time that Fez’s name and origin are finally revealed.

What Happened To Randy?

With the knowledge that both Topher Grace and Ashton Kutcher would be exiting That ‘70s Show, the producers needed to find a leading male substitute for the absent protagonists in season 8. That ‘70s Show then introduced the “new Eric,” Randy Pearson (Josh Meyers). Randy was crafted as a mixture of Eric and Kelso, with a Kelso-like handsome womanizer who takes on Eric’s sense of humor and ringleader personality. The writers originally intended to hire Josh Myers as the literal new Eric Forman, whose appearance change would be explained by returning from Africa as “a changed man.”

Fans truly did not take to Randy, with many citing his character as part of the reason why season 8 was so disliked. For one, Donna quickly starts dating Randy after she and Eric break up, which didn’t sit well with That ‘70s Show’s other characters or viewers. Randy asks Donna to move in with him and she subsequently ends their relationship, deciding to remain friends. Randy essentially phased out in That ‘70s Show’s final episodes, with only a brief one-line appearance in the series finale, likely because he and Eric in a room together would be awkward. The resolution of Randy is never revealed, so That ‘90s Show could make an off-hand comment or even cameo appearance to explain what happened to Randy and if he continued to hang out with the gang.

Are Jackie And Fez Still Together?

While Randy was fairly controversial in That ‘70s Show season 8, it doesn’t top the fan division over Jackie and Fez ending up together. Weirdly, Jackie and Fez were the only couple in That ‘70s Show’s finale that were officially together since Eric and Donna only make up with a kiss. Fans didn’t really believe that Jackie starting to like Fez was built up enough in her character development, so it didn’t truly make sense at the end. Jackie Burkhart’s relationships with Kelso and Hyde are heavily preferred by fans, and many believed it was wrong for the finale to make her last romance with a character other than those two. With how her character had developed in self-confidence over the years, others thought a better character ending would be for Jackie to end up single so as to avoid her resolution being defined by the man she was dating.

It seems fairly unlikely that Fez and Jackie are still together in the 1990s, so as for a character relationship reconciliation, it would make the most sense for her to have gotten back together with Kelso. If That ‘90s Show undid Jackie and Kelso’s ending to have them end up together in the future, it would be better accepted by fans, especially since their actors Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have since married and had kids in real life. Fez and Jackie always had an interesting dynamic, but it wasn’t quite believable that they would be an endgame couple.

Did Kelso Become A Family Man?

Kelso was known as the least mature of the group, but that all changed when he found out he got a woman pregnant in That ‘70s Show season 6. During season 7, Kelso had to change his mindset by preparing to become a father. It didn’t really take off and Kelso notably still goofed off while training to become a police officer, but deciding to move to Chicago to be with his daughter showed a remarkable change in his character. Since Kelso was largely absent from That ‘70s Show season 8, fans didn’t actually get to see him as a father to Betsy or how he grew as a mature parent. He surely still has his dopey Kelso personality to him, but becoming a father to a daughter he truly wanted to raise would have been an incredible change to watch Kelso go through. His daughter will be a teenager at the time of That ‘90s Show, so it’s possible the sequel series could even include Betsy as a character who hangs out with Leia Forman.

What Happened To Laurie And Donna’s Sister(S)?

Another controversial aspect of That ‘70s Show’s character changes was with Laurie Forman, Eric’s older sister. Originally portrayed by Lisa Robin Kelly, Laurie was a popular character who was essentially written out after season 5 due to the actress’s self-professed drinking problems. That ‘70s Show recast Laurie in season 6 with Christina Moore, who portrayed Laurie in a completely different manner than Kelly. Following a few appearances in season 6, Laurie was absent from That ‘70s Show in seasons 7 and 8 with no real explanation. As Eric’s sister, it would be surprising if Red and Kitty didn’t at least mention to Leia in That ‘90s Show what’s going on with Laurie or what happened to her character after disappearing from the show.

Speaking of disappearing sisters, That ‘90s Show can finally answer what happened to Donna’s sisters. Her sister Tina appeared in a That ’70s Show season 1 episode and was never seen again, while also mentioning a never-seen older sister, Valerie. It could have been explained away as the sisters went on to college, but they were also absent from Midge and Bob’s wedding and several other important family events. If Red and Kitty are able to mention Laurie in That ‘90s Show, they can also hopefully provide clarification as to whether Donna Pinciotti really has two sisters and what happened to them.