10 Ways to Make it Feel More Like the ’90s

That ’90s Show is a spinoff of the classic sitcom That ’70s Show, and tells the story of the next generation of teenagers living in Point Place, Wisconsin. Unsurprisingly, That ’90s Show‘s protagonist Leia Forman is living proof that Donna and Eric stayed together after That ’70s Show concluded. Picking up 20 years later in the year 19995, Leia is spending the summer with her grandparents, Red and Kitty.

Along with the characters in That ’90s Show mirroring those in That ’70s Show, some of their antics in the remake are also very similar, including smoking weed in Red’s basement, taking the car on an unauthorized trip out of town, and visiting the water tower. It’s a fun remake with lots of similarities to the original, but if there weren’t such clear time-specific ties to the show being set 20 years after the original, this show could’ve been set whenever — because it doesn’t feel very ’90s. And for a show targeting the generation that grew up with the original, that’s a problem.

More Authentic Clothing

The clothes in That ’90s Show resemble a teenager in the 2010s dressing up in “’90s clothes” for a decade-day at school. Especially with ’90s and grunge clothing becoming popular again in recent years, utilizing costumes to build the time period of the ’90s should be more accurate. Because of their resurgence in popularity, the pieces used in the show needed to be more specific and unique.

Their clothes look like something from Forever 21 that is ’90s-inspired, when they should emulate authentic ’90s attire bought from a department store or thrift shop. Since we’re talking fashion 20 years ago, sourcing authentic pieces could be a little difficult, but a costume department would surely be able to recreate pieces that don’t look so cheap or cliche. Better styling would’ve helped the show feel more immersive in the decade many of its fans grew up in. Some outfits had an element that worked with the time period but fell short in execution, so styling outfits truer to the 1990s would’ve made the feeling of the set fit the decade better.

Time Period Tech

An easy way to clarify the time period would have been to incorporate ’90s technology. While Leia was originally supposed to be headed to space camp for the summer and thus did not bring a CD player to bide her time at her grandparents’ house for the summer, there is still a lack of appropriate tech for the ’90s. Because the Formans are empty-nesters, they aren’t up-to-date with technology and are still using a record player at home — which makes sense.

However, their home quickly becomes the hangout spot for Leia and her friends, and it would’ve been easy for someone to bring over their Discman or a Walkman to listen to ’90 music. Additionally, gaming consoles and handheld games started to trickle into American homes in the ’90s, so including a Gameboy or a Playstation would have easily dated the show. Since its rise in popularity, gaming consoles and the games that become cult favorites have been an easy way to mark different eras. The only nod to technology in the series was an episode where one of Leia’s friends tried to help Kitty set up her home computer, but helping a grandma set up a computer is not an experience exclusive to the ’90s.

’90s Activities

While Leia and her friends do rent movies and hang out at the mall, more ’90s-esque activities could’ve made it very clear what decade they were living in. In addition to technology being functional as a way to date movies and TV, SEGA and Gameboys were games that were integrated into pop culture in the ’90s. Activities like roller skating or playing Pogs would’ve also sufficed since, at times, the Formans struggled financially in the original series.

In That ’70s Show, Eric and friends went to a disco, so in That ’90s Show, Leia and friends went to a rave. This update adds to the time period, but since music was such a big part of culture at the time, mentioning specific bands and concerts more would’ve made it feel like the ’90s. This could include anything from alternative rock concerts to dropping names of groups like TLC or Foo Fighters.

Slang

To say this show could’ve taken place in any time period is an understatement, especially considering it lacked any slang from the ’90s and randomly threw in slang popularized in the 2000s. ’90s slang was ‘da bomb’ and using more of it, even if nothing else was right about the time period, would’ve dated the show perfectly.

Worse than not using any slang at all, though, is using slang that doesn’t exist yet. A popular complaint about That ’90s Show is that the teenage characters called each other ‘bro’ way too much. That term wasn’t popularized until the 2000s, and using it in this show was just lazy, especially when the ’90s had its own version of ‘bro’ — ‘dude.’ It would’ve been such a simple replacement.

Décor

Decorations are something that wouldn’t necessarily be current at the Forman house, because grandparents aren’t exactly known to keep up with home décor trends. However, That ’90s Show had more locations in the show than just Red and Kitty’s place. Leia’s neighbor Gwen had a stereotypical ‘riot grrrl’ bedroom, filled to the brim with band posters, pink fuzzy journals, and a purple shag rug. Gwen’s bedroom was promising and helped build the ’90s aesthetic of the show.

There was one huge shortcoming though, and it was such an easy fix that it overruled the other details they nailed. The Hub is a local diner that was featured in both That ’70s Show and That ’90s Show. But in the latter, there was a modern rendition of a Milwaukee Bucks pendant on the wall of The Hub, which can’t be justified in any way. This mistake is a shame because they could’ve gotten away with an outdated logo, but using one from 20 years in the future looked like a mistake.

Hairstyles

Similar to clothing, a simple hairstyle could’ve made the ’90s aspect of That ‘90s Show believable. Between six teenagers, not even one of them had a cool ’90s haircut or style. While Friends was still new, assuming that show exists in the universe of That ‘90s Show, the Rachel haircut would have been highly popular — and it wasn’t the only iconic hairstyle of the time period. Leia is meant to be a dorky character, but her friends Nikki and Gwen are seen as cool girls. It would’ve been so easy for one of them to at least have their hair styled in ’90s fashion.

The boys’ haircuts were close to a ’90s look, but not quite there. Like many aspects of the show, it didn’t feel fully committed. The boys had shaggy hair, but it was generically shaggy, not Leonardo DiCaprio shaggy. Frosted tips, an undercut, or even just a more tousled shaggy look would’ve made it seem more like the ’90s.

Drug Use

That ’70s Show was more explicit than That ’90s Show (which is an entirely different issue people had with the remake), but in both shows, they are drinking beer and smoking weed. While it’s a fair assumption that most teenagers drink beer and smoke weed, it’s a little bit of a boring choice if one is trying to differentiate between two different time periods.

It’s far too late to go back and change anything about That ’70s Show, but in That ’90s Show, using different drugs and alcohol could have set it concretely in the ’90s. Zima was like the White Claw of the ’90s when it came out in 1993 and didn’t even make it to the 2010s in America, so including it could’ve been helpful. Additionally, maybe introducing acid or ecstasy as a drug used by Leia and her friends would’ve set it apart from other decades, especially when they went to a rave. An acid trip hallucination circle could be a more ’90s version of the weed circle from That ’70s Show.

Casting

None of the actors in the series looked like they belonged in the ’90s. Obviously, the cast from That ’70s Show coming back was nonnegotiable, and in a way, older characters don’t have to fit the norm of the times, but the younger characters felt too modern. Some people have a face that fits certain decades or aesthetics, and each one of the teens on That ’90s Show looks like a Gen Z.

Not to say they aren’t talented, but they aren’t selling the idea of the ’90s through looks or acting. The characters are fun and lovable, but not every actor fits into a period piece. Despite the actual actors not fitting the aesthetic of the ’90s, the added diversity was one good thing about That ’90s Show. Casting actors with a ’90s nostalgic feeling about them would’ve helped to un-modernize the show.

Stereotypical Characters

That ’70s Show had the side character Leo, who was a stereotypical stoner from the ’70s. Everything revealed about Leo makes him make sense in that era: he’s a veteran, he manages a record store, and he smokes weed with teenagers. That ’90s Show doesn’t have a good stereotypical character to reinforce the feeling of the decade.

Gwen’s character is a lukewarm embodiment of a riot grrrl, but she has nothing on Leo. A stereotypical ’90s character would be grounding for this series, and conveniently, it doesn’t even have to be one of the main characters, just someone who reappears sporadically, reminding viewers when and where they are. Some examples of a good ’90s stereotype include a goth person, a teenage hacker who makes it look easy, or even a flighty, pretty girl who is smart and kind.

More Focus on the “Present”

Overall, That ’90s Show felt more like a tribute to That ’70s Show than its own show. After a failed attempt at That ’80s Show, it was made clear that the original cast was vital for a reboot. However, the original cast and their subsequent backstories of what they’ve been doing for the past 20 years outshined the new cast members. That ’90s Show was so focused on incorporating the original cast that it felt stuck in the ’70s.

Hopefully in the next season, the focus will be more on present-day 1995 and how the original cast and the reboot cast interact in their current time. While it was essential to reintroduce the original cast, they could have done it in one or two episodes, as opposed to sprinkling backstory throughout the entire season and dragging the first season back in time.