That '70s Show

How That ‘90s Show Compares To That ‘70s Show’s Alternate Future Episode

That '70s Show imagined a future in which Eric never ended up with Donna, and now, That 90s Show has revealed the old main characters' true stories.

That ’70s Show season 4, episode 5, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” revealed the future of Eric and his friends if he and Donna had never dated, and it’s very different than the futures seen in That ’90s Show. The spin-off is set about 15 years after the events of its parent series, and though it centralizes the children of the original group of friends, it also displays what their adult years have looked like. Back in the days of That ’70s Show, the writers had speculated what the following decades would have held for the cast— but with a twist.

In That ’70s Show season 4, shortly after Donna and Eric split up for a time, the latter wished they had never kissed and, therefore, never dated. An angel (Wayne Knight) appeared and granted this desire and showed him what his life and the lives of his friends would be like had their relationship never happened.

Of course, Eric didn’t like what he saw in the classic It’s a Wonderful Life-style. This alternate reality future took place (in part) about five years before the events of That ’90s Show, and it’s clear that Eric and Donna ending up together was important— since everyone’s lives look mostly very different.

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Donna Pinciotti

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Eric’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” dream started with a significant change in Donna and Eric’s story. Instead of having their first kiss on the That ’70s Show Vista Cruiser hood, Donna only said goodnight and went home. Eric’s personal angel showed him that Steven Hyde was waiting for her when she got back– ready to confess his love. This meant a lost chance for Eric and the start of a complicated life for Donna. When Eric ran into her at their high school reunion, he asked if she had kept writing. She answered that that dream had been left behind, since raising three kids alone (as Hyde was in prison) didn’t leave enough time.

Of course, That ’90s Show makes it clear that Donna did become a mom, since her daughter Leia is the new protagonist, but it seems that her marriage with Eric allowed her to make both this and her dream of becoming a published author a reality. In the pilot episode, the Formans tell Donna that they had read the reviews for her “new” book, which implies that Donna not only fulfilled her dream of being published but that she likely has multiple books in stores.

Michael Kelso

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In the That ’70s Show season 4 alternate reality, Michael Kelso and Jackie never got back together after their first breakup in the series. Shortly after graduating high school (at Donna and Hyde’s Wedding), Kelso shared that he had become a news anchor. However, by the 10-year high school reunion, he had lost that job and seemed to have fallen apart. His clothes didn’t fit, his hair was a mess, and he worked for Eric as a mattress salesman. Additionally, he was married to Pam Macy– who was no longer as desirable to him as in high school.

Kelso’s story in That ’90s Show isn’t entirely different than the one seen in the ’70s Show alternate reality. Though his work is never disclosed, the suit he wears during his cameo is similar to the one he wore as a news anchor. Whether he switched to this career or stayed a cop, it’s clear that things are going reasonably well for Kelso. Kitty Forman even commented on his physique, confirming that he hadn’t changed the same way as in the imagined That ’70s Show future.

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Jackie Burkhart

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In the That ’70s Show season 4, episode 1 dream, Jackie Burkhart temporarily lost her spark after she and Kelso didn’t get back together at their high school prom. However, that didn’t stop her from becoming what she considered a wildly successful stewardess. Jackie talked to Kelso at Donna’s wedding, and the two quickly ran off together to fool around like in the old days. She appeared again at the 10-year reunion scene and seemed just as prim and prosperous as she had before, and though she insulted her ex’s disheveled appearance, the duo still ran off again to hook up.

Out of all the group, Jackie seems to have changed the least from the “It’s a Wonderful Life” alternate reality to That ’90s Show. Jackie is seen as being just as shallow and full of herself as she ever was, and the reveal that she was marrying Kelso again for the third time proved that just like her That ’70s Show alternate reality counterpart, she can’t keep herself away. Still, there is one significant difference, since Jackie is a mom now (assuming that Jay Kelso is her son).

Fez

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The That ’70s Show alternate reality demonstrated just how much Donna and Eric’s relationship impacted their friends, and this couldn’t have been more true for Fez. Being a part of a close group of friends gave the exchange student confidence that could never have happened without the group’s glue. In the “It’s a Wonderful Life” dream, Fez was bullied through high school, turning him into an even stranger character in the alternate future— whose passion was singing terrible covers of popular ’80s songs.

Though Fez is still an odd character in That ’90s Show, he’s far more successful than his ’70s Show future counterpart. The parent series left Fez working at a salon and dating Jackie, and though that relationship fell apart, it seems his beauty career flourished. Fez is seen to be the proud owner of his own salon, “Chez Fez.” He is still on the hunt for love and may have found it in the Formans’ neighbor, Sherri Runck (Andrea Anders), but thankfully, he never had to discover his passion for bad ’80s covers.

RELATED:That ’90s Show Works Because Of That ’70s Show’s Plot Holes

Steven Hyde

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Eric’s It’s a Wonderful Life-style dream in That ’70s Show offered a rather dark future for Steven Hyde. Since he started dating Donna in this reality, his relationship with Eric fell apart as they continued through high school. This meant that when his mom left as she did in That ’70s Show’s proper timeline, he did not move into the Forman house like he was supposed to. Instead, he dropped out of high school, got married and had children young, and found himself frequently in and out of prison.

Steven Hyde is the only one of the That ’70s Show friend group not to appear in That ’90s Show. This is likely due to the several criminal charges currently faced by actor Danny Masterson, who Netflix previously fired from The Ranch. However, Hyde’s ’90s Show absence could be chalked up to being for the same reason as his That ’70s Show alternate, and he could just be spending a long stint in prison. Of course, Hyde’s character never married Donna like his “It’s a Wonderful Life” counterpart, but the rest of his fate wouldn’t be a stretch for the spin-off.

Eric Forman

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Eric’s future was the bleakest of all in That ’70s Show season 4, episode 1, since the whole point was to teach him just how terrible things would be if he had “never loved at all” as opposed to loving and losing. Instead of Donna, Eric dated Big Rhonda in high school, but broke up with her before her 10-year reunion glow-up. His parents had another son (that Red was actually proud of), and by the reunion, he was running a mattress store, single, and thoroughly miserable.

That ’90s Show made Eric Forman a significantly better future than this alternate universe. Eric ended up in what appears to be a happy marriage with his “girl next door,” Donna, and had a daughter named Leia, just like he always wanted. Moreover, his relationship with his father has dramatically improved since That ’70s Show, as Red even said he was proud of him. Finally, Eric has what could only be described as the job of his wildest dreams: adjunct professor teaching “The Religion of Star Wars.” That ’90s Show reveals that Eric really did achieve a “wonderful life”— all thanks to that first kiss with Donna on the Vista Cruiser.

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