By Kip Mooney• On • In NewsNewsComments Off on “That ’90s Show” Casts Its Basement Dwellers
Ready to feel old? That '70s Show, which aired from 1998 to 2006, has a proper spin-off/sequel series, and the math even checks out. Netflix's That '90s Show will feature Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith reprising their roles as Kitty and Red Forman, ready with more cookies and ass-kickings, respectively.
This time, it's 1995 and their granddaughter Leia (Callie Haverda) has come to visit for the summer. Leia quickly makes a new group of friends, who will almost certainly spend most of their days in the Formans' basement smoking pot like Leia's parents Donna and Eric. Her new pals include Gwen (Ashley Aufderheide), her sister Nate (Maxwell Acee Donovan), Jay (Mace Colonel), Ozzie (Reyn Doi) and Nikki (Sam Morelos). Creators Bonnie and Terry Turner return as writers, with daughter Lindsey Turner also on the writing staff. Writer and producer Gregg Mettler returns to serve as showrunner. Those are all good signs that the show will be better than That '80s Show, which admittedly is a low bar to clear.
Netflix has yet to announce a premiere date, or if Topher Grace and Laura Prepon will make guest appearances.
About Kip Mooney
Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about.
I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague.
Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work.
In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo.
I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.
