‘That ’90s Show’ Review: Netflix Spinoff Eventually Finds Its Groove

Debra Jo Rupp’s Kitty is the shining star of this sometimes awkward sequel series

Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith in "That '90s Show"
Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith in "That '90s Show"

There’s a moment early on in first season of Netflix’s “That ’90s Show,” after Eric (Topher Grace), Donna (Laura Prepon), Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) and Jackie (Mila Kunis) have finished making their required cameos, when it feels like it’s clear that this sequel series couldn’t possibly live up to the first iteration. The teens are as awkward as their jokes, the lack of parents is baffling, and the ’90s references are all over the place, and you might see where I’m going with this — “That ’90s Show” is the “That ’70s Show” of the 2010s, even though it’s 2023, and while that sentence might be a confusing mess, the show is a lot less of a mess than it could have been.

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