Why Netflix canceled this ’90s show

“That ’70s Show” didn’t stick quite as culturally ubiquitous as its 90s sitcom counterparts “Seinfeld” or “Friends,” but that speaks more to how gigantic its competitors were and remain. True to its name, That ’70s Show takes place between 1976 and 1980 (four years spread over twice as many seasons) and is about a group of six high school-aged friends growing up in Point Place, Wisconsin. The town is fictional, but the show is The creators based “That ’70s Show” and its characters on their real-life teenage experiences.

“That ’70s Show” ran from 1998 to 2006 and had a full run of 200 episodes. That’s also why you know who Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Topher Grace are – given their popularity, a revival was inevitable, especially because enough time had passed in the 2020s for the central gimmick to be updated.

Enter “That ’90s Show” with a setting reminiscent of the time when the original show aired. Set in 1995, the series starred Leia Forman (Callie Haverda), daughter of original leads Eric (Grace) and Donna (Laura Prepon). While her parents are busy (and can only occasionally guest star), Leia lives with her paternal grandparents. Original series with supporting characters Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp).

But the era when “That ’70s Show” ruled and sitcoms churned out 22-plus seasons of episodes for syndication is over. That ’90s Show only lasted two seasons before being pulled from the network like so many other Netflix shows before and since. The two seasons of the series with a total of 26 episodes would have been enough to fill a complete TV season in 1998.

The cancellation of That ’90s Show was confirmed by Kurtwood Smith on October 3, 2024 Instagram post. Smith said there were plans to move the series to a new home for a possible third season, but did not elaborate Why Netflix is ​​ending. What’s the story?

Trigger Warning: There will be references to sexual assault in the following slide.

There’s an elephant in the room surrounding the legacy of “That ’70s Show,” a legacy that includes the very existence of “That ’90s Show.” That elephant is original actor Danny Masterson, who played Steven Hyde, the grumpy Afro stoner who is paranoid about the man.

Masterson is also a convicted rapist. In May 2023, he was convicted of raping two women in individual incidents in 2003 and subsequently (in September of this year) sentenced to 30 years to life in prison. (Masterson’s attorney filed an appeal in December 2024.) Masterson is a Scientologist and many, including prosecutor Ariel Ansonhave alleged that he used his influence within the Church of Scientology to attack and then silence the survivors.

The negative press got even worse when it was revealed that several cast members from “That ’70s Show” were involved (namely Kutcher, Kunis, Smith and Rupp) wrote letters attesting to Masterson’s supposed good character. Needless to say, the letters did not sway Judge Charlaine Olmedo. Kutcher and Kunis then apologized on camera for writing the letters.

Masterson was first publicly accused in March 2017and the accusations saw him Fired from the Netflix comedy series “The Ranch.” (where he co-starred with Kutcher) later this year. It’s no surprise that Masterson didn’t appear on “That ’90s Show” and Hyde wasn’t even mentioned on the show. Did his conviction simply make continuing the show untenable? It’s a natural assumption, but is it correct?

The second season of That ’90s Show premiered (in two separate parts) in June 2024 and later in August 2024. She was subsequently deposed again in October 2024, about a year after Masterson’s conviction. So it seems the show hasn’t been canceled directly in response to conviction. Deadline reported that it was much simpler: The second season of “That ’90s Show” did not attract enough viewers to justify continuing the series. The first half of the season only made Netflix’s top 10 once, and the streamer even moved up the premiere date of the second half (from October to August), but this didn’t result in an increase in numbers. This series of events doesn’t sound like Netflix dismissed the series as a lame duck before the second season began.

The storm of negative publicity could have resulted in a detour, as people didn’t want to watch “That ’90s Show” because memories of the original were now tainted. That ’70s Show was once one of my favorite sitcoms, but I can’t bring myself to watch it again or watch That ’90s Show. This is all speculative, of course; It was also reported that viewership was down a lot between “That ’90s Show” Season 1 (which easily remained in Netflix’s top 10 the weekend it premiered) and Season 2. Maybe the Masterson conviction between the two seasons upset viewers, or maybe a large portion of viewers just didn’t like Season 1 enough to watch Season 2. Whatever the reason, not enough Netflix viewers watched “That.” 90s Show” for season 3.