That '90s Show

That '90s Show really does manage to pay tribute to its predecessor, give us a fun snapshot of a beloved decade, and still present the audience with endearing characters whose own stories are just as interesting and funny as their previous generation's.

The original show was comforting, witty, and a love letter to nostalgia with a young, hungry cast of actors — this new series contains the same loveable features. Now, the real test for the show’s creators is not how to best emulate the formula, but advance it into something more sticky and satisfying.

So much of what made That ’70s Show such a bingeable show is gleefully intact here: the humor, the heart, and, perhaps especially, the nostalgic, era-specific plots. But what really solidifies That ’90s Show as good television is its cast of newcomers, who quickly earn their spots on that legendary—and, by now, moth-eaten—basement couch.

Offering precisely what its title promises and building on the legacy of a Y2K era sitcom that looked back in order to appear fresh and cool, That ’90s Show is nothing new. That’s not so much a knock against it as an accurate assessment of its reason for being.

With funny moments filled with nostalgia, That ‘90s Show is charming and has a lot of potential.

The surest sign that the Turners' formula still fits is that they and showrunner Gregg Mettler have believably evolved the old gang (minus Hyde who, for reasons, may as well have never existed) into late-30s versions we believe and still recognize while making their '90s progeny and their friends' reflections of the kids we were.

That ‘90s Show did just enough to let us drop back into this world for a summer of fun, and here’s hoping there’s another summer or two to come down the line.