According to Deadline, Netflix has canceled future installments of That 90s Show after two seasons.
A sequel to the top-rated teen sitcom That ‘70s Show, which made bonafide stars out of Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, and Topher Grace, That ‘90s Show revolved around Leia Forman, the teenage daughter of Donna Pincoitti and Eric Forman from the original show, as she stays with her grandparents for the summer in the suburb of Point Place, Wisconsin.
Set 15 years after the events of the original series in 1995; the sitcom deals with Leia’s bonding with the local teens and her romantic persuasions as she balances strict supervision from Red and Kitty Forman.
The 10-episode debut season premiered on Netflix in 2023 and released its two-part, 13-episode sophomore season in June and August 2024.
Veteran actor Kurtwood Smith further confirmed the news of the cancellation. In a detailed Instagram post on October 3, he reprised the character of fan-favorite Red Forman in the sequel series and thanked the audiences for showering love on both his character and the shows.
The show was developed by original creators Bonnie and Terry Turner, Lindsey Turner, and Gregg Mettler, the latter of whom is also credited as the showrunner.
The show's main cast included Callie Haverda, Mace Coronel, Ashley Aufderheide, Reyn Doi, Kurtwood Smith, Laura Prepon, Debra Jo Rupp, Maxwell Acee Donovan, and Sam Morelos.
With this cancellation, the struggles of the streaming networks to crack the code to develop a successful multi-camera sitcom continue.
In the past, only a few sitcoms like The Ranch, The Upshaws, and Fuller House have been successful in the streaming space to have significantly longer runs.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for That ’90s Show. Reader discretion is advised.
Plot of That 90’s Show
The show's first season primarily revolved around 14-year-old Leia’s quest to discover herself and her purpose in life. She is shown to be a brilliant student in Chicago with a passion for debating.
After coming to Wisconsin, she makes new friends—a group of misfits who make her step out of her shell and explore her life. She becomes particularly fond of Gwen and forms a strong bond throughout the first season.
To take things further, the gang eventually discovers Eric’s secret “stash” from the original show. Meanwhile, by the end of the summer, Gwen also gets into her first relationship with Jay, the son of two of the original show’s central characters, Michael Kelso and Jackie Burkhart.
Their relationship witnesses their highs and lows, invoking the chemistry of Eric and Donna from the original show. A potential tease of a love triangle is invoked in the season finale with Nate, who has troubles with his relationship with Nikki.
In addition, the first season also featured cameos from original cast members like Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Topher Grace, Wilmer Valderrama, Tommy Chong, and Don Stark, which sparked the audience's excitement.
While the second season focused further on Leia and Jay’s relationship as they end up in a secure place romantically by the end of Part 2, Part 3 points to some major changes for Leia.
By the 7th episode, Leia enrolls in Point Place High School after much discussion between Donna and her grandparents owing to new career prospects for Eric. The show's final moments see the gang celebrating the last summer night in the circle smoking grass when they are caught by Red, Kitty, and Donna, who are furious.
Further, Leia discovers that Jay took Kitty's keys against her will. Unlike the first season, this season didn’t feature guest turns from the original main cast apart from Prepon (who was promoted to a recurring character in the later season and also directed all the episodes of Part 3) and Stark, but had notable appearances from some of the guest stars from the original show and celebrities in general including Seth Green, Will Forte, Kevin Smith, Mike Mizanin, Jim Rash, Andrea Anders Wayne Knight and Kadeem Hardison among others.
The finale ends with a customary cliffhanger, leaving audiences wondering what will happen to the gang next season and how Donna will deal with the situation.
Why did Netflix cancel That 90s Show?
Unfortunately, with the streaming platform's official cancellation, these queries will be left unanswered for now. However, the news of the cancellation did not come as a surprise to critics and fans alike.
As per Deadline, the reason behind the cancellation is primarily the low ratings of the sophomore season. After its debut on June 27, Part 2 of the show is in the Netflix top 10, with around 1.8 million views.
The third part, whose premiere was moved two months from its intended date, couldn’t even make the top 10 list, with an estimated viewership of under 1.9 million in the first weekend.
Fans on various social media platforms cited bad ensemble performances and underwhelming writing as the major reasons for the show's fading popularity. As per Reddit user Rua Castilho in Netflix's official subreddit, the sequel series failed to utilize the ‘90s settings, as did other shows like Stranger Things, which were centered on the same era.
Further, as Reddit user RogueKitteh pointed out, the show's production quality and writing were akin to those of a Disney Channel show, and Netflix's nostalgia-baiting strategy failed.
However, some fans were disappointed about the cancellation. As user _Arlotte_ pointed out, the show was improving in its second season and could have benefitted from a third season.
Reddit user 1790 Shadow also confirmed that the show was finally finding its rhythm, and Netflix should have given it another chance to improve upon its predecessor.
However, not all is lost for the fans, as Kurtwood Smith pointed out in the post that the show is currently looking for other potential buyers.
As per Deadline, the show can only secure a linear buyer after the Netflix cancellation due to a plethora of limitations, probably following the route of another Netflix show, One Day at a Time Reboot, which continued on the cable TV Pop after its cancellation.
All two seasons of That '90s Show are streaming on Netflix.
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