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Louise Thomas
Editor
That 90s Show has been cancelled by Netflix after two seasons.
The spin-off of the popular throwback sitcom That ’70s Show starred Callie Haverda, Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp and featured cameos from some of the original cast, including Topher Grace, Wilmer Valderrama, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis.
That ’70s Show originally aired on Fox between 1998 and 2006. The series experienced a resurgence in popularity in the 2010s after it was made available to stream in its entirety on Netflix.
Smith, who played veteran Red Forman, confirmed Netflix will not be renewing the series in a statement on Instagram but revealed he would be offering the series to other networks instead.
“I’ve loved every minute of getting to bring Grandpa Red to life for you all,” he wrote. “I’ve said it before but it’s worth mentioning again… this show had so much heart behind it and the most wonderful cast, writers, directors, producers and crew an actor could hope to work with.”
He continued: “Thanks for letting Red and Kitty, their grandkid, all their grandkids friends and neighbours, the original cast members of That 70’s Show and all of our wonderful guest cast members entertain you for two seasons.
“To steal Red Forman’s words… we aren’t going to be dumb****s… we will shop the show, because good grandparents would try hard to get these kids graduated from high school.”
Fans criticised Netflix’s decision on X/Twitter. “That 90s Show was finally finding its stride and Netflix just RIPPED it away.”
Another person added: “Anything good on Netflix these days doesn’t make it past season two.”
Meanwhile, in Smith’s Instagram comments, one fan replied: “Netflix always cancelling what people actually want, it’s like they want to go under.”
“Let’s all hope someone else will pick it up,” another person said.
When Netflix released the second half of That 90s Show’s season two episodes, Part 2 only entered the Netflix Top 10 once in its first full week of release, with 1.8million views. Meanwhile, the final eight Part 3 episodes did not chart at all.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
“Watched a few episodes and there is no comedy,” claimed one viewer on X/Twitter following the cancellation.
“I was hyped about the reboot and [then] never watched it,” added another Netflix user.
That ’90s Show received mixed reviews from critics, earning an approval rating of 81 per cent on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.
In a three-star review for The Independent, Nick Hilton wrote: “That ’90s Show is milder than a Milwaukee cheddar, built to be watched while scrolling on your phone, but from the moment Leia takes her father’s place, yelling out ‘Hello Wisconsin!’ in the opening titles, the lure of generations past might just drag you in.”
