Trivia for
"That '70s Show" (1998)

photos

board

trailer

details

• Fes(z) stands for foreign exchange student.
  
  
• Of all the Fox sitcoms that appeared during the 98-99 season, this was the only survivor.
  
  
• Mila Kunis was only 14 when she auditioned for the show. When producers asked her age, she misled them by saying, "Well, I'll be 18" and neglected to say when.
  
  

• An early idea during the show's development phase had Eric and Hyde fighting a bitter rivalry over Donna, but the idea was tossed out as the show and its characters developed.
  
  
• In the first season we meet Donna's little sister, but will never hear or see her again. In a Halloween episode the narrator actually say "what happened to Donna's little sister?"
  
  
• Lisa Robin Kelly, who played Laurie when the show debuted, abruptly vanished following the second season and was cut from the opening credits by the start of season 3. Some sources claim she left on her own initiative, others that she was fired despite being quite a popular character on the show, so there are two very different stories out there about her departure. She returned back to the show toward the end of the fifth season and appeared in a few episodes, only to disappear again at the beginning of the sixth season and then replaced by Christina Moore.
  
  
• The cars are: - Eric's: 1969 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser. - Red and Kitty's: 1976 Toyota Corolla. - Hyde's 1967 Chevy El Camino. - Kelso has had three cars on the series, so far. A Dodge van, and a Volkswagen Samba Bus, both mid-'60s models. He currently (2005) seen driving an MG convertible. - Bob and Midge's 1970 Cadillac El Dorado (1998-2001)
  
  
• The fifth season episode titles are all Led Zeppelin song titles, the sixth season are all The Who songs, the seventh season are all Rolling Stones songs and the 8th season's titles are all Queen songs.
  
  
• The show was initially titled "Teenage Wasteland" and later "The Kids Are Alright". However, because both names were references to songs by The Who, legal issues prevented their use. As a result, the show was eventually announced as "Feelin' Alright", but because that name had few supporters, a search for a new title began. After noticing that audience members in focus groups would say, "I like that show about the '70s", or "I like that '70s show" it was eventually decided to simply call the series "That '70s Show".
  
  
• The rock group poster often seen on the wall in Eric's Basement is of Paul McCartney & Wings.
  
  
• Chuck Norris was the initial choice for Red Foreman, but was still filming Walker, Texas Ranger, so Kurtwood Smith was cast instead.
  
  
• Topher Grace (Eric) was off the show in the 2005 season while he was working on Spider-Man 3 (2007).
  
  
• 'Josh Meyers' was originally hired to take on over the role of Eric Foreman, who had been played for seven seasons by Topher Grace. A now long-haired Eric would have returned unexpectedly from Africa "a changed man", thus explaining his different appearance. This idea was nixed when the producers decided it might offend Grace's fans. So, a new role, that of "Randy" was created for Meyers, who was already contracted for the season.
  
  
• Red and Kitty also had a 1959 Corvette.
  
  
• Red and Kitty also had a motorcycle.
  
  
• In the "Water Tower" episode (1.21), Donna mocks Jackie for believing that Kelso could be a model. This is how Ashton Kutcher was discovered and asked to audition for the role of Kelso.
  
  
• Eric's G.I. Joe collection (on his bed's bookshelf/headboard) contains: a 1970-73 Land Adventurer, Sea Adventurer, Air Adventurer, The Adventurer (an African American figure), 1964-67 Action Marine, Action Pilot, Action Soldier; 1966 Mercury Space Capsule; there was also a yellow ATV in the basement, seen on one of the shelves under the stairs. The early military figures seemed to have been switched out for the later Adventure Team figures as the series progressed. Eric seemed very attached to his figures, even though he was never seen playing with them. He even warns Fez, "DON'T touch the G.I.Joes!" when Fez tries to cheer up Eric with Hyde and Kelso before leaving for Funland without Eric.
  
  
• Fez reveals his first name once and we don't hear it because of a sound. He is actually saying all the actor's first names.
  
  
• Red is a veteran of both WWII and Korea.
  
  
• Jackie's middle name is Beulah, but we also see Jackie wearing a shirt with her initials of JSB on it.
  
  
• Tommy Chong, who played Leo, was absent from the show while serving a jail sentence for selling "drug paraphernalia" (water pipes). He expressed surprise later that this wasn't written into the show's storyline.
  
  
• Laura Prepon had to dye her naturally red hair blonde for the film Karla (2006) in which she played the title role. As a result her character Donna Pinciotti changed hair colors for the show's final two seasons.
  
  
• In many scenes, the character of Jackie had to wear platform heels or sit down just to appear in the same frame as the character of Donna due to the height difference.
  
  
• Even though the show lasted for eight years in real life, the time line only went from 1976 to 1980.
  
  
• Red drove an Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser station wagon. In the later episodes he owned a blue 1960 Corvette.
  
  
• Kitty's maiden name is Sigertson.
  
  

Related Links