By JOHN BILLINGER
Tiger Media Network
Last January, Netflix released “That ‘90s Show,” a sequel to “That ‘70s Show.” The original show lasted from 1998 to 2006, received positive reviews and has remained popular. One might initially wonder why the sequel series decided to jump the timeline all the way to the 1990s. “What about the 1980s?” one would hypothetically ask. Well, the answer to that question is FOX already did a sort of spin-off set during the 1980s, ingeniously titled “That ‘80s Show.”
Even though this show does have a similar title to “That ‘70s Show,” it is not officially considered a spin-off. Despite this, “That ‘80s Show” had much of the same team working on it but none of the same charm as the original. As with the earlier show, they cast a group of mostly unknown actors to play the characters. The main character was played by Glenn Howerton, who would later find success in “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” The show premiered Jan. 23, 2002, lasted a grand total of 13 episodes and was canceled. And if you saw it when it aired or on YouTube, you can see why.
The plot for the show is as follows:
The setting is 1984 San Diego, and we follow a group of friends in their early 20s living their lives. The main character is Corey Howard (played by Glenn Howerton) who works at a record store and he wants to go out with his punk rock co-worker named Tuesday (played by Chyler Leigh). Another one is Corey’s best friend Eddie (played by Roger Park) who’s this yuppie-type character. There’s also Sophia, who’s Corey’s ex who has a thing for his sister. And lastly, there’s the sister in question named Katie, who’s just kinda there, not really much else to say. In addition, there are the two main adult characters, Corey’s Dad and Corey’s record store boss. And, well they just live out their lives. Not really much of a plot at the end of the day.
The main problem with the show is the jokes. Most of the jokes have the same exact punchline, “Because it’s the ’80s.” Whether it’s about how technology has advanced since then or some reference to a popular movie or show, it all comes back to the ’80s in some shape or form. For example, there’s a guy who makes a big deal about having a “portable phone” that’s the size of a brick. Get it? Because phones have advanced since then. Or the character’s drinking while watching “Dynasty.” It’s funny because that show is from the 1980s. It’s that for 20 minutes. They’re not clever or satirical; it’s just not funny. It does showcase, though, why “That ‘70s Show” worked in the first place. It worked because the setting was not the main identity. It was about the characters first, not the setting.
Speaking of the characters, they’re not much better. Another reason why “That ‘70s Show” worked was because the characters were all like people that we all either knew or met in the real world. Here, they’re tied to the ’80s setting. Take for example Eddie, the yuppie character who says stuff like, “God bless you, Ronald Reagany” or the punk-rock girl, who just one look at and you can tell what she’s supposed to be. It’s just not good writing.
For these reasons, the show failed to find an audience, got canceled quickly and ended up forgotten. Growing up, I remember my older sisters watching “That ‘70s Show,” and I never heard a thing about this show. The only time I remember hearing about it was in a scene in “Family Guy” where they were making fun of a bunch of shows FOX canned. I had no idea at the time they were referencing real shows. I thought they had made them all up.
Overall, “That ‘80s Show” is better off being forgotten. Would it have worked? Maybe, but it needed a more subtle use of its setting, more clever writing and more relatable characters. If you’re looking for a clever period comedy, I’d say look elsewhere. If you’re looking for a poorly written excuse for a show where the primary joke is just to laugh at a decade, then this is for you.
John Billinger is an FHSU student in the Informatics Department and an avid movie buff.