WARNING! This article contains major SPOILERS for That ’90s Show part 2!
Summary
Netflix’sThat ‘90s Showsets up a new teen as this generation’s version of Jackie Burkhart in Point Place, but her role forgets a key factor in the success of Mila Kunis’That ‘70s Showcharacter. With the majority of the original gang being absent from Netflix’s sequel series, thenew cast and characters ofThat ‘90s Showhavelargely assumed roles very similar to the teens fromThat ‘70s Show. For instance, Eric and Donna’s teenage daughter Leia Forman takes on a dynamic within the group that mirrors both of her parents in the original sitcom.
While the real-life and fictional couple returned for a brief cameo in season 1, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis didn’t reprise their roles asMichael Kelso and Jackie Burkhart inThat ‘90s Showseason 2. Despite their absences, Jackie and Kelso still hold important roles in the sequel series as the parents of Jay Kelso, the boyfriend of Eric and Donna’s daughter Leia. While Kelso’s son takes on a similar role to his own from the original show, Jackie’s replacement inThat ‘90s Showis still quite different, and loses a compelling part of what made her so integral toThat ‘70s Show’s gang.
That ’90s Show Has Set Up Nikki As Jackie Burkhart’s Character Replacement
Jackie’s closest parallel in That ’90s Show is Nikki
Within the new teen group dynamic,That ‘90s Showhas positioned Nikki (Sam Morelos) as its closest replacement forThat ‘70s Show’s Jackie Burkhart. While the teens tend to share traits that overlap with some of the original characters, the parallels come closest as follows: Leia is similar to Eric/Donna, Gwen is a new version of Hyde/Donna, Ozzie comes closer to Fez, Nate and Jay both overlap with Michael Kelso, and Nikki’s role is reminiscent of Jackie. However, unlike Jackie being younger than most of the group,Nikki’s age appears to be slightly older than Leiaand Gwen.
At the start ofThat ‘90s Show,Nikki parallels Jackie in that she seemingly only joined the gang because she’s Nate’s girlfriend, similar to Jackie only being “welcomed” in because she’s Kelso’s girlfriend. Of course, the rest of the gang actually enjoys hanging around Nikki, whereas Eric and Hyde disliking Jackie was no secret inThat ‘70s Show’s early seasons. Nikki and Jackie’s parallels are also furthered by their family backgrounds, as both come from seemingly wealthier homes with higher expectations of their daughters that don’t align with their chosen groups of friends.
Fez
Ozzie
Keeping up the similarities in more recent episodes,Nikki’s pregnancy scare inThat ‘90s Showpart 2mirrors Jackie’s storyline fromThat ‘70s Showseason 1, resulting in her breaking up with Kelso. Nikki also doesn’t seem to have the best relationship with her parents, leading her to go to Red and Kitty for help, much like Jackie’s relationship with the Formans in the original sitcom. However, as much asThat ‘90s Show’s Nikki repeats Jackie’s initial role, the character misses an important part of what made Jackie a more convincing member of the gang inThat ‘70s Show.
That ’90s Show Needed To Spend More Time On Nikki’s Friendship With Gwen & Leia
An important aspect of Jackie’s role inThat ‘70s Showis thatseason 1 takes time to focus on her frenemy dynamic with Donna Pinciotti, establishing her position in the gang outside her relationship with Kelso. When Jackie finally dumps Kelso after her pregnancy scare, it isn’t surprising that she’s still hanging around the gang, as she ultimately fosters an important friendship with Donna. Throughout season 1,Jackie and Donnaare bonded by being the only two girls in the gang, and learn to actually enjoy each other’s company despite often insulting one another.
That ’90s Show Part 2 Ending Explained: What’s Next For Leia & The Gang
Leia and her friends have a lot to work with in the coming episodes of That ’90s Show as the first part of season 2 comes to a chaotic close.
Among the flaws ofThat ‘70s Show’s gang is that they aren’t too ashamed to take advantage of someone they may not genuinely care for. After Kelso kisses Pam Macy and Jackie briefly breaks up with him, the gang still opts to hang out with her because of her family’s ski cabin. However,That ‘90s Showhasn’t spent enough time reiterating the reason why Nikki still hangs with the gangevery day after her breakup with Nate.
It was clear that Nikki had become friends with Leia and Gwen inThat ‘90s Showseason 1, but they weren’t shown to be best friends in the way that Donna and Jackie became.
It was clear that Nikki had become friends with Leia and Gwen inThat ‘90s Showseason 1, but they weren’t properly developed as best friends in the same way as Donna and Jackie. Rather, Nikki’s place in the friend group still appeared to be connected to her relationship with Nate.Nikki’s friendship with Gwen was primarily based on her being Nate’s sister, and Nikki hardly spoke to Leia outside their larger group hangouts. So, whenNate and Nikki’s romanceended inThat ‘90s Showpart 2, her continued presence wasn’t explained as well as Jackie’s inThat ‘70s Show.
Nikki goes shopping with Gwen and Leia in That ’90s Show part 2, episode 6, but there’s still little development in their friendships.
Nate & Nikki’s Breakup Made Her Distance From Leia & Gwen Even Worse
Nikki couldn’t rely on Leia & Gwen due to their connections to Nate
WhileThat ‘90s Showpart 2 could have used Nate and Nikki’s breakup to reinforce her friendship with Leia and Gwen, the opposite happened due toThat ‘90s Showseason 1’s ending twist. Since Leia and Nate had almost kissed, Nikki was furious with Leia and hardly spoke to her. Additionally, Gwen was caught in the middle given Nate is her brother and Leia is her best friend, so she couldn’t leap to Nikki’s side during the breakup. Though it seems likely that Nate and Nikki will get back together inThat ‘90s Showpart 3, the sitcom still needs to prioritize her friendships with Leia and Gwen.
That ’90s Show
Cast
That ’70s Show returns set two decades later with That ’90s Show, acting as a sequel but bringing back old cast favorites. Led by Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) Forman, the new cast arrives as the next generation, with the daughter of Eric and Donna, Leia Forman, leading the charge. Spending the summer with her grandparents, Leia makes new friends and forges new bonds in Point Place, Wisconsin. That ’70s Show series regulars make cameos in the show to maintain that sense of familiarity, and the show adopts the conventions of the ’90s as expected. That ’90s Show first aired on Netflix with a total of ten episodes.
