WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for That ’90s Show part 2!
Summary
One line inThat ‘90s Showseason 2 suggests that within the sitcom’s universe, a beloved originalThat ‘70s Showcharacter has passed away.That ‘90s Showseason 2’s castbrings back moreThat ‘70s Showstars and ‘90s celebrities for cameos, withBob Pinciotti (Don Stark) officially moving back to Point Placewhile Leia Forman briefly gets a job working for Eric’s former nemesis Mitch Miller (Seth Green). As fun as it is to catch up with these iconic characters in a new decade,That ‘90s Showhas still left the fates of some important original figures ambiguous.
Presumably due to real-life circumstances with the original actors,That ‘90s Showhas avoided revealing what happened to a few majorThat ‘70s Showcharacters missing from the sequel show. Most notably, the show hasyet to explicitly mention where Steven Hyde, Laurie Forman, and Midge Pinciotti areduringThat ‘90s Show’s timeline, despite the fact that Kitty and Red effectively raised the former, Laurie is Leia’s aunt, and Midge is Leia’s grandmother. However, a line from Kitty inThat ‘90s Showseason 2 may have confirmed the latter character’s fate.
That ’90s Show Subtly Hints That Midge Pinciotti Died
A comment by Kitty may have revealed Midge’s fate
InThat ‘90s Showseason 2, episode 2, Bob Pinciotti announces that he’s looking to buy the house across the street from Red and Kitty in Point Place. In response to this,Kitty states, “Then all [Leia’s] grandparents would be in one place,” referring to herself, Red, and Bob. However, there’s still one grandparent missing from this equation: Midge Pinciotti, Donna’s mother. Thedeath of Midge’s original actress Tanya Robertsin 2021 explains why the character isn’t present in the Netflix sitcom, but it wasn’t clear howThat ‘90s Showwould apply this sad news to her beloved character.
The death of Midge’s original actress Tanya Roberts in 2021 explains why the character isn’t present in the Netflix sitcom, but it wasn’t clear how That ‘90s Show would apply this sad news to her beloved character.
While the series could have gone the alternate routes of recasting Midge or explaining her absence by – like the reason forMidge’s exit inThat ‘70s Show– revealing she moved far away,Kitty’s line implies that Midge Pinciotti is dead inThat ‘90s Show. If Bob, Kitty, and Red encompass “all the grandparents” of Leia inThat ‘90s Show, then it seems the sitcom has finally given an answer to Midge’s fate. However, that still leaves more questions regarding how the characters dealt with this tragedy afterThat ‘70s Show’s ending.
That ‘90s Show Just Officially Erased Donna’s Sisters
The existence of Donna’s sisters was largely ignored in That ’70s Show, but 1 That ’90s Show line from Red confirms they have been erased for good.
That ’90s Show Part 3 Needs To Directly Address Midge Pinciotti’s Fate
That ’90s Show can’t ignore this important part of Donna’s story
Despite the comment by Kitty, what exactly happened to Midge still isn’t answered byThat ‘90s Showpart 2’s ending. This leaves a big question forThat ‘90s Showpart 3 answer, especially regardinghow Donna has coped with the presumed loss of her motherand how Midge’s fate has impacted her own relationship with Leia. Midge and Donna’s relationship was an important part of Laura Prepon’s character development inThat ‘70s Show, so it’s not an event that can simply be glossed over or indirectly referred to inThat ‘90s Show.
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.
