4 votes

That '90s Show | Official trailer

4 comments

  1. [3]
    lou
    (edited )
    Link
    Discussion on the previous trailer. I was going to post this great video about the short-lived That '80s Show spinoff when I saw the new trailer and decided to post this instead. Nickelodeon vibes...

    Discussion on the previous trailer.

    I was going to post this great video about the short-lived That '80s Show spinoff when I saw the new trailer and decided to post this instead.

    • Nickelodeon vibes are confirmed.
      • "If you're worried about fitting in with everyone else, you found the people who don't fit in." Is this a Disney movie?
    • Debra Jo Rupp (Kitty) aged really well!
    • This looks like one of those shows where the protagonist is the least interesting character.
    • When the kids get high, they don't look high at all. And the CG smoke is really bad. How hard is it to get a smoke machine into the set?
    • I want a show about Fez running a beauty parlor.
    • Again: where are the 90s? It can be done!

    On a more serious note, I wonder if this show can work at all. The 1970s were revered and idealized in the decades since, there's an aura of innocence, idealism, and experimentation surrounding it. Not to mention great music. 1960s and 1970s nostalgia is really strong. 80s and 90s? Sure, there are lots of things I cherish from those decades, but they don't seem to have the same universal allure.

    3 votes
    1. [2]
      Wes
      Link Parent
      I remember finding That '80s Show really unfunny when it aired. Like the video says, the chemistry was all wrong and there was no reason to care about the characters at all. But it was also on for...

      I was going to post this great video about the short-lived That '80s Show spinoff

      I remember finding That '80s Show really unfunny when it aired. Like the video says, the chemistry was all wrong and there was no reason to care about the characters at all. But it was also on for such a short period that I really don't remember much about it.

      I'm not sure I completely agree with the video author that a spinoff has to choose between a faithful recreation and doing its own thing. I think a show probably could straddle the line, if the writing is strong enough. I don't think Frasier worked because it was such a departure from Cheers. I think Frasier worked because it's simply a well-put together show.

      One example of a show that does straddle the line successfully is Better Call Saul. It's similar in tone to Breaking Bad, and there are direct story connections, but the focus and characters are still different enough to give it its own identity. And the show is great. Both BB and BCS have some of the best writing on TV - not to mention their beautiful cinematography.

      I think that perhaps "choosing a lane" is useful advice if deciding what kind of show a spinoff should be, but it's not a hard and fast rule for making good TV.

      4 votes
      1. lou
        Link Parent
        More than anything, a sitcom must be funny. There were seemingly not enough good jokes in the entire season to fill a 2min25s trailer. That's bad.

        More than anything, a sitcom must be funny. There were seemingly not enough good jokes in the entire season to fill a 2min25s trailer. That's bad.

        1 vote
  2. Wes
    Link
    The first trailer piqued my interest, but this one makes me think the show probably isn't for me. Maybe it's the pseudo-inspirational lines, or the mandatory format every trailer must take, but...

    The first trailer piqued my interest, but this one makes me think the show probably isn't for me. Maybe it's the pseudo-inspirational lines, or the mandatory format every trailer must take, but nothing presented in this one felt interesting to me. The jokes were drawn out and forced, and the whole thing felt overly safe.

    Hopefully I'm wrong and the show does provide some value. Or, to be more charitable, hopefully it provides value to someone, even if they're not me.

    2 votes