That ‘90s Show Has A Nearly Impossible Task After That ‘70s Show’s Finale

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After That ‘70s Show’s incredible finale episode, the sequel series That ‘90s Show has the nearly impossible task of a worthy follow-up ending. It’s not often that a series that has been running for eight seasons ends on a high note, with many of That ‘70s Show’s contemporary sitcoms like Seinfeld, Roseanne, Modern Family, Two and a Half Men, and How I Met Your Mother featuring controversial finales. With That ‘70s Show being one of the few from this era to have a well-liked ending, including the finale being the highest-rated episode of the series on IMDb, it would have been reasonable to hang up the towel then and there. However, with the original cast and characters returning for a direct spinoff in That ‘90s Show, the series is presented with a new challenge of living up to the original.

In recent years, reboots and spinoffs of beloved ‘90s and ‘00s sitcoms and dramas have become more and more common, with some like How I Met Your Father and Dexter returning to – intentionally or not – revive interest after a polarizing finale. While That ‘70s Show wasn’t similarly in need of a better ending, a follow-up series makes complete sense when considering the basis of the original sitcom. That ‘70s Show was a nostalgic look at 1970s teenage life, with the series debuting 20 years after the era it depicts. That ‘90s Show is thus a worthy follow-up, depicting teenage life in the 1990s as the series debuts 25 years after its depicted era.

Related: How I Met Your Father Makes That '90s Show’s Success More Likely

While the creators already tried repeating this set-up with the failed indirect spinoff That ‘80s Show, Netflix’s That ‘90s Show has an incredible asset in terms of actually being a continuation of That ‘70s Show’s