Ranking Every Cameo In That '90s Show From Worst To Best
Luckily for fans of "That '70s Show," almost every actor from the show's original main cast (Except for Hyde, as actor Danny Masterson is currently facing criminal charges of sexual assault) appear on the new spin-off "That '90s Show" in at least one scene. Some of the original "That '70s Show" actors, like Wilmer Valderrama and Laura Prepon, even reprised their old roles for multiple episodes.
Appearances from the original characters answered many questions the original "That '70s Show" leaves hanging. Ever wonder if Donna got the career success she always wanted? Now you can find out. Need to know what happened between Jackie and Fez? "That '90s Show" has the answers.
Most importantly, there are delightful moments of nostalgia for fans of the old show. What's especially great about all of the cameos in "That '90s Show" is that they don't steal too much focus away from the new characters. It also helps that Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) and Red (Kurtwood Smith) are back as full series regulars. This show just wouldn't feel like a sequel to "That '70s Show" without them hosting hijinks in their basement all season.
10. Jim Rash as Fenton
There's nothing wrong with Jim Rash's cameo in "That '90s Show." In "That '70s Show," Rash originated the role of Fenton, who pops up at various points throughout the series. For instance, he sells an engagement ring to Eric at one point. His most important job on "That '70s Show," though, is playing a hilarious, overdramatic adversary to Fez when the plot calls for eccentric hijinks.
Rash's return as Fenton in "That '90s Show" is fun to watch, and it's cool to see him getting a little more recognition for this small, scene-stealing role thanks to his increased popularity and appreciation due to his work on "Community" and other projects. But he's also the least important cameo in the whole season.
Don't get us wrong, it's great that Fez gets a chance for some actual character growth 15 years after the end of "That '70s Show" by swallowing his pride and reaching a truce with Fenton in order to continue dating the Formans' new neighbor, Sherri, and Rash is a great comedic performer as always. But there are just too many other delightful cameos to rank Fenton higher than this.
9. Laura Prepon as Donna Pinciotti
Laura Prepon's Donna is pretty much never the best part of "That '70s Show." Prepon had some good lines, and she represented the effects of second-wave feminism on young women in the 1970s, but most of her role consisted of serving as a voice of reason to Eric, Jackie, and the rest of the gang. It's nice to see her again, and fun to hear that she's found success in her adult life as an author. Eric and Donna are off and on for a lot of "That '70s Show," and a lot of the time it feels like Donna is getting the raw end of the deal in their relationship, so it's a relief to find that Eric doesn't stand in the way of her ambition in the end.
That being said, Prepon's cameos in "That '90s Show" aren't particularly exciting. She plays Leia's mother and shows up in three different episodes — more than any of the others from the original basement gang. Donna's best moment is definitely when she drives all the way to Point Place from Chicago mostly in the breakdown lane in order to talk to Leia before she has sex. It was all a misunderstanding — Kitty sounds the alarm without realizing that Leia is trying to find out if Ozzie can safely come out to her grandmother, but it's still a tender mother-daughter moment and callback to Donna's experiences with sex and love in the original show.
8. Mila Kunis as Jackie Burkhart
The worst part about Mila Kunis' cameo in Episode 1 as original "That '70s Show" character Jackie Burkhart is that it's so brief. Monetarily, Mila Kunis is the second most successful former cast member having a projected net worth of $75 million dollars, so it makes sense that her cameo is short and to the point. That also means that it's not one of the more exciting appearances on "That '90s Show."
In Episode 1, we find out that Jackie and Kelso have a son together — one of the new main characters, Jay Kelso — and are headed to their second re-marriage ceremony. (They explain that they've already been married and divorced twice in the past 15 years.) It's easy to see that Kunis and Kutcher are there for old time's sake; both are only on screen for a few minutes and neither of them commit all that much to keeping a straight face.
Jackie was actually one of the most deceptively funny characters on "That '70s Show," and we get plenty of signature Jackie Burkhart sass in Kunis' cameo, but it's a shame she didn't stick around a little longer. Jay mentions his mother and father from time to time throughout "That '90s Show," though, so it feels like they're there in spirit.
7. Brian Austin Green as David Silver from Beverly Hills, 90210
Brian Austin Green is the only actor on this list to make an appearance on "That '90s Show" without having been a part of "That '70s Show." Instead of reprising an old role from "That '70s Show," Brian Austin Green surprised fans by popping up in Episode 6 to play his iconic "Beverly Hills, 90210" character, David Silver. (Well, sometimes he's playing himself, but most of the time he's playing himself playing David Silver inside a teenage girl's daydream. Now and again, "That '90s Show" gets complicated.")
"That '70s Show" used to feature cameos from celebrities whose names are synonymous with the 1970s, like disco singer Gloria Gaynor, Eve Plumb (Jan in "The Brady Bunch"), Charo, and many others. While Brian Austin Green was never on "That '70s Show," he still represents a callback to one of the show's signature motifs.
Leia Forman spends the beginning of Episode 6 finishing a "Beverly Hills, 90210" marathon. Upon being forced to confront her feelings about her flirty friend Jay, Leia has a fantasy wherein she and her friends are the characters on the 1990s teenage soap opera. Brian Austin Green is funny as a nearly 50-year-old man playing a high school freshman in the scenarios Leia and her friends dream up, and it wouldn't have really been "That '90s Show" without at least one killer '90s cameo.
6. Topher Grace as Eric Forman
Eric Forman may be annoying a lot of the time and absent for the final season of "That '70s Show," but he's still the beating heart of the series. Not only is he the reason the gang can hang out in Red and Kitty's basement and the first of them to get a car, but he is also the link that originally connects the first few friends in their group.
It makes sense, then, that he would be a central figure in Episode 1 and that his daughter with Donna would be the main protagonist in "That '90s Show." As soon as Eric enters the scene, it feels almost like no time at all has passed. The only thing about his physical appearance that's really different is the age on his face — his hair looks almost exactly the same. His dynamic with Red is still funny, but it's nice to see that it's also evolved to a certain level of peace. Of course, Eric is still obsessed with "Star Wars."
Unfortunately, Eric has not completely evolved past his old selfishness, and it's annoying to see that he's still oblivious to a lot of efforts from both Donna and his mother. In the end, Eric redeems himself by accepting his daughter's wish to stay in Point Place, but he's definitely still the same mix of endearing and frustrating that we remember from the fictional '70s.
5. Don Stark as Bob Pinciotti
Bob Pinciotti is one of the few "That '70s Show" characters with a 1970s-style entrance catchphrase. As soon as audiences hear his booming Wisconsin drawl, "Hey 'dare, hi 'dare, ho 'dare!" they know exactly what to expect; specifically, Don Stark's hilarious portrayal of Donna's kind-but-tacky father, Bob. Stark only appears in one episode, but Bob's there for a while to visit for his granddaughter's birthday, so we get a lot of good Bob moments in "That '90s Show."
Bob represents a perfect emotional foil for Red's grumpy stoicism and a constant test of Kitty's otherwise unwavering patience. The unspoken competition between Red and Bob to give Leia the best birthday gift feels like old times, and Red's lament that Eric married the one girl in the world whose father is Bob Pinciotti is a great line. Red feels like he could never get rid of Bob before Donna and Eric were married, and now he will literally never not have Bob in his life.
There's still a lot of fondness that shows between Bob and Red and Kitty; Bob is a very old friend of theirs. But Red will probably go to the grave denying any love for the permed Pinciotti. The real highlight of Bob's cameo, though, is the scene at Leia's birthday party where he dedicates a song on Leia's new karaoke machine to his granddaughter, only to accidentally queue up "I'll Make Love to You" by Boyz II Men.
4. Ashton Kutcher as Michael Kelso
Ashton Kutcher's Michael Kelso appears only about a minute more than Kunis' Jackie in "That '90s Show," but there's a reason Kelso is considered the funniest character on "That '70s Show" by many fans. His dynamic with Red and Kitty is very funny. Red absolutely loathes Kelso and Kitty thinks he's a dreamboat, which he is. It's very fun to see the one-two punch of Kelso popping in through the backdoor and horrifying Red while throwing a flirty "hey girl" to Kitty.
It's easy to see the resemblance between Kelso and his son Jay, and the dynamic between Jackie and Kelso in their cameo sparks all of the old magic and chemistry of their relationship in "That '70s Show." Like Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher has been pretty successful since leaving "That '70s Show" before Season 8; he currently has an estimated net worth of $200 million, which would make him the wealthiest of any of the former "That '70s Show" cast members.
The only downside of Kelso's appearance is that it's short, and the downside of both his and Jackie's is that we don't get to see them interact with Eric, Donna, or Fez. It's kind of a shame that there isn't a callback circle for the old gang, but hopefully that's something we can look forward to in the all-but-confirmed Season 2 (Forbes).
3. Wilmer Valderrama as Fez
It's not surprising that the character who returns for the most screen time in "That '90s Show" (aside from Kitty and Red) is Fez. Wilmer Valderrama, who now stars on "NCIS" as a series regular, returns to the role of Fez seamlessly. Fez, who has now found success as the owner of a salon in Point Place called Chez Fez, fits in the 1990s even better than he did in the 1970s, especially with his shiny gold revolver pendant and trendy, asymmetrical haircut.
He's the only one of the old basement gang to have a real arc in "That '90s Show." Initially, Fez is introduced first as the mysterious, blue Miata-driving love interest of Sherri, the mother to Gwen and Nate who fills the Bob-shaped void of intrusive neighbor for Red and Kitty. It's interesting to see Red and Kitty find out that Fez is the man Sherri has been seeing. They're surprised, but they've also still been living in the same town as Fez for the past 15 years. It's a good reminder that these characters aren't as exciting to each other as they are to the audience.
The best part of his role in the show comes when he joins some of the teens in the circle to reflect on his situation with Sherri. In that same episode, Donna is there to pick up Leia, and we get to see the two of them for a brief moment together in the basement once again.
2. The Vista Cruiser
Okay, so the Vista Cruiser is obviously not a sentient character, but it's the most iconic prop from "That '70s Show," and its reveal in Episode 6 is one of the most joyful moments of "That '90s Show." Season 1 of "That '70s Show" kicks off with Red begrudgingly granting his old car, the Vista Cruiser, to Eric after buying a new Toyota. A lot of the early seasons of the show center on the Vista Cruiser as a part of Eric's complicated relationship with Red.
Throughout much of "That '70s Show," the car is used as a reward and punishment by Eric's parents, and as a way for Red to measure Eric's growth and responsibility (sometimes unfairly). It makes a lot of sense that he would now gift that same car to his granddaughter after it was such an important part of his relationship with his son, and the way he gives it to Leia is infinitely more tender and loving than the way he gave it to Eric back in the 1970s.
The Vista Cruiser's biggest role in "That '70s Show," though, was always as a resource for the gang and a regular spot for romance. Seeing Leia and Jay cruising in the car, having just decided to start a new romance, is beautifully reminiscent of all of the big moments the Vista Cruiser facilitated for Eric and Donna in their own young love story.
1. Tommy Chong as Leo
Tommy Chong wasn't around for every season of "That '70s Show." Chong actually spent some time in prison (for a non-violent, paraphernalia-related "crime") during the show's run. But whenever he was hanging out in Point Place, he was usually one of the funniest people in any given scene. His character, Leo, begins his time on "That '70s Show" as a mentor-uncle-type to Hyde and a useful, constant, unspoken reference to weed when the show has to be careful about discussing drugs.
Leo is probably the best supporting character ever on "That '70's Show," and even appears in the opening credits as a series regular in a few of the show's eight seasons. Leo first appears when Leia, desperate to maintain a good rapport with her new friends in Point Place, goes to his house in search of a copy of the movie "Clerks."
Luckily, Kitty is with Leia when they knock on Leo's door and reunites with a weird old friend who used to hang out with her son and his cohort, despite being much older than them. (Shout out to Kitty's muttered, "They would have said something..." after she realizes that Leo's friendship with the gang sounds pretty shady.) Leo scores some of the best laughs on "That '90s Show," especially when he returns later on and runs into Jay and Leia in the woods. Leia sees Leo and greets him with his name, to which he responds, "Good guess!"