Calendar Running Out on ''70s'?

By Gary Levin, USA TODAY

FOXThe cast of 'That '70s Show,' sans Ashton and Topher, hopes they can keep their show and jobs.

(Nov. 2) -- Flash back to 1998 when a nostalgic sitcom about a bunch of teens hanging out in a Wisconsin basement, starring an ensemble of unknowns, premiered on Fox amid controversy when some critics complained about a pot-smoking scene in the series pilot.

But the smoking continued, That '70s Show went on to become a big hit, and it is now the oldest live-action comedy on network TV. Wednesday, it kicks off an eighth — and almost certainly final — season with a one-hour opener (8 ET/PT).

Star Topher Grace departed in May to pursue a full-time movie career as character Eric Forman shipped off to Africa. And Ashton Kutcher, a tabloid favorite thanks to his relationship with Demi Moore, leaves Nov. 16 in an episode that features Moore's ex, Bruce Willis.

How does an aging sitcom, with a stable core cast, weather the departure of its two leading stars? "I didn't really know what to expect," says executive producer Mark Hudis, who has written for the show since the beginning. "But it turned out to be much easier than we thought."

"It's like growing up, and two of them went to college," says Debra Jo Rupp, who plays Eric's mom Kitty. "So there's that adjustment period (with) the empty bedrooms."

Now, plotlines shift to remaining characters and producers promise a return to the "looser feel" of earlier seasons. In the past few years, "it feels like we put a lot more emphasis on relationship arcs than we had early on," Hudis says, as Jackie Burkhart (Mila Kunis), Hyde (Danny Masterson) and other characters coupled and uncoupled. Gone is the "emotional center" of the show, Eric's relationship with neighbor Donna Pinciotti (Laura Prepon).

Instead, Jackie and Fez (Wilmer Valderrama) move in as roommates, and Hyde — still living with the Formans — returns from Las Vegas with a surprise.

'70s has more retro action ahead: Later this season Mary Tyler Moore returns to the studio where her own celebrated '70s series was filmed for a three-episode arc as a tough news anchor.

And Josh Meyers joins the cast as Randy, a new member of the gang initially hired to work at Hyde's record store. Hudis says Meyers (Mad TV) captures Kutcher's "manic energy" and plays an easygoing, confident foil. "Where Eric was a guy a little unsure of himself and awkward with women, Randy's the opposite," says Hudis. He even catches Donna's eye.

"He's kind of a combination between Topher and Ashton," Rupp says. "He's got the big hair, which would be Ashton. And he's very dry, which is Topher. So he's kind of doing both of them."

Fox hasn't yet confirmed that this is '70s last season, but the cast was signed to one-year deals last spring. Absent a huge ratings spike, producers and stars are convinced the show will end in May.

"Unless it is in the top five, it becomes financially unfeasible" to continue, Hudis says. "This is the last season, so everybody is just having fun," says Kunis, who was 14 when she filmed the pilot.

Meantime, '70s leaves a legacy: Reviving Fox's comedy chops, then limited to cartoons; spawning a poor cousin in 2002's short-lived That '80s Show; turning Kutcher and Grace into stars; and raising hackles with those pot scenes, which reappear in tonight's premiere.

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I'm not sure what exactly they're doing, but the season premiere was last night, and it was funny as hell. That new guy (Josh Meyers) looks like he'll fit in well. Eric wasn't a huge loss, especially since his character is still in the show, just away... in Africa. Kelso might be a bigger loss, but if this Josh Meyers guy can handle it, who knows.

The last couple seasons got a little stale. Too much relationship BS, not enough funny. If last nights show was any indication though, the writers have once again found their funny.

(I had no idea this was the longest running live action comedy on TV right now...)

yeah, i thought it was a damn good episode too. i was impressed.

I might have to start watching again.

Love the reruns,I see them everyday...and I catch a new episode every now and then.

meh... it had its day in the sun... its hard to tell when it jumped the shark, but it has.

No it hasnt.

well... that's your opinion.

two of its main characters are gone... the two who pretty much provided most of the star power. as much as i like Hyde and Jackie and Fez, the group is broken and the shark has been jumped.

No it hasnt. Things change. Doesnt mean the die from change. They also introduced a new guy who is pretty cool. Looks like its up and up. your entitled to your wrong opinion though.

introducing new, "hip" characters is one way to know a show has jumped.

Incorrect. Sorry.

"In TV, "jump the shark" moments follow a noticeable change in the show, such as a main cast member leaving or a change in setting, which are subsequently quoted as the marker point signifying when the show's decline started. Frequently "jump the shark" is used to describe a series that has undergone drastic changes as a result of a ratings decline that has already occurred, especially when the changes do little to halt or reverse this decline."

~wiki

incorrect.
in·cor·rect ( P ) Pronunciation Key (nk-rkt)
adj.
Not correct; erroneous or wrong: an incorrect answer.
Defective; faulty: incorrect programming of the computer.
Improper; inappropriate: incorrect behavior.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=incorrect

By the way jump the shark means it took a turn for the worst. Note I got my entry from a dictionary and you got yours from a silly source like a Wikipedia Ha ha haaa I could write a wiki if I want to on anything.

The show has taken a turn for the worst. Donna is blonde, for crying out loud. WTF OMG!!!!!!!111!!one

I don't usually care much for blondes. Donna makes a h-o-t blonde.

Not as hot as she was as a redhead, in my humble opinion.

agreed... more evidence of jumping the shark.

I think it has less to do with the show, and more to do with the woman herself. I saw her in something else not that long ago, and her hair was blonde...likely it was a personal choice, not a mechanic of the show.

Youre alone in your opinion, as usual. Maybe because its wrong. Sorry.