That 70’s Show….Not So Much

I like to consider myself to be a pretty good expert on the 70’s. I was born in 1966 and have a good memory of the 70’s. This was, after all, my childhood. So, for my first bog on That 70’s Blog, I’ve decided to rant about something that really sticks in my craw. That 70’s Show.

I’ve been watching That 70’s Show on DVD and I just got the 7th Season DVD set. Ok, when this show first started, I thought it was stupid. In fact, I used to call it That Stupid Show. Then the same folks that brought us That 70’s Show decided the time was right for the same thing but only focusing on the 80’s. Thus That 80’s Show was born. Or as I called it, That Even More Stupid, Stupid Show.

So any way, I have started watching the 7th season and the same old problems with this series keeps popping up. For anyone familiar with this show, the series begins in May of 1976. Ok, that’s the first major problem. Why is it that practically every 70’s nostalgia movie, mini-series and now sitcom always begins in 1976? Did 1970-75 have zero nostalgia value? Did nothing of any significance happen in the first five years of the decade? And considering that this show lasted eight seasons, I think it would have been much better served had it started in 1971. I happen to think that the entire decade was pretty fascinating. But, that’s just me.

Anyway, the series begins in May 1976. Now, the time line was noticeably slowed down. This is something that both MASH and Happy Days did as well. This isn’t a problem, per se. It usually happens with any period television show. The show lasts longer than the time period that it is set in. So, by the early part of the sixth season the show finally arrived at the final year of the 70’s: 1979. The seventh season also begins in 1979. That’s all fine and good, but as usual with this show, they don’t stick to the time line in the writing.

Let me illustrate. Ok, in Wisconsin in 1976 or even in 1979 (I was raised in Indiana, so I can certainly relate to the mid-west in the 70’s) believe me no one but no one walked around saying ‘awesome.’ We used terms like, ‘out-a-sight,’ ‘right on,’ and the ever popular ‘far out.’ I don’t know where these writers came up with that. Pre 80’s teens did not say things like ‘awesome.’ Maybe they did in New York or California, but not Wisconsin. It’s not just the whole ‘awesome’ thing either. I don’t know where the writers came up with this whole ‘burn’ expression that is constantly shouted at least once every episode. The expression was ‘burnt’ not ‘burn.’ Anyone growing up in the mid-west in the 70’s knows that. I mean, come on people do a little bit of research. It’s not hard to write period sounding dialogue for these characters. It really pulls me out of the show when I hear post 70’s cliché’s and phrases in a show that supposed to be in the 70’s.

This brings me to my next pet peeve about this show. When the show first went on the air, it tried so VERY hard to be 70’s. There was always some ridiculous reference to something 70’s that it felt like I was being hit over the head with a hammer. Ok, it’s the 70’s. I get it. Stop trying to ram it down my throat. The show was at its best when it wasn’t trying so self consciously to be 70’s. That’s when the show usually achieved its goal and wound up being very 70’s. In the 7th season however, the show has all but superficially stopped being 70’s. More and more references to non 70’s things are popping up. For example, one character (Hyde, I think) mentioned to Eric that the most embarrassing thing Eric ever wore was an Air Supply T-shirt to an Aerosmith concert. Air Supply?!? Air Supply?!? To use a more modern term, an Air Supply T-shirt in the 70’s…NOT! Yes, Air Supply did release their first album in 1976…in Australia! Hello! Research people. Research! The joke, first of all, wasn’t that funny. Secondly, it would have been just as effective had they mentioned wearing a Carpenters T-shirt, a John Denver T-shirt, a Barry Manilow T-shirt, a Starland Vocal Band T-shirt or almost any soft rock group from the 70’s. Anything but Air Supply. This kind of shoddy writing happens all too frequently on this show. The writers really need to be slapped for these really obvious blunders. I won’t even discuss a passing reference to the 1980 book, The Jane Fonda Workout Book. Just sloppy.

Finally we get to another big problem with this show. The props. Ok, for the most part I will give the show its due when it comes to props. They do a pretty good job of sticking to the period. With one glaring exception: The Star Wars toys. Nope. Not even close. Come on, with tens of thousands of vintage Star Wars toys lying around, and the producers couldn’t be bothered with trying to be historically accurate? What’s the deal? One episode even had Eric looking at his Star Wars figures in a Millennium Falcon figures carrying case. Sorry, but that’s a 90’s item. Once again, research, research, research.

Most, if not all, of these problems could have and should have been fixed before the script was even given to the actors. 90% of this shows problems is just sloppy writing and a serious lack of research. I mean, how hard is it to find a few people who actually grew up in Wisconsin from 1976-79 and talk to them? How about opening up a 1978 Sears, Wards or JC Penny Christmas catalog to see what the original Star Wars toys looked like? This is not difficult stuff people. In fact, I would almost think that doing research to get the period right would have been essential for this show to be believable. Maybe I’m wrong. Perhaps it just indicative of the general laziness of television productions today. That whole mentality of get it on and get it on quick. Forget making it historically accurate. That all important young demographic doesn’t care about history or if the show is accurate. And above all, forget about making it intelligent.

I guess this show bothers me because I’m a true fan of the 70’s and I’ve done research on the period. I’ve tried to learn all that I can about this period, and not just as part of our nation’s history, but because it is part of my own personal history. Also, I think the 70’s were just cool. Sadly, That 70’s Show doesn’t show the period as cool or even interesting. I’m sure true 50’s aficionados felt the same way when Happy Days went on the air. I was too young to notice if there were any glaring historical inaccuracies with Happy Days. I’m sure that there were. After all, this is television.