The Seventh Season

In 1998 the creators of 3rd Rock from the Sun introduced That '70s Show. It's a very hilarious sitcom that takes place in, believe it or not, the 70s. Located in a fictional suburb of Green Bay, Wisconsin known as Point Place, the series revolves around the comical daily interactions of the Forman family and their friends and neighbors. This season has twenty-five episodes and tackles focuses on relationships, new opportunities, and goodbyes. For more information about That '70s Show please refer to DVD Talk's reviews of season one, season two, season three, season four, season five, and season six.

The seventh season of That '70s Show is the second to the last. It also marks the last season with actors Topher Grace and Ashton Kutcher as full season cast members. Both return in season eight as guest stars. Regardless, season seven is not as funny as the earlier seasons. There is a definite change of direction in the writing and a shift in chemistry that takes away the hilarious punch that made the series so much fun. The comedy sometimes feels forced, overly cliched, and too dramatic, such as Hyde's dad and step-sister and Eric's directionless life. Still, there are some fun moments and the season is not a lose (as compared to the final season). The best moments come from the cast being themselves with little tie into a big picture, like "Street Fighting Man" when Eric and Red bond at a Packers game or "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" where Eric, Fez, Hyde, and Kelso smoke too much and believe the FBI is after them.

In the beginning of season seven, there are two major focuses. The first major development is Eric and Donna coming to terms with their breakup and decision to not get married. They decide that they can still be together and date on less than serious terms. Eric also decides what he wants to do with his life. For the time being, absolutely nothing. He sells Donna's engagement ring and plans to use the money to support his "year off".

The second early development and perhaps the biggest change for the season is Hyde's new family. In the season six finale, Kitty found out that Hyde's father was not his biological father. In "Let's Spend The Night Together", she arranges for Hyde to meet his real father, William Barnett (Tim Reid). Everyone is surprised when they first meet William, because he is black. Hyde also finds out he has a half-sister named Angie (Megalyn Echikunwoke).

Both William and Angie play a role in the season, although Angie more so than William. Hyde gets to know his new family and even works in the family business, a chain of record stores. I was never a huge fan of this development, as the resulting comedy felt too forced with both new characters offering little. However, there were a few genuinely fun moments like when Hyde became a suit in "It's Only Rock And Roll" or when Hyde learns Kelso is dating Angie in "Surprise, Surprise".

As the season continues, there are additional developments. Red buys the local muffler shop that went out of business. Fez gets a job at the local hair salon in "Beast Of Burden". It is a little creepy, as Fez apparently has a fetish with touching hair. This job gives him an acceptable avenue to live out those desires. He also lands a date with a girl played by Lindsay Lohan. Kelso's baby Samantha is born and he starts to re-think the way he treats women. Eric has to go back to school and take gym with Casey Kelso.

In the latter half of the season, the focus moves to the Jackie-Hyde relationship and Eric's future. Jackie starts to realize that Hyde may not want more out of their relationship. She is offered a job in Chicago and gives Hyde an ultimatum: marriage or else. Eric comes to realize in "Down The Road Apiece" what is in store for him if he does nothing with his life after meeting a thirty-something Star Wars geek. He decides to become a teacher. In order to get money for school, he signs up to teach in Africa for a year, which is hard for everyone to deal with, especially Donna.

Overall, That '70s Show's seventh season makes for a decent collection of episodes. The rich and hilarious comedy found in the show's first six seasons is missing the same punch. The comedy feels forced at times and in some cases, just not all that funny. I was never a huge fan of this season and watching the episodes again did not change that opinion. The fact of the matter is that season seven is not the show's strongest and while not the disaster that is season eight, it still is far from the series' best. Still, there are some good moments and it is definitely worth checking out.

Episode Guide

1. Time Is On My Side: Pressed by Red to come up with a life plan, Eric decides to take a year off and just hang out. Donna debuts her new look, while her dad must decide between Pam and Midge.
2. Let's Spend The Night Together: Hyde meets his biological father, Kelso awaits the birth of his child, and Eric accompanies Donna to a feminist rally at the park - then the two sneak off together to make out.
3. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction: The new, risk-taking Eric tries his hand at vandalism. Kelso becomes the proud new father of a baby girl - and realizes that fatherhood makes him more attractive to women.
4. Beast Of Burden: Hyde's father offers him a job after Hyde already accepted a job at Red's new muffler shop. Meanwhile, Fez applies to be a beauty salon's new shampoo boy.
5. It's Only Rock And Roll: Hyde starts work at his father's company, but the job soon drives him crazy. Fez's fantasy comes true when Kelso gives him his Playboy magazine collection.
6. Rip This Joint: Hyde settles into the corporate world, Kitty throws a party for herself to boost her self-esteem, and Eric's attempted prank lands him in jail.
7. Mother's Little Helper: Kitty goes on a cooking strike until Red reads The Joy of Sex. A hot new client at the beauty salon finds herself attracted to Fez - so she blows off a date with Kelso.
8. Angie: Hyde introduces the gang to Angie, his half-sister - and new co-worker. During a gossip session at the salon, Kitty lets it slip to Fez that Eric is into roller disco.
9. You Can't Always Get What You Want: Eric plans to spend Thanksgiving at a Styx concert instead of having dinner with his family. Hyde and Angie attempt to work together when they open a record store in Point Place.
10. Surprise, Surprise: Hyde is upset to discover that Angie has started dating Kelso. Donna agrees to promote Red's muffler shop on the air, until she sees the calendars he's giving away.
11. Winter: At the ladies of Point Place Christmas party, Kitty is shocked to learn that a huge bag of toys earmarked for local kids has been "stolen" from the police station.
12. Don't Lie To Me: The gang tries to get Angie to change her mind about Kelso. After posing as Donna to return her wedding shoes, Jackie starts to wonder about her own wedding plans.
13. Can't You Hear Me Knocking: While Kitty and Red are off ice fishing and the girls are taking karate lessons, the guys suspect the FBI is coming to arrest them because Kelso called the White House.
14. Street Fighting Man: Donna scores tickets to a Packers game for the whole game, which proves to be an especially powerful bonding experience for Eric and Red.
15. It's All Over Now: There's a sexy new intern at the radio station who has the guys going crazy - until she gets Donna fired. Meanwhile, Angie and Hyde prepare for Tom Jones' arrival at the record store.
16. On With The Show: Jackie gets her own public access TV show, Angie goes to great lengths to try and fit in with the gang, and Eric takes a hard look at his directionless life.
17. Down The Road Apiece: When Eric realizes that his year of doing nothing is almost over, he decides to hit the road to become a traveling documentary filmmaker - but his plan soon falls flat.
18. Oh, Baby (We Got A Good Thing Goin'): Kelso is thrilled to baby sit his daughter, but she won't stop crying. Kitty gets upset when Red practically abandons her at the auto show.
19. Who's Been Sleeping Here?: When Kelso picks Hyde and Jackie to be his daughter's godparents, it causes some tension in the group. Meanwhile, a thief keeps breaking into the record store.
20. Gimme Shelter: Fed up with his aimless existence, Eric decides he wants to become a chiropractor, but quickly realizes the profession is not all it's cracked up to be.
21. 2120 SO. Michigan Ave.: Eric learns he did not officially graduate high school due to an "incomplete" in gym class. He enrolls in summer session of Phys Ed, and his coach is none other than Casey Kelso!
22. 2000 Light Years From Home: When Eric discovers that Red spent all his college money, he must find a new way to finance his education. Meanwhile, Kelso is determined to break up with Angie.
23. Take It Or Leave It: Jackie tells Hyde she'll turn down a TV job in Chicago if he says they have a future together, while Red's old war buddy sends his son Charlie for a visit.
24. Short And Curlies: Donna comes up with the perfect going-away present for Eric. Charlie accidentally sees Kitty naked, and his attempts to apologize only make things worse.
25. Til The Next Goodbye: Everyone deals with their feelings as Eric gets ready to leave for Africa. Hyde decides to follow Jackie to Chicago - with disastrous results.

The DVD

Video:
This release is given in its original television aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame color. The picture quality is very good, providing a clear and clean picture with minor color distortions and compression artifacts. Overall, it looks substantially better than its original television broadcast presentation, providing less grain in the picture.

Audio:
The audio track in this release is given in English Dolby digital stereo surround. The audio in this release comes off fairly flat. However as with most TV on DVD releases it's not necessarily bad, as the majority of the audio is spoken dialogue. The sound quality is very good, providing an audible and clean audio track. There is also very little distinction between audio channels. This release also has subtitles in English and supports closed captioning.

Extras:
For extras, there are three audio commentaries, promo spots for each episode, and three featurettes. Here is the breakdown of the special features:

• Audio Commentaries: are included with director David Trainer for episodes "Time Is On My Side", "Angie", and "Til The Next Goodbye".
• A '70s Show Flashback: Don Stark (7:27): is an interview featurette with Don Stark. He talks about the show, his character, and his role in the show, as well as personal experiences.
• Behind the Polyester: Writing That '70s Show (7:57): is an interview featurette with executive producers Rob Des Hotel, Mark Hudis, and Dean Batali. The individuals talk about the show's writing, characters, and directions they wanted to explore.
• That Seventh '70s Season (12:36): is a montage of clips from season seven episodes. The clips are sorted in relation to specific characters and highlight important and goofy moments.
• Episode Promo Spots: are included for each episode. The season seven episodes can be watched with an optional promo spot.

Final Thoughts:
That '70s Show is a situational comedy television series about a group of teenagers and their lives in the 1970s. The show's seventh season is the second to the last and has several big developments from Hyde's biological father to Eric/Donna to Hyde/Jackie to Eric leaving Point Place. The quality of season seven is far from that of the first six with comedy that feels forced and not as genuinely funny. As an overall season, it has enough fun moments that fans of the series will get a kick out of it.