The Eighth and Final 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. 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, season six, and season seven.

Season eight of That '70s Show is the show's final episodes. It is not the best representation of the series, as two lead actors Topher Grace and Ashton Kutcher left the show. In short, season eight is not all laughs. While there are still some fun moments, the goofy, slapstick comedy we have come to know and love feels forced at times. The problems come from a combination of uninteresting events and a couple new characters that do not bring much to the series.

The season begins with a lot of changes for the cast. At the close of season seven, Hyde walked in on Jackie and Kelso in a comprising situation. Hyde disappeared and returns to Point Place a married man. While in a drunken stupor, he married Samantha, a stripper. She comes to Point Place to as new reoccurring character who helps introduce some awkward situations that tend not to be funny. Despite Hyde finding love, everything goes back to normal.

About the same time Hyde returns to Point Place, he hires Randy (Josh Meyers) to work at the record store. Randy quickly integrates into the Point Place bunch and replaces Eric/Kelso. (Eric left at the end of season seven to go to Africa.) In the first few episodes, Kelso is still present. He continues to offer laughs with his dumb as bricks personality. However, he departs from the show after losing his job as a cop and deciding to move to Chicago to be closer to his daughter.

After the initial episodes and the new changes settle, it is business as usual for the Point Place crew. Hyde explores married life with his sultry wife. Fez obsesses over the opposite sex and even gets a couple girlfriends -- one of which is an older woman. Donna deals with her long distance relationship with Eric -- which goes does not work out. Randy quickly fits into the group and starts a relationship with Donna. Jackie has a short-lived career in television with an annoying talk show host and realizes she is in love with Fez. Red retires and sells his muffler shop. Kitty continues to be overly neurotic and supportive to everyone. Leo does lots of drugs and says weird things that make everyone laugh.

Overall, the season's events continue to offer a similar goofiness as past seasons. However as previously mentioned, the comedy is not as rich. There are many times when the comedy feels too forced and just too ridiculous. The problem lies in the absence of Eric and Kelso. While Randy can be funny at times, he does not have the same genuine chemistry as Eric and Kelso had with the rest of the cast. His installment did not seem natural. Samantha is a terrible character. She brings almost nothing to the show and thankfully, appears on a limited basis.

The bottom line is that without Topher Grace and Ashton Kutcher, That '70s Show is missing two of its greatest characters. As a direct consequence, a huge part of what made the show so much is fun is gone. The new characters and the direction of the final season's plotlines did not work for the best. In the end, this season is best reserved for the die hard fans.

Episode Guide

1. Bohemian Rhapsody: Kitty is making a tape for Eric, and there's a lot to report: Jackie wants to make up with Hyde, but Hyde finds out the hard way that what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay there.
2. Somebody to Love: Hyde hires some new help after Leo turns the record store into a hippie haven, and Jackie, out for a night on the town, reveals some hidden assets.
3. You're My Best Friend: With Fez, Kelso, and Leo in charge, it's no surprise that Hyde's bachelor party goes horribly awry. Meanwhile, Jackie is upset by Donna's new friendship with Sam.
4. Misfire: Kelso's marriage proposal to Jackie is jeopardized when he gets an offer he can't refuse.
5. Stone Cold Crazy: Things get hot when Kitty tries to spice up her love life with Rd, and Donna finds herself in a compromising position when some racy photos fall into the wrong hands.
6. Long Away: Jackie and Fez get nosy when they suspect that Donna is cheating on Eric. Elsewhere, Leo's surprising part earns him Red's unlikely respect.
7. Fun It: Fatso the Clown has the last laugh when Randy leads the gang on a caper to steal the mascot from a local burger joint.
8. Good Company: Donna's birthday is full of surprises, but no one is more surprised than Kitty when Fez begins dating an old nemesis of hers.
9. Who Needs You: Hyde and Sam find good reason to squabble while Donna hosts an on-air fundraiser. Meanwhile, Jackie patches things up with Fez's landlord after flooding his apartment.
10. Sweet Lady: Donna questions Randy's motives when he invites her for a weekend at his parents' cabin, and Jackie finds out that there's no business quite like show business.
11. Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy: Jackie finds that the way to her new boss's heart is through her stomach, but Kitty wants credit where credit is due. Meanwhile, Leo has a surprising new crush.
12. Killer Queen: It's Valentine's Day, and while Red shares his secret stash with Hyde, Donna asks Randy out on a date. Elsewhere, Jackie and Fez pretend to be a couple, but their plan backfires.
13. Spread Your Wings: Donna's relationship with Randy is taking off, but memories of Eric keep her grounded, and Fez gets the shaft when he lies about having an extravagant lifestyle.
14. Son and Daughter: Hyde throws a party while house-sitting for his father and accidentally breaks a prized Peter Frampton guitar. Meanwhile, Kitty objects to Donna's relationship with Randy.
15. Keep Yourself Alive: As the gang scours the woods looking for Kitty's lost ring, Donna and Randy try to get some alone time and Fez makes a new friend.
16. My Fairy King: Hyde is surprised when Samantha's past comes back to haunt her -- in the form of her other husband. In the meantime, Jackie finally finds the man of her dreams... Fez!
17. Crazy Little Thing Called Love: While Hyde an Randy help Red adjust to retirement, Jackie strives to cope with her feelings for Fez, who is suddenly single again.
18. We Will Rock You: As Kitty and Red meet their new neighbors, things get hot for Jackie, Fez, Donna and Randy at Hyde's "disco sucks" bonfire. Burn, baby, burn!
19. Sheer Heart Attack: Fez announces that he's finally found the right girl for him, and it's not Jackie. Elsewhere, Red turns pusher where Hyde helps him sell his unneeded heart pills.
20. Leaving Home Ain't Easy: Bob returns from Florida with some surprising news, and Donna has second thoughts about her relationship with Randy. Meanwhile, it's an ugly situation when Jackie takes her revenge on Fez.
21. Love of My Life: While the Formans show their home to potential buyers, Hyde experiences a fundamental change of heart. Meanwhile, Jackie knows it's now or never when Fez decides to move home.
22. That '70s Finale: It's New Year's Eve, and the gang's all here, ready to big farewell to the '70s and party like it's, well, 1979.

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:

• Audio Commentaries: are included for "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Keep Yourself Alive", "We Will Rock You", and "That '70s Finale". All of which star David Trainer.
• A '70s Show Flashback: Tommy Chong (4:57): is a short featurette with Tommy Chong, who plays Leo. He briefly talks about his experience on the show, impact to the 70s culture, and more. There are also several clips from season 8 that highlight Leo being Leo.
• A '70s Show Flashback: Josh Meyers (4:35): is a short interview featurette with Josh Meyers, who plays Randy. He talks about being the new guy on the show and impressions. The featurette is supplemented with clips from season 8.
• Season 8 in 8 Minutes (8:01): is a montage of clips from season 8 that highlight major plotline developments.
• That '70s Set Tour with Director David Trainer (11:34): is just as the title states, a tour. David Trainer goes behind the scenes to reveal the sets for the Foreman's house and water tower.
• That '70s Show Through the Years: A Retrospective (24:06): is a sequence of short interviews with the main cast. Each interview runs for approximately three minutes. They can be watched individually or via play all option. The segments include: "Topher Grace is Eric Forman", "Mila Kunis is Jackie Burkhart", "Ashton Kutcher is Michael Kelso", "Danny Masterson is Steven Hyde", "Laura Prepon is Donna Pinciotti", "Wilmer Valderrama is Fez", "Debra Jo Rupp & Kurtwood Smith are Kitty & Red Forman", and "Don Stark is Bob Pinciotti".
• Episode Promo Spots: are included for each episode. The season eight episodes can be watched with an optional promo spot.

Final Thoughts:
That '70s Show's eighth season represents the series' final episodes. This season was not as well embraced by fans and quite frankly because it wasn't as good. The problem lies in the loss of Topher Grace and Ashton Kutcher from the lineup. A couple new characters were brought on to fill the void, but neither brought the same level of comedy as the Grace or Kutcher. In the end, season eight turned out to be a decent season at best. There are still some laughs, but there are also far too many dry moments.