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The sequel to That ‘70s Show very much takes an approach of ‘If it ain’t broke … ’ As we revisit the Wisconsin basement, even new characters have the old ones’ traitsThat 90s Show (Netflix) comes shrouded in layers of nostalgia. It is a spin-off from That ’70s Show, the sitcom that ran from 1998-2006 and wrung 200 episodes out of the adventures of a group of teenagers hanging out between 1976 and 1979 in a grandparental basement in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin. So you can come to it nostalgic for the halcyon days of the late 90s to mid 00s when (I’m going to play the odds here) you were younger and happier and watching a warm-hearted comedy that launched the careers of Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Topher Grace and Laura Prepon. Or you can be nostalgic for the 1995 of the show, with all its carefully curated mid-90s sartorial and musical details. Or, as more of the old faces turn up – Debra J Rupp and Kurtwood Smith return as grandparents Kitty and Red Forman for the duration and most of the original gang make at least cameo appearances – you can lose yourself in misty reminiscences about the original show, its carefully curated version of the 70s or even (if you can bear so much brown nylon reality) the 70s themselves.The show itself sticks to the original formula. The first episode sees Eric (Grace) and Donna (Prepon) return to the homestead with their teenage daughter Leia (Callie Haverda), to find his parents much as we left them. There’s grouchy Red with a heart of gold, forever threatening to plant his foot in the behind of anyone who annoys him (at least until he gets a massage chair that transforms him into a new man). And there’s Kitty, fluttering gamely around her empty nest and eager to fill it again. Her wish is granted when Eric and Donna agree that Callie can stay for the summer. Continue reading...