MovieChat Forums > Freaks and Geeks (1999) Discussion > That 70s Show?

That 70s Show?

posted 9 years ago by Ace_Spade
10 replies | jump to latest

Anybody find this show to be the hour-long drama version of That 70s Show? It's set in a past decade, focuses on the tricky navigation of teenage social life (plus a little bit from the parents). It has the trappings of the era, but has the basic undercurrent of "teenage life has always been this way, pretty much".

On top of all that, the episode where vice-president Bush shows up in Freaks and Geeks is almost beat-for-beat the episode where president Ford shows up in That 70s Show.

Not that it's a rip-off. Just that there's a lot of similarities. Or am I totally out to lunch?

[–] Haverchuck_Is_King 9 years ago

By that definition isn't every show about teens similar to That 70s Show?

I think That 70s Show is much closer to Happy Days than it is to Freaks and Geeks.

[–] Ace_Spade 9 years ago

To be honest, I haven't seen Happy Days, so I can't say if I think that way.

I'm not sure every show about teens is the same. There is a point made by setting the show in the past that makes it apparent that growing up was always growing up, and still is growing up. In that way, any well-written show about teens set in the past (or future?) would be similar.

But, I also think that That 70s Show and Freaks and Geeks had similar vibes, only the former was focused on comedy and the latter was geared more towards drama. Not that they were solely one or the other.

[–] wooody 9 years ago

F&G was considered a dramady where That 70's Show was strictly a comedy, much lighter fare. Although there may have been some vaguely similar story lines the tone/feeling of the shows were different. 17 0f the 18 episodes of F&G were like mini movies.

[–] lookingforthemagic 9 years ago

I can kind of see the comparison. I always found That '70s Show to be a lot more real despite so many people writing it off for being a sitcom.

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This is your life, and it is ending one minute at a time

[–] Ace_Spade 9 years ago

It is a sitcom, it's just an awesome one. And, you're right, surprisingly real for an entry into that genre.

[–] BiffGG 9 years ago

As far as realism went I felt quite the opposite. Heads of the house such as Red back then sent guys such as Hyde off into the world by the time graduation came if not sooner. Red gets on his high horse about conservative social practices but Eric and friends are in the basement smoking pot? Bob can barely function mentally but yet had a successful business in the first few years of the series? On a scale of 1 to 10 I give That 70's Show a 4 for reality.

While not perfect I feel that F & G was far more realistic. Realistic to the point of being painful. Guys such as Nick had dick head fathers in real life. Girls such as Lindsey get caught up in the moment and egg their little brother unintentionally although they feel like crap regardless of why it happened. Kim Kelly in a toxic household happened in every school district back then. In my class it was the father tearing down the self worth of the daughter but the result was pretty much the same. F & G was like somebody took notes of the goings on of my high school of which the years closely parallel F & G. For me F & G would score a 9 out of 10 for realism.

[–] wooody 9 years ago

It has been espoused that one of the reasons F&G did not catch on was that it was TOO painful for a number of viewers to watch because it was too real for them, apparently too painful as well.

[–] BiffGG 9 years ago

There were plenty of humorous moments as well. I guess it all depends where you were to know if it cuts too close to the bone for you. For me outside of Red and Lori the show does not feel overly 70's to me. They did not invent smoking pot during the 1970's and honestly while a few made it into a lifestyle most kids back then did not. Sure they smoked it but outside of a few most did not talk about it nonstop and that was not because they were afraid of dad. There were other things to talk about and that is the charm and essence of F & G. That 70's Show sometimes seemed to be more about soundbites and catchphrases to me. Whether it be the Geeks with science fiction or the Freaks with album rock the characters seemed to express genuine interest with the subject at hand.

[–] into_theblack 9 years ago

I'm about 11 episodes into Freaks and Geeks and while I enjoy it, I can't really compare it to That 70s Show. That 70s Show had a more natural dynamic where the characters played off each other and the story line played off realistically . Freaks and Geeks was funny, but the characters didn't always mesh well, and it's most likely because it's based off of one character and not a whole group.

[–] Caprizonica8 9 years ago

Mhhh, I remember watching "That 70´s show" back at that time. Could it be that the audience thought of F&G like an attempt to compete for the audience? I mean, highschoolers on late 70´s could´ve been perceived as a rip-off and thus executives not trusting it.