It’s been over 10 years since anyone hung out in Eric Forman’s basement — and for good reason. When we last saw the MIdwestern teens, they were all counting down the final seconds of the ’70s, signaling the beginning of the ’80s and the end of an epic run on Fox. Now, as would-be finished series like The Office, Seinfeld, and Parks and Recreation entertain the notion of coming back, it only makes sense that an iconic show like That ’70s Show would get tossed into consideration.
Alas, that’s exactly what happened when The Hollywood Reporter sat down with ol’ Foreplay himself, Topher Grace. While the conversation mostly focused on his head-turning role as David Duke in Spike Lee’s forthcoming BlacKkKlansman, things naturally pivoted to his salad days on network television, namely whether or not he’d embrace the idea of heading back to Point Place, Wisconsin. As you’ll see, his achingly nostalgic response sounds like something Foreman would probably say:
“I would do it for sure because that was a very wonderful time for us. We were all very close, having that experience every single day with each other. It was great to broadcast it out once a week, but, like, I’m still great friends with those guys. So the fact that someone would pay us to go [hang] out together. If someone said to you, ‘What if I got your whole high school class back together and you hung out for a year?’ Yeah, I don’t think it will happen. It would be so hard to bring that crew together. For me, I’d do it if no one ever saw it. Just ’cause it would be great to hang out with them for a week or something.”
Sigh, you can almost hear the sounds of Todd Rundgren behind those words. Sadly, as Grace notes, the odds of this happening are very, very slim, and not only from a logistical standpoint. Stylistically, it wouldn’t be the same show; there’s no way it can exist in the ’70s anymore (see above). To make matters more confusing, Fox already tried and failed with a That ’80s Show, closing that door immediately. Of course, they could shift up to the ’90s, and that’d explain the aging, but wouldn’t that kind of be depressing?
On a more serious note, Grace was also asked about the recent controversy surrounding his former co-star Danny Masterson, who played bad boy Steven Hyde and has since been fired by Netflix over accusations of sexual assault. “You know, I hesitate to say that I never saw any of that behavior because I feel like it sounds like I’m defending him,” he admits, “but the truth is I never saw any of that stuff. I was, of that cast, the most boring. So when it came to going out after the show and partying, I just was boring.”
Don’t worry, Topher. That’s a good thing.
