TV Rewind: That ’70s Show and the Everyman Appeal of Eric Forman
Photo Courtesy of FOX
Editor’s Note: Welcome to our TV Rewind column! The Paste writers are diving into the streaming catalogue to discuss some of our favorite classic series as well as great shows we’re watching for the first time. Come relive your TV past with us, or discover what should be your next binge watch below:
In light of the recent news that Netflix is returning to the world of That ‘70s Show with a ‘90s-set spinoff featuring Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp as Red and Kitty Forman, I’ve been thinking a lot about the hangout comedy and why it was able to stretch the last four years of the 1970s into eight seasons of television. What makes it so beloved and so rewatchable that, more than 20 years after its debut, it’s returning in a new form? While the original show was laugh-out-loud funny and many of its lessons universal and timeless, the truth is That ‘70s Show primarily worked for one reason, and that was the subtle strength of Topher Grace as the show’s self-deprecating leading man Eric Forman.
As the character whose basement the friend group congregated in, Eric was frequently at the center of the action and often the main story driver. But he was also the originator of much of the show’s humor; Grace had impeccable comedic timing and was a master of both sarcasm and deadpan delivery, a skill he put to good use in Eric’s complicated relationship with his parents (Smith and Rupp), his on-and-off romance with next-door neighbor Donna (Laura Prepon), and his friendships with the rest of the ensemble. He could effortlessly pivot from being a smart aleck or dumbass to being a sweet and caring—if often clueless—romantic partner or friend in the same conversation. And because of the continued focus on the character’s relationship with Donna, Grace was also the source of many of the show’s more emotional and heartwarming (or heartbreaking) moments.
But leaving a bigger mark than even Grace’s comedic timing or his worthiness as a romantic lead was his unique ability to make a character like Eric—scrawny, nerdy, and easily overpowered—feel like a leader in a group of more extreme or showy personalities. Donna was more confident and independent; Hyde (Danny Masterson) was stronger and more opinionated; Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) was dumb but conventionally attractive; Jackie (Mila Kunis) knew how to wield her beauty and was louder by sheer volume; and Fez (Wilmer Valderrama) was an outsider whose “otherness” made him stand out, while his womanizing ways were mined for laughs (it should be noted that the way the show treated Fez and the way he treated women is beyond offensive, and neither would fly today even with the ‘70s setting).
Yet despite being surrounded by much louder personalities, Eric was the reliable, undisputed leader of the group at a time when nerds hadn’t yet inherited the Earth. Much of that naturally came from the fact he was the series’ main character, with his love life and relationship with his parents the root of countless storylines. But he also had an effortless, everyman quality that made it easy to root for and relate to him. He got along with everybody and held the group together. He also knew who he was and was not ashamed of his interests, no matter how many times he was mocked for them. Viewers wanted to see Eric succeed because they either were him or knew people like him. And it was this aspect of the character that made it easy to miss him once he was gone.