Hello Wisconsin!
If those words don’t conjure up memories of hanging in the back of a Vista Cruiser or “hanging” in a musty basement, it’s time to get educated on a little piece of television history we call That ’70s Show. For the rest of you, welcome to your latest episode of extreme nostalgia. Eric Forman and his gang of rabble rousers left our screens in all their bell-bottomed glory ten years ago today.
While the onscreen characters went their separate ways—Donna heading off to college, Eric back to teaching in Africa, Hyde, well, being Hyde—their off screen counterparts did too, signing on to pilots or launching movie careers. Like any group of actors forced to deal with the ending of a lucrative TV show, they had their ups and downs, but on this, the 10th anniversary of the season finale, we can definitively say that the basement gang is straight up killing it.
For starters, we have to give a nod to the fact that perhaps the best part of their post-That ’70s Show is the heartwarming friendships they’ve endured. Not all casts keep the closeness like the Point Place alumni—they have reunions constantly, are always supporting each other’s work, and there’s the fact that two of them made a new life together. (Shoutout to Wyatt!). Let’s look at all the ways it’s an awesome time to be a cast member.
Laura Prepon
Five words for you: Orange Is the New Black. Our much-loved Donna Pinciotti had a few hits here and there since leaving Point Place, with roles on the short lived shows October Road and Are You There, Chelsea?, but she hit a home freaking run with this stunner of a role. She of course plays Alex, the former (okay, not always so former) lover of the titular Piper. She also rocks some awesome jet-black hair, but that’s neither here nor there. Seeing Prepon as a bit of a villain took some getting used to at first, but now America wouldn’t have her any other way than a drug-dealing, manipulating prison inmate. We can also look forward to seeing her on the big screen alongside Emily Blunt in this fall’s The Girl on the Train film adaptation, where she’ll have arguably less spice but we’ll love her just as much.
Wilmer Valderrama
Okay so he just got his ass handed to him by Gina Rodriguez on Lip Sync Battle, but if we’ve learned anything it’s that there is life after getting beat in a fake dance-off. And for Wilmer Valderrama, that life includes one Demi Lovato. Not too shabby, eh? As one half of one of Hollywood’s cutest couple he’s got things pretty good—and that’s without us listing all the reasons that Demi herself is the best catch ever. Oh, and his career is doing pretty well too, what with starting a high-profile guest spot on Grey’s Anatomy. Wear that hospital gown proudly, Wil!
Ashton Kutcher
What isn’t Kelso doing right now? Besides still rolling around in all his Two and a Half Men money, of course. He’s got all sorts of things going right in his life right now: He’s married to Mila Kunis, he has an adorable baby daughter that he’s been able to keep incredibly secret from the prying eyes of the world, he’s got a part in James Franco‘s new movie alongside heartthrobs like Josh Hartnett and Josh Hutcherson, he’s an investor in super successful companies like AirBnB and Uber, and he has a show on Netflix with his real-life BFF Danny Masterson. Winner, winner.
Danny Masterson
Old Hyde has been a wee bit out of the limelight in the years since That ’70s Show wrapped—as far as acting is concerned. He dabbled in DJ-ing and other funtivities, but now he’s back in the action. And yes, so are his curly locks. He plays Ashton’s younger brother on Netflix’s The Ranch, in all his bearded, beer-drinking glory. Plus, his character’s name is Rooster and he gets to fake a rancher’s southern accent. Even if no one watches the comedy he’s already come out on top. If that alone doesn’t convince you of his awesome year ahead, just know that he has movies lined up starring opposite the likes of Richard Dreyfuss, Danny Glover and Pierce Brosnan.
Mila Kunis
Mila has had perhaps the most quintessentially commercial success since the season finale, what with Black Swan and Friends With Benefits and Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the like, but she’s still teeing up 2016 to be a game-changer. She’s raising little Wyatt, she’s starring in this summer’s blockbuster Bad Moms alongside fellow matriarchs Kristen Bell and Christina Applegate, and she just booked a part in a Bryan Cranston thriller. Oh, and she also got to go to last weekend’s Beyoncé concert, so she’s already having a better year than 95% of America.
Topher Grace
Prepare to get reacquainted with Eric Forman in 2016. First, we give you War Machine, a Brad Pitt-fronted satire about the war in Afghanistan. Exhibit B is Opening Night, a comedy and musical that follows a failed Broadway star (yes, please!). We close with Delirium, a thriller about a haunted mansion slated for a Halloween release. Okay, so that last one doesn’t sound quite as promising, but when was the last time you read about Topher Grace having three big movies lined up? We rest our case.
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