Posted in: Netflix, TV | Tagged: Laura Prepon, That '90s Show

That '90s Show: Laura Prepon on Recreating Classic Opening, Directing

Laura Prepon on directing Netflix's That '90s Show, being on both sides of the basement door, recreating the classic opener, and more.

Over a quarter century ago, Laura Prepon was one of the "delinquents" in That '70s Show when it premiered on Fox in 1998. Since its end after eight seasons in 2006, things came full circle with the Netflix legacy sequel series That '90s Show, which follows a similar premise to the original series created by Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner, and Mark Brazill. Minus Brazill, Bonnie, Terry, their daughter, Lindsey Turner, and That '70s Show writer Gregg Mettler developed the new series in 2023, with part three released in August. Prepon, who reprised her role as Donna Pinciotti Forman since part one, returned for parts two and three and directed all of part three's episodes. She spoke with Entertainment Weekly about remaining true to the spirit of the original Fox series, guiding the new cast led by Callie Haverda, who plays daughter Leia Forman, recreating the opening to That '70s Show with the new cast in part three, episode six; and much more.

That '90s Show Star Laura Prepon on Directing Part 3

Prepon has previous experience behind the camera with the 2011 TV movie Neighbros, and her post-'70s Netflix prison dramedy Orange Is the New Black, directing three episodes before tackling That '90s Show. "When you come in as a TV director, you have to keep with the tone of the show. But I've known all these people for 20 years. They were on "70s' so this was a total love fest. I lived on these sets for so many years that I was able to take that and really reimagine it in this new way with this new cast," she said. "It was really fun and they totally trusted me as their director, and there's a ton of empathy and understanding because I'm never going to ask them to do anything I've never had to do myself — literally, physically, and emotionally. So, talk about a deep understanding. I'm like, 'I was in your shoes, and I'm not just saying that. Physically, I was standing where you were doing the same thing.' So the trust and the love was so there and the support was there, it was a really great experience. I loved it. I hope we get to do more."

Parts two and three would see Prepon the only TSS younger cast member to return to the Netflix series as Topher Grace (Eric Forman), Mila Kunis (Jackie Burkhart), Ashton Kutcher (Michael Kelso), and Wilmer Valderrama (Fez) would only be seen in part one with Grace and Valderrama having more recurring roles than Kunis and Kutcher's one-off appearance. When asked about the layout of the new series, "The thing that's great about the fact that it's in the '90s is that there's no cell phones. These kids aren't sitting there with iPhones and all that, so a lot of the stuff that we did in ''70s' where we were just 'doing nothing,' but there was so much going on in the basement, but we were just hanging out, I could take a lot of that stuff and incorporate those things with this new path," she said. "Because they're in the same basement with a lot of the same stuff, and I really got to lean in on my history of being on these sets of what we would do in the basement and these relationships and being this age. I was really thankful for my insight and experience, having lived on the set for so long."

Regarding surprises, "I'm really proud of how it turned out. I hope people see some Easter eggs. I hope when people watch it, they feel the familiarity because ''70s' was like such a warm blanket for people," Prepon continued. "There's something about a multi-camera sitcom that's comforting, and I hope that comes across in this show." The episode "I'll Stand by You," where Kitty Forman (Debra Jo Rupp) gets her driver's license suspended for two months, presented the opportunity to recreate the opening of That '70s Show originally performed by Cheap Trick with alternating shots of the cast in the front and back seat of the Vista Cruiser singing along.

"Oh my gosh, that was so awesome. That was totally surreal. And a lot more people had to squish into the Vista Cruiser for this one," Prepon said. "It was really fun. The first time they played the song, and we were all singing, I just got chills. I'm like, 'This is so awesome that they're doing this.' And I love that that was written into the show. It just brought me right back — but now, I'm outside of the car directing the scene, and it just filled my heart."

For more, including Prepon's thoughts on being on both sides of the family equation, filming the original opening of That '70s Show, and the awkward moment in part one with Kurtwood Smith (Red Forman), Grace, Rupp, and herself being "upstairs people" now, you can check out the full interview. That '90s Show, which also stars Ashley Aufderheide, Mace Coronel, Reyn Doi, Sam Morelos, Maxwell Acee Donovan, Andrea Anders, and Don Stark is available to stream on Netflix.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!