Debra Jo Rupp & Kurtwood Smith Tease Fun Kitty And Red Forman In That ‘90s Show Season 2

That ‘90s Show season 2 will transport viewers once more into the Forman household. The That ‘70s Show spinoff first debuted in 2023 to generally positive reviews, which praised the way in which a new group of young people were eased into the spotlight with the help of original series cast members like Wilmer Valderrama and Laura Prepon (That ‘70s Show’s Fez and Donna). While fewer cast members from the original series are set to return in That ‘90s Show season 2, the series’ signature tone and new cast are as strong as ever.

Of course, the beating heart of the multi-generational franchise is Kitty and Red, played as always by Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith. Once again returning for That ‘90s Show season 2, Rupp and Smith continue to house and harp on their granddaughter Leia (Callie Haverda) and her friends. Given that That ‘70s Show premiered in 1998, Rupp and Smith have had over a quarter-century to perfect their performances, and the result is evident in the series’ trailers.

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While the focus of the spinoff series is largely on the new cast of characters, Red and Kitty are set to enjoy adventures of their own. Red starts the season with a new hobby, and Kitty can’t seem to help but engage with the drama the kids are experiencing. With Don Stark’s Bob Pinciotti returning for an even larger role in That ‘90s Show season 2, even more hilarity is on the way for the series’ stalwart legacy cast members. Screen Rant interviewed Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith about returning to their characters once more in That ‘90s Show season 2.

Debra Jo Rupp & Kurtwood Smith Talk Working With That ‘90s Show’s Writers

Screen Rant: Debra Jo, you and Kurtwood are as good as, if not better than ever in this season of That ‘90s Show. You know your characters so well. How often, when you’re working with writers, are you making suggestions and offering tweaks to make sure that Kitty continues to thrive?

Debra Jo Rupp: I think the biggest thing for me is that Kitty is a master at being passive-aggressive. She’s just great at it. It’s such a different show — the show itself is so different from That ’70s Show, and the time period is very different — so I just take what I’m given, and I’m given a lot of fun with this show. I get to do a lot of driving into furniture, and I get to do a lot of physical stuff that I didn’t get to do that much of in That ’70s Show.

So, not that much, really. The writers are really excellent, and because it’s a different time, there are no rules. That’s kind of the way it is. Once in a while I’ll go and say, “We didn’t say that in the ‘90s,” because they’re younger. Everybody is younger than Kurtwood and I. Like, everybody. Like, the entire world is younger than Kurtwood and I.

Kurtwood Smith: Especially Kurtwood.

Debra Jo Rupp: Especially Kurtwood. I’m right there with you. Anyway, very little do I say to the writers.

Kurtwood Smith: The writers have spent an awful lot of time looking at our characters from the ‘70s before they even started here, and they keep a close watch on us. They can see the changes in us as people and incorporate that. Not necessarily things we talk about or anything, but just in terms of how old we are and all that sort of business, and they incorporate that into the show. So, if I have a question about a line, it has more to do with whether it’s funny or not, or whether it’s the right punch line, but not really about character.

Kurtwood Smith On Showing A “Softer Side” Of Red Forman

Kurtwood, I really liked watching Red have a new hobby this season. I don’t know if I’d call model trains character development, necessarily, but it was nice to see a different side. How is it to continue expanding on who Red is?

Kurtwood Smith: Oh, that’s hard for me. It is actually difficult for me to answer because it’s sort of like saying, “Expand on yourself.” A lot of the character is sort of based on my stepfather. Not the writing, of course, but the way in which I play the character.

He was a man who was trying to prepare you, and I think the basis of the problem with
Red and Eric in That ’70s Show
is that Red was trying to prepare Eric for a world that he — Red — grew up in, as opposed to the world that Eric is growing up in. It’s the same thing with the father-son relationship in Dead Poets Society, [which is] trying to force the life that you’ve had onto somebody who’s growing up in a different time in a different place.

That burden is kind of gone, which makes life a little easier for Red. He doesn’t feel like he’s always needing to tell Eric what to do, and I think the discovery of the trains is great because it’s really a softer side. And it’s fun to do as well.

About That ’90s Show Season 2

It’s 1996 and Leia Forman is back in Point Place for another summer of fun with her friends and grandparents, Kitty and Red. Leia and Jay are excited to be together again after nine months of long distance. But she’s on edge since Jay still doesn’t know she almost kissed Nate. Nate is concerned that his girlfriend, Nikki, doesn’t know either. How long can they keep this secret? Turns out, not long at all. And when the truth finally comes out, relationships are threatened, friendships are at stake, and the summer is on the verge of ending before it even gets started.

Source: Screen Rant Plus

That 90s Show

That ’70s Show returns set two decades later with That ’90s Show, acting as a sequel but bringing back old cast favorites. Led by Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) Forman, the new cast arrives as the next generation, with the daughter of Eric and Donna, Leia Forman, leading the charge. Spending the summer with her grandparents, Leia makes new friends and forges new bonds in Point Place, Wisconsin. That ’70s Show series regulars make cameos in the show to maintain that sense of familiarity, and the show adopts the conventions of the ’90s as expected. That ’90s Show first aired on Netflix with a total of ten episodes. 

Cast

Kurtwood Smith , Debra Jo Rupp , Mace Coronel , Callie Haverda , Ashley Aufderheide , Sam Morelos , Reyn Doi , Maxwell Acee Donovan

Release Date

January 19, 2023

Seasons

1

Writers

Gregg Mettler , Bonnie Turner , Lindsey Turner , Terry Turner

Directors

Gail Mancuso , Laura Prepon

Showrunner

Gregg Mettler

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