Topher Grace Casts Doubt on That ’90s Show Appearance

The odds may not be for Topher Grace joining his former co-stars from That ’70s Show for its upcoming spinoff series. In development at Netflix, That ’90s Show will bring back Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp as Red and Kitty Forman, the parents of Grace’s Eric Forman. The spinoff will star the two as part of an ensemble cast also made up of new cast members, and there’s no indication at this time that any other stars of That ’70s Show will appear.

Cameo appearances do seem likely, but Grace seems to be casting some doubt on his potential return as Eric. These days, Grace has been busy working on his ABC series Home Economics, and the program takes up the majority of his time. As Grace recently explained on The Jess Cagle Show, he’s happy for those involved who are working on That ’90s Show, but because he has “a day job,” Grace implies that he wasn’t able to be a part of the spinoff.

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“It’s on Netflix, and it’s starring two of my great friends, Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith, who played my parents, and a whole new group of kids. I know some of the writers that are on it, and I’m just like… I have a day job, unfortunately. But they are amazing people.”

In the interview, Grace also commented on how That ’70s Show continues to air in reruns, never really going away. It’s hard for Grace to watch the show as it feels a bit too nostalgic, feeling similar to how one would feel about memories of high school.

“It’s hard for me to watch that show in reruns. It makes you so nostalgic. It’d be like if they were rerunning your high school yearbook all the time.”

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Topher Grace might be playing coy here as a way of preserving the surprise if Eric Forman will in fact make a special appearance on That ’90s Show. It is worth noting that after he left That ’70s Show ahead of its final season, the actor did come back for the finale to help bring the story to a close. Perhaps he will similarly find a break in his busy schedule to sneak in a surprise cameo for the spinoff. It would only make sense given that one of the new lead characters is the daughter of Eric and Donna (Laura Prepon). You can read the logline below.

“Hello, Wisconsin! It’s 1995 and Leia Forman, daughter of Eric and Donna, is visiting her grandparents for the summer, where she bonds with a new generation of Point Place kids under the watchful eye of Kitty and the stern glare of Red. Sex, drugs and rock ’n roll never dies, it just changes clothes.”

Netflix has not set a release date for That ’90s Show, but production is currently underway. Along with Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp, the series stars Callie Haverda as Leia Forman, their granddaughter, as well as Ashley Aufderheide, Mace Coronel, Maxwell Acee Donovan, Reyn Doi, and Sam Morelos.

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