That '70s Show may have celebrated its 20th anniversary just last year, but that doesn't mean the cast members won't be seen working together in the future. Although The Ranch on Netflix did reunite some of them, two familiar faces will tackle familiar roles for a new project that could bring them back to broadcast network TV. Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith have both signed on for an ABC comedy pilot, and it just so happens that their characters are married.
Yes, the actors who played Mr. and Mrs. Forman will play another married couple for the new project, which does not yet have a title.
The series would follow a man by the name of Nate and his wife Laura, played respectively by Nate Bargatze of Laugh Factory and Katie Aselton of Legion. They move to Nate's home state of Tennessee, leaving their lives in California behind. Waiting for them in Tennessee are Nate's parents, who will be played by Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith.
That '70s Show Cast Ranked By Success Outside Of The Show
Why make the monumental move from California to Tennessee? Well, Nate and Laura want a simpler life to raise their 6-year-old daughter, but it will turn out that living a simple life is surprisingly complicated. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I can imagine that shenanigans will ensue.
The project hails from The Carmichael Show creators Jerrod Carmichael and Ari Katcher. Danielle Sanchez-Witzel of My Name Is Earl, New Girl, and The Carmichael Show is on board as showrunner, according to Deadline. No further details are available about Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith's characters at this point, but the odds are pretty good that they won't just be Kitty and Red Forman 2.0. This isn't the '70s, after all!
After the exciting casting news broke, both actors shared their thoughts on joining the show and reuniting with their former on-screen spouse. Reacting to a headline stating that That '70s Show stars joined the ABC project on Twitter, Debra Jo Rupp posted this:
Well, here we go! Couldn’t be happier!
Debra Jo Rupp is currently filming on Grey's Anatomy, also on ABC and definitely not going anywhere any time soon. The new ABC project will mark a second reunion with former That '70s Show stars for Rupp, as she appeared on The Ranch before Danny Masterson was ousted due to allegations against him. His character was subsequently written off in a pretty brutal way.
Kurtwood Smith also chose to use Twitter to share his feelings about reuniting with Debra Jo Rupp:
Very excited about this! Debra Jo is a wonderful actress and good friend. This is such a great script, and I’m really looking forward to working with her on it.
Now, how do we get Topher Grace involved? Unfortunately, the project is currently in the pilot stage of production, and there's no guarantee that it will score a series order from ABC. The winning combination of Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith, who played the Formans for all eighth seasons of That '70s Show, has to work in the pilot's favor, and we can only cross our fingers that we get to see them on the small screen together again.
I'm guessing that a That '70s Show revival isn't going to happen any time soon. Topher Grace would be on board, but this is a busy cast of actors! If you want to relive the glory days of Kitty and Red Forman -- not to mention the rest of the characters -- you can find the full series of That '70s Show streaming on Netflix now. Yes, even that eighth season.
