By Jae-Ha Kim
Media Life Magazine
May 4, 2006
May 18 marks the series finale of “That ’70s Show.” This week marks what may be funnier, two back-to-back new episodes, one of which features guest appearances by real-life ’70s stars Christopher Knight and Barry Williams from that real ’70s show, “The Brady Bunch.”
If they’re not quite as famous as some previous guest stars (Bruce Willis, Luke Wilson, Brooke Shields), their kitsch factor complements the show pretty well. The pair, who played brothers Peter and Greg Brady, respectively, portray a gay couple who move in next door to Red and Kitty Forman.
The Fox comedy, which airs from 8 to 9 tonight, has lost some of its momentum due to a variety of factors. It’s currently in its eighth season and what once was kind of charming, watching high school kids acting like kids, has grown old, much like the actors who play the characters.
Ratings have fallen off 21 percent, from a 3.4 adults 18-49 average last season to a 2.7 this season, when the show moved from Wednesdays to Thursday, where it has struggled even more.
Plus, the show lost its most popular stars in 2005 when Topher Grace and Ashton Kutcher left the series to concentrate on their burgeoning film careers. As stupid as their characters were, they were more interesting to watch than the B-listers (thats you, Wilmer Valderrama) who are left on the show.
