That '70s Show (season 8)

That '70s Show (season 8)
DVD cover
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	22
Release
Original network	Fox
Original release	November 2, 2005 – May 18, 2006
Season chronology

The eighth and final season of the American comedy television series That '70s Show premiered November 2, 2005 on Fox in the United States. The season ended on May 18, 2006 with an hour-long series finale. The eighth season was the first and only season without the show's star Topher Grace who portrayed Eric Forman, the central character, since he left the series at the end of the previous season. This season also marked a major change in the series, as a new character was introduced to take Eric's place named Randy Pearson (portrayed by new cast member Josh Meyers) and the departure of Michael Kelso, who was portrayed by Ashton Kutcher. Kutcher actually quit the show at the end of season seven but remained on the series for five episodes during the eighth season. He appeared in the first four episodes to give closure to Kelso and he appeared again in the final episode titled "That '70s Finale". Topher Grace also returned for the final episode but his role was both brief and uncredited. Also, Leo (Tommy Chong) returned as a main character since his return to the series in the seventh season (in a special guest role).

Many plots of the season involved Donna's new relationship with Randy, Jackie falling in love with Fez, Hyde getting married to a stripper named Samantha, Kelso getting a new job and moving to Chicago, and the Formans adjusting to an empty nest which is too empty for Kitty and not empty enough for Red due to the kids' presence despite Eric's absence.

This season is set entirely in 1979, with the final seconds of the series being the final seconds of the decade. The very last seconds of the series show the license plate of Eric's Vista Cruiser for the final time, now featuring a tag with the year "80" on it, signaling that the 1980s have begun.

All episodes of season 8, except the finale, are named after songs by Queen.

The region 1 DVD was released on April 1, 2008.^[1]

Cast

Main

• Mila Kunis as Jackie Burkhart
• Danny Masterson as Steven Hyde
• Laura Prepon as Donna Pinciotti
• Wilmer Valderrama as Fez
• Debra Jo Rupp as Kitty Forman
• Kurtwood Smith as Red Forman
• Josh Meyers as Randy Pearson^{[lower-alpha 1]}
• Don Stark as Bob Pinciotti
• Tommy Chong as Leo

Special guest

• Tim Reid as William Barnett
• Ashton Kutcher as Kelso

• Mary Tyler Moore as Christine St. George
• Topher Grace (uncredited) as Eric Forman

Recurring

• Bret Harrison as Charlie
• Jud Tylor as Samantha
• Lara Everly as Hilary

Guest

• Yvette Nicole Brown as Sgt. Davis
• Allison Munn as Caroline
• Jim Rash as Fenton

Special appearance

• Bruce Willis as Vic
• Don Knotts as The Landlord
• Dick Van Patten as Murph
• Gavin MacLeod as Smitty
• Isaac Hayes as Himself
• Tom Bosley as Dr. Hammond
• Barry Williams as Jeff
• Christopher Knight as Josh
• Justin Long as Andrew

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code
179	1	"Bohemian Rhapsody"	David Trainer	Gregg Mettler	November 2, 2005	801
Kitty, Fez and Donna record a tape for Eric, summarizing what happened since he left. Red is ashamed of Kitty's experiment with something their son did prior to leaving. Hyde and Jackie argue about their relationship after Hyde punches Kelso, and it worsens when a stripper named Samantha finds the Formans' house and reveals her marriage to Hyde. Charlie falls off the water tower, but lacking Kelso's amazing luck in repeated falls, dies and has the water tower named after him.
180	2	"Somebody to Love"	David Trainer	Rob Deshotel	November 2, 2005	802
After Leo leaves an ambiguous note on Grooves' front door, a teenager named Randy Pearson (new cast member Josh Meyers) applies for a non-existing job. Hyde hires him while he is intoxicated, and after sobering up, wonders if it was a good decision. Jackie, Fez and Donna go to a bar so Jackie could hit on guys and then break their hearts to make her feel better. Red and Kitty try to get Hyde's wife, Samantha, to leave.
181	3	"You're My Best Friend"	David Trainer	Chris Peterson & Bryan Moore	November 9, 2005	803
Randy wants to throw Hyde a belated bachelor party and puts Kelso and Fez in charge of getting Hyde to the Formans' house without him knowing. But Kelso forgets his part of the plan and the guys end up in jail. Meanwhile, the Formans are furious when Leo has the strippers at their house and Jackie is shocked when Donna befriends Samantha.
182	4	"Misfire"	David Trainer	Kristin Newman	November 16, 2005	804
Kelso makes one last move on Jackie, but is offered a job at the Playboy Club in Chicago. Red and Kitty celebrate their anniversary, and Donna feels bad when Eric calls Kitty much more often than he calls her. Randy tries to console Donna. At the end of the episode, Kelso joins his friends in one last circle before he moves to Chicago.
183	5	"Stone Cold Crazy"	David Trainer	Dave Schiff	November 30, 2005	805
Kitty feels neglected by Red, so Samantha helps her improve her image. Now that Kelso has moved to Chicago, Jackie moves in with Fez, who has to deal with his crazy ex-girlfriend Caroline. With some help from Samantha, Donna takes nude photos to send to Eric; unfortunately, he is not the first one to see them. In a hilarious turn of events, the folder with the photos passes hands from Kitty to Leo; Kitty made the mistake of emptying the folder to put in a Marmaduke comic, and hid it, but it ended up with Hyde. Leo then hid them in a Barry White record that Fez bought at Grooves.
184	6	"Long Away"	David Trainer	Philip Stark	December 7, 2005	806
Donna starts spending more time with Randy, much to Fez and Jackie's suspicion, and the latter decides Eric has to know about this mingling. Red hires Leo to be his photographer at a Veterans' Reunion, as Red is now the most decorated veteran and wants to show off, but Leo steals the spotlight when he reveals his military past. Leo once had a promising life ahead of him following his service in the army, but ended up the stoner he is by accepting a lift home from musicians smoking marijuana. Later, Donna reveals that she and Eric broke up, and that's why she is now hanging out with Randy.
185	7	"Fun It"	David Trainer	David Spancer	December 14, 2005	807
The gang decide to steal the Fatso Burger mascot, unfortunately upsetting the whole town; Jackie was against it due to her fear of clowns. Kitty finds Fatso inside the freezer, demanding the kids put him back. They attempt doing so, but lacked time to connect the speaker since Bob pulled up to order; Fez fakes being an employee using the speaker, ordering Bob to go have a pizza instead. Unfortunately, the gang blows their good luck and accidentally smash Fatso to pieces; everyone flees, but not before Donna snatches the clown's nose.
186	8	"Good Company"	David Trainer	Dean Batali	January 12, 2006	808
Jackie discovers Donna's crush on Randy, while Kitty is angry at Fez after he begins dating one of her friends. Donna's birthday is approaching and her friends don't know what present to give her.
187	9	"Who Needs You"	David Trainer	Sarah McLaughlin	January 19, 2006	809
Kitty and Red get annoyed with Hyde and Samantha's constant fighting. After Jackie floods Fez's apartment and almost gets them evicted, she decides to save the day in the most feminine way. Donna tries to get people to donate money for a children's library and is in for some disappointment about the fans of "Hot Donna"; her popularity has gone down, forcing her to make drastic promises. Hyde later reveals to Red and Kitty that his and Samantha's arguing is to spice up their love life, which had gotten boring; intrigued, Red and (after some initial confusion) Kitty give it a try.
188	10	"Sweet Lady"	David Trainer	Alan Dybner	January 26, 2006	810
Donna is suspicious of Randy's intentions when he invites her to a cabin under questionable pretenses. Jackie wants to work for Christine St. George (Mary Tyler Moore), a talk show host for What's Up, Wisconsin?. Hyde meets Red's older friends and questions his marriage.
189	11	"Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy"	David Trainer	Greg Schaffer & Steve Joe	February 2, 2006	811
Jackie needs Kitty's help to get Christine St. George to like her. Leo has a crush on someone quite unexpected and asks the other guys for help.
190	12	"Killer Queen"	David Trainer	Mark Hudis	February 9, 2006	812
It's Valentine's Day, and Hyde forgot. Red shows Hyde a stash of presents he hides in the basement; he keeps them in case of Kitty's birthday, their anniversary or Valentine's Day due to missing Kitty's birthday one year (Kitty's Birthday (That Today?!!) in Season Three). After Hyde makes his pick, Red comes down later for Kitty's gift to find the stash missing; it turns out Samantha had caught Hyde with the stash and mistook it all as his gift for her. Fez and Jackie fake a relationship for Christine St. George on What's Up, Wisconsin? when a guest fails to appear. Donna helps Randy plan out his Valentine's Day and is surprised to learn who his date is.
191	13	"Spread Your Wings"	David Trainer	Gregg Mettler	March 16, 2006	813
Donna unsuccessfully tries to keep her relationship with Randy a secret. Fez tries to impress a co-worker named Hillary at all costs, while Jackie gets a new job, but finds it quite disappointing. Kitty and Red clean Eric's old bedroom with Randy's help. Things take a turn for the worse when Kitty catches Randy and Donna kissing in the room.
192	14	"Son and Daughter"	David Trainer	Ken Blankstein	March 23, 2006	814
Hyde has to watch over his father's house when he goes out of town. A subsequent party goes out of control and only Leo can fix the damage. Kitty is still furious at Donna for kissing Randy in Eric's old bedroom and tries to ridicule her. After defending Randy, Red stays at Bob's to avoid further fights with Kitty. Donna later explains that she broke up with Eric to Kitty, who understands and forgives Red for standing up to her.
193	15	"Keep Yourself Alive"	David Trainer	Gregg Mettler	April 13, 2006	815
Fez loses Kitty's wedding ring and the gang spends their night in the woods looking for it, with Donna and Randy trying desperately to be alone, but unable due to Jackie and Hyde's fighting. Red is uncomfortable when Bob says too much about the same ring in front of Kitty.
194	16	"My Fairy King"	David Trainer	Philip Stark	April 27, 2006	816
Hyde finds out a terrible truth about Samantha that causes their marriage to end; she's already married to a much older man, meaning that their marriage is a sham. Red finds a rival muffler shop is taking all his customers; without much choice, he decides to go into retirement. Jackie makes up a list of qualities she needs in a man and is overwhelmed when she realizes who her perfect match is... it's no other than the very man who has been after her from the beginning - Fez.
195	17	"Crazy Little Thing Called Love"	David Trainer	Kristin Newman	April 27, 2006	817
Jackie goes to a therapist to understand her feelings for Fez; she learns that she only wanted Kelso and Hyde before since they were unavailable, and now that Fez is dating, she wants him. Hyde keeps a retired Red busy, but regrets it later. Meanwhile, Fez is shocked to find his girlfriend dumping him for a very unusual reason; believing no-one could due better than Fez for sex, she decides to become a nun. Jackie learns of Fez's dilemma, and much to her own surprise, she finds herself still wanting him.
196	18	"We Will Rock You"	David Trainer	Chris Peterson & Bryan Moore	May 4, 2006	818
The gang meets a variety of people at a "Disco Sucks" bonfire. Jackie unsuccessfully tries to use the occasion to get closer to Fez. Kitty and Red have a visit from new neighbors (Barry Williams & Christopher Knight), but there is just something about them that they didn't expect: the new neighbors are gay.
197	19	"Sheer Heart Attack"	David Trainer	Steve Joe & Greg Schaffer	May 4, 2006	819
After numerous amorous adventures, Fez decides to stay with only one girl, and returns to ex-girlfriend (the crazy) Caroline, much to Jackie's dismay. Red and Hyde try to sell unneeded heart pills without Kitty's consent; Red's friends are grateful for them, as one can fall asleep before his wife now. When Kitty mistakenly believes Hyde is stealing his stash, he blackmails Red into getting him a television. However, one of Red's friends shows up for some of the pills, blowing their cover.
198	20	"Leaving Home Ain't Easy"	David Trainer	Chris Peterson & Bryan Moore & Kristin Newman	May 11, 2006	820
Bob wants Red and Kitty to move to Florida with him, while Randy suggests Donna move in with him. To Red's surprise, Bob has decided on the genius move of opening a bait shop in a neighborhood five miles from any other; they end up fighting over what to name the shop, since Bob's ideas are ridiculous puns. Although she had been crying, Jackie snaps back to her old bitchy self; she has decided to harm Fez emotionally, just he did to her. Among many things, Jackie ruins the buttons on Fez's shirts and graffitis offensive messages on his car. At whits end, Fez decides to take revenge on Jackie the best way he knows how; he puts green dye in her shampoo. When confronted, Fez tells Jackie that he just made as ugly on the outside as she is on the inside.
199	21	"Love of My Life"	David Trainer	Gregg Mettler	May 18, 2006	821
Hyde finds a memo from his father, revealing that the Grooves franchise has been sold for a ridiculous amount of money. Fez's friend visits from their home country, bringing more powerful marijuana. Hyde takes too much and hallucinates every is a copy of himself; as result, he cleans up his act and becomes a more efficient person. At the same time Red and Kitty try to sell their house, and Randy tries to figure out what went wrong in his relationship with Donna. The gang help Hyde understand it wasn't the marijuana that made him freak out; the thought of losing his job and not knowing what to do next was. Hyde's father visits Grooves, revealing that the Point Place store is to be left to Hyde, who "celebrates" with Leo and his father. Fez's friend convinces him to return home, since Jackie has rejected him. However, once Jackie learns just how heartbroken she made Fez, she decides to give being a couple a try, forgiving him. Kitty informs everyone Eric is coming home from Africa.
200	22	"That '70s Finale"	David Trainer	Gregg Mettler	May 18, 2006	822
In the 200th episode and series finale, it is December 31, 1979, the final day of the 1970s. Hyde helps a hesitant Kitty and Red decide about moving. Fez searches for the perfect time and place for his first kiss with Jackie while Kelso returns to spend the last night of the 1970s with his friends. Kelso also falls off the water tower (again), after being tricked by Fez and Hyde. Red and Kitty announce to their guests that they decided not to move to Florida. As Donna leaves the room for some air, Eric returns just in time for New Year's Eve. He apologizes to Donna, who says things "are a lot different now", and they kiss and reconcile. Eric then joins the guys in the final "circle" of the decade when Donna and Jackie informs them to get upstairs. But before they do, Eric states the last person upstairs has to call Red a dumbass. Everyone races upstairs, leaving Kelso behind after Hyde pushes him. Kelso is the final character to be seen as he grabs "the stupid helmet" and prepares to call Red a dumbass. As the 1980s begin, the episode ends in a final shot of the Formans' basement with the kids and adults upstairs counting down to one (with the episode ending abruptly just as they reach "one", and the '70s officially end). Then shows the car bumper one last time reading "That '70s Show" along with the year saying 80.

Notes

1. Credited from "Somebody to Love" onwards.

References

1. "That '70s Show - Season 8". Amazon.com. Retrieved March 25, 2010.

• That '70s Show Episode Guide at The New York Times

External links

• List of That '70s Show episodes at the Internet Movie Database
• List of That '70s Show season 8 episodes at TV.com
• That '70s Show at epguides.com