That '80s Show
A sitcom about twentysomethings navigating 1984 San Diego.
Fox aired That '80s Show, a sitcom set in 1984, from January to May 2002. It followed the hit That '70s Show, borrowing its title style and much of its writing and production team, but it was not a spin-off. The series ended after just 13 episodes.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Period sitcom
- Creator
- Mark Brazill
- Terry Turner
- Linda Wallem
- Starring
- Glenn Howerton
- Tinsley Grimes
- Chyler Leigh
- Eddie Shin
- Brittany Daniel
- Margaret Smith
- Geoff Pierson
- Director
- Terry Hughes; David Trainer (pilot)
- Opening theme
- "Eighties" by Killing Joke
- Composer
- Ben Vaughn
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Development
Development on That '80s Show started by August 2001, with the same creative team behind That '70s Show. Fox had originally wanted a spin-off of That '70s Show but instead moved forward with a series set in a different decade. In November 2001, Fox announced the show would premiere on January 23, 2002, as a midseason replacement. Executive producer Linda Wallem explained that the idea grew out of conversations during work on That '70s Show, where the team discussed their own 1980s experiences of working jobs they hated while trying to break into show business. She noted that for most people, the decade was about balancing artistic dreams with commercial reality. Wallem created the show alongside Mark Brazill and Terry Turner, with Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner also serving as executive producers. Costume designer Melina Root, who had worked on That '70s Show, looked through fashion magazines, merchandising catalogs, and yearbooks from the 1980s for clothing ideas. Stand-up comic Margaret Smith was cast in October 2001, and Fox announced the rest of the cast—Chyler Leigh, Brittany Daniel, Glenn Howerton, Tinsley Grimes, and Eddie Shin—in December 2001. The show followed That '70s Show in casting relatively unknown actors. Daniel, who played Sophia, had a guest role on That '70s Show as Eric Forman's cousin Penny in an episode that aired the day before That '80s Show premiered. Howerton and Grimes both grew up in Montgomery, Alabama, at the same time but had never met before being cast as siblings. That '80s Show debuted on January 23, 2002, and its final episode aired on May 29, 2002, in a regular Wednesday night slot at 8:00/7:00 Central on Fox.
Plot
Set in 1984, the series centers on a group of twentysomething friends in San Diego, California. The main character is Corey Howard, a struggling musician, and the story follows his circle of friends and family. A key plotline is his working relationship with June Tuesday, which eventually becomes romantic and serves as the show's main focus after a few episodes. Later episodes highlight the cultural differences between Corey and June's lifestyles. Each episode includes references to 1980s music and culture. Scenes take place at various locations, including Club Berlin, a dance club; Permanent Record, the record store where Corey and June work; Videx, an office owned by R. T.; and the family home. The theme song is a 15-second clip of "Eighties" by Killing Joke. The opening credits and scene transitions show a hand flipping through a row of vinyl records, each featuring a cast member's face and name.
Cast
Glenn Howerton portrays Corey Howard, a philosophy major and non-materialistic musician who still lives with his dad R. T. and sister Katie. He works at Permanent Record and had recently broken up with his ex-girlfriend Sophia when the series begins. Tinsley Grimes plays Katie, Corey’s sister, a former Valley Girl who dropped out of college and became an environmentalist. Chyler Leigh appears as June Tuesday, a punk rocker and fellow Permanent Record employee; her Liberty spikes hairstyle required about 35 minutes and nine pounds of hairspray each filming day. Eddie Shin plays Roger Park, Corey’s best friend, a struggling used-car dealer and aspiring yuppie who rents a room above the Howard garage. Roger admires Ronald Reagan, loves dancing, and sees R. T. as a mentor. Brittany Daniel is Sophia, Corey’s bisexual ex-girlfriend who has a crush on Katie that isn’t returned. Margaret Smith plays Margaret, the ex-hippie and former rock groupie who owns Permanent Record. Geoff Pierson plays R. T. Howard, the divorced father of Corey and Katie, who runs Videx, a small company that sells fitness gadgets like the Butt Luge and Gut Wacker.
Reception
The debut of That '80s Show was met with widespread disapproval from TV critics. Eric Kohanik of The Calgary Herald argued that a decade needs at least twenty years of distance before it becomes funny, and the show arrived too soon. David Bianculli from The New York Daily News agreed, though he conceded the program "isn't that bad." Josh Friedman of The Los Angeles Times compared the pilot to a school reunion, noting that "the nostalgic fun is intermittent." Miki Turner of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram took issue with the cast's lack of chemistry and the weak writing. Sonia Mansfield of The San Francisco Examiner found it "mildly entertaining with a few funny moments," but observed that the humor relied on the 1980s setting rather than the characters. Peggy Curran of The Montreal Gazette was harsher, calling it "nowhere near as funny or original as it could have been." Looking back, Tony Atherton of The Ottawa Citizen suggested the show failed because it centered on young adults in the 1980s, but by the time it aired in 2002, the people who lived that decade in their twenties were in their forties. He speculated that the series aimed for viewers in their early thirties, yet made its characters too old for that audience. Jen Chaney of Vulture later described the series as a case study in 1980s nostalgia. The premiere on January 23, 2002, drew 11.40 million viewers, ranking 41st for the week. For the entire 2001–02 season, the show averaged 6.8 million viewers per episode, placing 104th in Nielsen's rankings.
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