Starring Topher Grace, Lisa Robin Kelly, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Laura Prepon, Debra Jo Rupp, Kurtwood Smith, Don Stark, Wilmer Valderrama
Written By:
Directed By:
Studio: 20th Century Fox
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Once upon a time, there was a magical decade that we know as the 70s. Then, once upon some other time, there was a magical show that we know as That 70s Show, and it was totally one of the bestest TV shows ever. The show follows the adventures of a group of kids living in… that’s right… the 70s, and all the wacky adventures they get into, like… uh… having relationships and smoking pot and stuff. Also, they get yelled at a lot. But enough of the obligatory introductory paragraph. If you don’t already know about the show, then you suck and should be ashamed of yourself.

Anyhoo, the fifth season begins at the end of a summer. In the previous season, Donna and Eric were having their unpleasant season-long battle royale after a breakup, and Donna ran off to California with Kelso. So as this season opens, our hero Eric goes off to get her back. Meanwhile, Jackie and Hyde have hooked up, Kelso spend the summer trying to nail Jessica Simpson, and Fez… well, he was just being Fez.

Season five introduces some changes, the most unfortunate of which is the mysterical vanishing of Leo, Hyde’s burnt-out-hippy photohut boss. There’s also the usual troubles for the characters, including death, engagement, menopause, new jobs, new love interests, new obnoxiously bright and shiny jackets, Catholic school, and deportation. And all the while, those crazy kids keep on managing to hang out… down the street.

I’ve always thought that while That 70s Show is, on the surface, just a sitcom with the spin of being set in a past decade, it’s managed to live way beyond my expectations. The show is always funny. The plots may be formulaic but it’s always entertaining. And I think that the characters are some of the most realistic and identifiable I’ve ever seen in a sitcom. Every main character has traits and behaviors that I see in my friends and family (and even myself… don’t get me started on Fez and his “needs” or Eric comparing every situation to Star Wars), and no matter how zany the situations get, they always manage to “keep it real”, as a former coworker of mine was fond of saying.

The DVDs of this show are released in those spiffy slim case packages, with each disc getting its own super-skinny case (which is soooo much better than those damn giant fold-out cardboard cases), but unfortunately, they’re generally slim on the special features, and Season 5 is no exception. The extras on this set are basically the commercials/previews for each episode, and a couple of short features with some of the actors. Frankly I’m a wee bit disappointed with the extras, but the show itself is so amazingly awesometastically great that in the end, it doesn’t really matter.

Features:
Promo Spots on all Episodes
Season 5 in 5 Minutes Featurette
A ’70s Flashback: Wilmer Valderrama and Danny Masterson

Audio:
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Surround CC

Video:
Standard 1.33:1 Color

Subtitles:
English

Favorite Scenes: Donna in her schoolgirl outfit, Jessica Simpson in a bikini, Jackie in “coconut swimsuit”, Donna dressed as Wonder Woman
Rating: NR
Running Time: 550 minutes
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating: