Official Synopsis:

Get ready to get down - the far out final season of That '70s show is filled with outrageous laughs and some outta sight surprises! As the decade draws to a close, the gang bids farewell to the '70s and faces an uncertain future. While Donna gets over Eric with a little help from a new friend, Hyde gets hitched... to a stripper! Jackie moves in with Fez, revealing some hidden asserts, and the Formans confront an empty nest that's not nearly empty enough for Red. Put on your platforms and gather 'round the groove tube, people. It's time to party like it's 1979!

Our Take:
The cast of That ‘70s Show is a top-notch ensemble, which means that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. However, with the absence of Topher Grace and Ashton Kutcher in its final season, it’s kind of like baking cookies and remembering the eggs, the flour, and the sugar, but forgetting the salt and the butter. One of the things that made this show so great was its cast, so the loss of Grace (who went off to make Spider-Man 3) and Kutcher (who was starring in The Guardian), was detrimental to the show’s formula and success. I’ve seen both of those movies, and if I was Red Forman, I’d call ‘em both dumbasses and tell them where I planned to put my foot.

To take the place of the now absent Eric (who has gone off to Africa) and Kelso (who has moved to Chicago), two new characters are introduced. Randy Pearson joins the gang as an employee at Hyde’s record shop, and Samantha is introduced as Hyde’s wife. It was a nice try on the part of the show’s writers, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. Grace and Kutcher do return for the series finale, however.

Season Eight is not without its own merits, though. Kitty finally changes her hair style, the gang steals a local fast food mascot, Fez dates a cougar, Red retires, an unexpected relationship blossoms, the Formans decide to move to Florida, and the series concludes with a climactic ending on New Years Eve, 1979.

That ‘70s Show has always doled out a few features to keep fans happy, but they seem to have pulled out all the stops for this set.

* Audio Commentary - Sit down with director David Trainer who, besides the pilot, directed every single episode of the show. Trainer provides entertaining commentary on four episodes.

* That ‘70s Flashback: Tommy Chong (5 minutes) – Tommy Chong talks about his role playing Leo.

* That ‘70s Flashback: Josh Myers (5 minutes) – Josh Meyers, who plays Randy, talks about his role and being the new kid on the street.

* Season Eight in 8 minutes (8 minutes) – A montage of clips from Season Eight.

* That ‘70s Show Through the Years: A Retrospective (24 minutes) - Catch interviews with the main cast discussing the show and their experiences. Each interview is about three minutes and included are Topher Grace, Ashton Kutcher, Laura Prepon, Mila Kunis, Kurtwood Smith, Don Stark, Danny Masterson, and Wilmer Valderrama.

* That '70s Set Tour w/ David Trainer (12 minutes) – Director David Trainer gives us a tour of the Forman’s house and the water tower where the gang spent all their time contemplating the meaning of life.
* Episode Promos - Each episode has a short promo that can be played before you watch the episode.

A good show should go out with a bang and leave you wanting more; however, as That ‘70s Show became a shell of its former self, it went out with a whimper having lost a lot of what originally made it fresh and funny. Die-hard fans and completists may even want to think twice before picking this set up, but the features and the series finale make it more buy-worthy.

Overall Picture
Show: B-

DVD: A-

- Chris Lawrence
Staff Writer