Warning: This article contains spoilers for That ’90s Show season 2.
Summary
Another season ofThat ’90s Showmeans another batch of memorable character and actor cameos. The Netflix series has effectively brought back a great deal of what madeThat ’70s Showso popular, including the frequent appearance of public figures who contribute to the nostalgia of decades past. Of course, in the case ofThat ’90s Show, this means actors, singers, models, and more who grew to prevalence in the 1990s. Their cameos, as well as those fromThat ’70s Showactors or modern pop culture figures, add that extra little bit of spice to the series.
That ’90s Showseason 1 got the ball rolling with a lot of great cameos. WhileThat ’70s Show’s Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtood Smith returned to regular roles playing Red and Kitty Forman, the majority of the show’s original cast came back only for short cameos. Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Topher Grace, and the rest filled in most of season 1’s cameo slots, but Brian Austin Green and Jim Rash also joined in the fun. Now,That ’90s Showseason 2 has stepped things up a notch. While there are fewerThat ’70s Showcameos overall,the series makes up for it with other great ‘’90s-inspired appearances.
That ’90s Show Season 1 Ending: What’s Next For Every Character
That ’90s Show’s season 1 finale leaves plenty of loose ends untied for Leia and the gang as summer 1995 comes to an end in Point Place.
9Lisa Loeb as Herself
Leia Imagines A Conversation With Lisa Loeb In That ’90s Show Season 2
Lisa Loeb appeared inThat ’90s Showpart 2, episode 2, “Something to Talk About,” when Leia began daydreaming about how she would go about earningJay’s forgiveness for almost kissing Nate. Part of her strategy involveda dramatic music video based on Loeb’s 1994 hit, “Stay (I Missed You),“which included the singer herself, confused about why a random girl was singing in her apartment. Later, Loeb appeared in Leia’s imagination again, this time standing in the teenager’s bedroom at the Forman residence to offer some relationship advice.
Loeb made a perfect first cameo forThat ’90s Show. “Stay (I Missed You)” was featured in the 1994 movieReality Bitesand became the singer’sfirst hit. This makes the music video homage inThat ’90s Showall the more nostalgic, which is precisely what such cameos are meant to achieve. Such fantasies and daydreams were a staple ofThat ’70s Show, and it is exciting to see this now incorporated into the spinoff series.
8Seth Green as Mitch
Seth Green’s That ’70s Show Character Made A Return Appearance
Seth Green’s Mitch is the onlyThat ’70s ShowcameoinThat ’90s Showseason 2, aside from those like Prepon and Don Stark, who make more regular appearances. Mitch was a rival of Eric Forman’s who made a couple of return appearances in the parent series. He was a fairly outrageous character who was in love with Donna and went to great lengths to undermine her relationship with Eric. Of course, Mitch lost out in the end, and his return toThat ’90s Showseason 2 indicates that he held a grudge for decades.
He was just as weird about his mom, just as obsessed with Donna, and just as angry at Eric Forman.
Green’s character fromThat ’70s Showappeared inThat ’90s Showseason 2, episode 2, “Just a Friend,“wherehe was revealed to be the manager of Hot Topic and Gwen’s boss.All those years later,Mitch wasn’t much different than he had been back in the day. He was just as weird about his mom, just as obsessed with Donna, and just as angry at Eric Forman.
7Carmen Electra as Herself
Kitty Imagined Carmen Electra Dancing For Red In That ’90s Show Season 2
InThat ’90s Showseason 2, episode 4, “Hold My Hand,” Kitty became worried the women of Point Place would move in on Red while she was injured and out of commission, which led to a fantasy involving Carmen Electra. She had noted earlier in the episode that Red knew a little too much about the actor, singer, and model for comfort, andthe thought seemed to inspire the irrational fear that Electra herself would come into the Forman home, give Red a lap dance, and make him Shane ‘n Bake Chicken (much to her husband’s enjoyment).
Another prominent figure of the 1990s, Electra rose to prominence with her debut self-titled album in 1993. In 1996, which is whenThat ’90s Showseason 2 is set, Electra began modeling forPlayboy, which certainly explains why Red might have a little interest in the icon. Of course, Kitty’s fears were unfounded, and Red later had a fantasy that his wife was dancing and cooking Shake ‘n Bake instead.
6Kadeem Hardison As Marcus
Kadeem Hardison Played A Mall Security Guard In That ’90s Show Season 2
InThat ’90s Showseason 2, episode 6, “I Can See Clearly Now,” Gwen, Leia, and Nikki tried on bras at Victoria’s Secret and ultimately decided to walk out without paying for them. Naturally, Gwen was the only one among them to be stopped by security, and mall copMarcus, played by1990s sitcomstar Kadeem Hardison, pointed out the racist undertones of this situation.
Hardison’s cameo is fitting since he first came to prominence playing Dwayne Wayne in theCosby ShowspinoffA Different World, which ran from 1987 to 1993. As well as taking on prominent roles in other movies and TV shows in the 90s and beyond, Hardison appeared as himself or as cameo characters in several projects throughout the ’90s, likeThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,Out All Night,Touched by an Angel, and more.
5Will Forte as Kiefer
Will Forte’s That ’90s Show Character Swindeled Kitty Out Of $700
Actor and comedianWill Forte made a guest appearance inThat ’90s Showseason 2, episode 6, “I Can See Clearly Now,“playing Kiefer, the spiritual healer. Kitty hired Kiefer when her injured foot continued to give her problems, and she wound up paying him hundreds of dollars to cleanse the house. Of course, Forte’s character was a fraud with a cocaine addiction, and though Red had guessed as much, he didn’t hold it against Kitty. It was a sweet, albeit outrageous, moment that showed Leia that she needed to forgive Jay.
Forte wasn’t a prominent figure in the 1990s, but he has been a hilarious force in the decades since. He grew to fame as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 2002 to 2010 and has continued to be a staple of TV comedy with performances in shows likeHow I Met Your Mother,The Cleveland Show,American Dad,Conan,Funny or DiePresents, and much, much more.
Will Forte worked as a writer and producer onThat ’70s Showbefore joining the cast ofSaturday Night Live.
4Wayne Knight as Bruce
Wayne Knight Once Cameoed On That ’70s Show Too
InThat ’90s Showseason 2, episode 7, “Baby-Baby-Baby,” Red goes to the hospital after overhearing Jay and Leia make plans to take their relationship to the next level. His roommate was anenergetic and talkative man named Bruce, played by the familiar Wayne Knight. Though Red found Bruce highly annoying, the man also reminded him of the importance of living life to the fullest, ultimately setting in motion Red’s decision to surprise Kitty with flights to Paris. In this way, Bruce was something like an unexpected guardian angel.
He played an angel in the season 4 episode titled “It’s a Wonderful Life,” which saw Knight guide Eric through an alternate future in which he and Donna had never kissed.
This isn’t the first time Knight played such a role. The actor, who became a familiar face (and voice) with his performances on ’90s sitcoms likeSeinfeldand3rd Rock from the Sunand movies such asJurassic Parkand Disney’sTarzan, made a cameo appearance back inThat ’70s Showas well. He played an angel in the season 4 episode titled “It’s a Wonderful Life,” which sawKnight guide Eric through an alternate futurein which he and Donna had never kissed.
3Matt Rife as Travis
Matt Rife Played A Quirky Pilot In That ’90s Show Season 2
When the Formans arrived at the airport destined for Paris inThat ’90s Showseason 2, episode 8, “Friends in Low Places,” Red announced that he was unable to get on the plane because he was terrified of flying. The situation only worsened when a man at the bar, Travis, told Red about the germs that inevitably cover airplanes, much to Kitty’s dismay. Hoping to get Travis away from Red, Kitty asked Sherri to seduce the man, who then became intoxicated before revealing that he was actually a pilot.
Travis was played by comedian Matt Rife inThat ’90s Showseason 2. Born in 1995, Rife was most certainly not a public figure in the 1990s. However, he’s a welcome cameo onThat ’90s Showthanks to his growing prevalence in the modern comedy scene. Rife grew to fame as his stand-up performances went viral on TikTok, ultimately leading to a variety of comedy specials, including the 2023 Netflix specialNatural Selection.
2Jason Mewes as Bunch
At theend of the eighth episode ofThat ’90s Showseason 2(the final episode of part 2), Leia believed that the party at her grandparent’s house had somehow left the place without any significant damage. However, just as she took a breath of relief, a car smashed through the wall of the dining room. The occupants of this car were a couple of clueless characters named Sonny and Bunch, the latter of which was played by ’90s comedy-stoner icon Jason Mewes.
Mewes is best known for playing Jay, half of the duo Jay and Silent Bob, in Kevin Smith movies likeClerks,Mallrats,Chasing Amy, andDogma, and has cameoed the role in films likeScream 3. The characters Jay and Silent Bob have always been comparable to iconic stoner-duo Cheech and Chong, which makes Mewes’ connection toThat ’90s Show’s Leo all the more hilarious.
1Kevin Smith as Sonny
As bizarre as it was for a car to crash into the Forman kitchen at the end ofThat ’90s Showseason 2, episode 8, “Friends in Low Places,” the biggest surprise of this scene was that the other occupant of the vehicle, Sonny, was the son ofTommy Chong’s iconicThat ’70s Showcharacter, Leo. It’s explained that Sonny is coming to town to take over for his father, who is retiring. This may indicate that Leo will no longer be a constant figure inThat ’90s Showand that Chong’s place in Point Place will be taken over by the next-generation stoner-comedy actor, Kevin Smith.
Smith is the mind behind the characters of Jay and Silent Bob, who were the ’90s versions of stoner-duo Cheech and Chong from the 1970s. This makes Smith coming in as Leo’s son inThat ’90s Showperfectly fitting. Whether Smith continues to be a presence in Point Place after season 2 is unclear, though it’s certainly implied that he will be taking over for Chong’s Leo in more ways than one. Regardless, his cameo inThat ’90s Showis an exciting one and a sign that this spinoff series will continue to use its predecessor’s old tricks to inspire a lot of nostalgia and even more laughs.
That ’90s Show
Cast
That ’70s Show returns set two decades later with That ’90s Show, acting as a sequel but bringing back old cast favorites. Led by Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) Forman, the new cast arrives as the next generation, with the daughter of Eric and Donna, Leia Forman, leading the charge. Spending the summer with her grandparents, Leia makes new friends and forges new bonds in Point Place, Wisconsin. That ’70s Show series regulars make cameos in the show to maintain that sense of familiarity, and the show adopts the conventions of the ’90s as expected. That ’90s Show first aired on Netflix with a total of ten episodes.
