That '70s Show Fans Ponder The Possible Inclusion Of Kelso's Child Betsy In That '90s Show
Netflix continues to tap into audience thirst for late-20th-century, teens-in-the-basement nostalgia as it time-shifts the premise, location, and even some of the cast from "That '70s Show" into the franchise's latest iteration, the upcoming "That '90s Show." Airing on Fox from 1998 to 2006, "That '70s Show" served up a tightly scripted but laid-back sitcom with an ensemble of engaging teens and the often-exasperated parents attempting to shepherd them through their coming-of-age years in Gerald Ford-era Point Place, Wisconsin.
The show was a major hit for Fox and captured critical acclaim to go along with its eight-year run, garnering 16 Primetime Emmy Awards nominations (per IMDb). En route to taking the series into the '90s, the franchise made a brief stopover in the previous decade, launching "That '80s Show" to the sort of viewer response that resulted in the series lasting for just one season before disappearing into the cancellation void. As anticipation revs up for the debut of "That '90s Show," fans are wondering if they might be seeing Betsy, the daughter of Ashton Kutcher's Michael Kelso in the original series.
Fans think it's reasonable to expect to see Betsy on That '90s Show
Born as a result of Kelso and Brooke Rockwell (Elizabeth Shannon) attending a Molly Hatchet rock concert on "That '70s Show" (per That '70s Show Fandom), baby Betsy Kelso arrived on the series in Season 7. But this appearance late in the show's run hasn't kept fans from speculating about the possibility that she will turn up in the new series.
Posting on the show's subreddit, user u/ChipsAhoy-_0 noted that Kutcher and Mila Kunis, who played Jackie Burkhart in the original series, had a child together in real life, but then added, "Kelso also has a child with Brooke from That 70s Show and [I] wondered what the odds are that she may be in ['That '90s Show'] as well." This prompted another Redditor to ask, "Didn't Kelso have his child in 1979?" before going on to do the math and say, "Which would mean by 1995 she would be 16 ... which is pretty in line with most of these kids [on the new series]. I hope to see her as a guest appearance." Yet another fan on Reddit, u/FuzseaFlow9706, recalls that young Betsy went to live with her mother in Chicago in the original show, suggesting that the now-teenage Betsy "might visit Kelso during the summer, as he might live in Point Place."
Expectant fans will hopefully get their answers when "That '90s Show" launches on January 19th.