Debuting on Fox on August 23, 1998, That '70s Show followed the Forman family, chiefly through the eyes of their Star Wars-loving son Eric and his group of teenage friends. When we meet them in Point Place, Wisconsin in 1976, the Forman family is headed by World War II and Korean War veteran Red Forman, along with his wife Kitty, who works as a nurse. Eric is friends with pretty boy Michael Kelso, stoner Hyde, and foreign exchange student Fez, along with the Formans' neighbor Donna Pinciotti and snobby rich girl Jackie Burkhart.
The show tackled problems that are universal to teens of any decade: relationship drama, issues with school, difficult domestic situations, and so forth. But despite the near-constant ribbing and snarky jokes, each character cared for each other deep down.
One of the best examples of this throughout the show is the relationship between Eric and Donna. Talking to the New York Times, Topher Grace reflected, "Unlike many sitcoms that play on love triangles or whether the main stars will or will not sleep together, we looked at the nuances of a relationship between two neighbors — Eric and Donna — who had been in love since childhood." Over the course of the show, the couple's relationship grew from a childhood crush to something more complex, helping to keep the series compelling over time.
