Summary
That ’90s Showalways comes with many great cameos, and part 3 didn’t disappoint. Like its parent series,That ’70s Show, the Netflix spinoff is set during a nostalgic decade of the past, and it leans into this by bringing in stars from that era. Of course, part of what makesThat ’90s Showspecial is that it can also bring in character cameos fromThat ’70s Show, revealing what they have been up to in the years between the ’70s and ’90s. In all, this keeps the door open for a lot of fun guest appearances.
That ’90s Showhas brought back a handful ofThat ’70s Showcharactersas regulars in the spinoff, such as Red and Kitty Forman (Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp), Bob Pinciotti (Don Stark) and Donna Pinciotti (Laura Prepon). However, by the events of part 3, Leia and her gang of Point Place teenagers are running the show. There is less dependence onThat ’70s Showcameos as a whole, butThat ’90s Showpart 3 still comes ready with the return of some familiar names and faces. Then, of course, there are the ’90s starts that help make this series so nostalgic to watch.
That ’90s Show Part 3 Ending Explained
The ending of That ’90s Show part 3 ended on a cliffhanger, leaving the fate and relationships of several main characters entirely in the air.
9Jim Rash As Fenton
Appeared In That ’90s Show Part 3, Episode 8, “Don’t Look Back In Anger”
Jim Rash returns toThat ’90s Showpart 3, playing his memorable character, Fenton. This eccentric man was originally an employee of a jewelry store in the ’70s and later became Fez’s landlord (and fierce rival).Fenton made his first cameo appearance inThat ’90s Showpart 1, where he was revealed to be the landlord of Sherri Runck’s house. SinceSherri was dating Fezat the time, this turned into a rather chaotic situation.
InThat ’90s Showpart 3, Fenton has taken his business talents to Point Place’s local pawn shop. He announced that he began working there after he was forced to pawn most of his belongings, and he wanted to keep an eye on his stuff and chase people away before they could buy it. This is pretty fitting for Rash’s character, as is his determination to get no less than $800 to give Nikki her guitar back (which her parents had previously pawned). In the end, Nate traded Fenton his van for the guitar. It was a pretty unfair deal, perhapshinting that Fenton will return for future installments ofThat ’90s Show.
8Seth Green As Mitch
Recurring In That ’90s Show Part 3
Seth Green’s Mitch is anotherThat ’70s Showcharacter who made frequent reappearances. He was initially a rival to Eric, who was desperately in love with Donna (though he never stood a chance).Mitch appeared yet again inThat ’90s Showpart 2, where he was the manager of Hot Topic and Gwen’s (and for a short time, Leia’s) boss. It was revealed that Mitch hadn’t forgotten his love for Donna or hatred for Eric, which naturally put Leia in an awkward position.
Green’s character even briefly reunited with Prepon in the Forman kitchen…
That ’90s Showpart 3 indicated that Mitch could again be a frequent guest on the show since he made another appearance—this time asthe leader of a Men’s group that Nate attends. Once again, the characters ofThat ’90s Showwere reminded that Mitch would never get over Donna. Green’s character even briefly reunited with Prepon in the Forman kitchen, where Mitch accosted her to discover whether Donna was divorced or widowed yet.
7Kevin Smith As Sonny
The bigtwist ending ofThat ’90s Showpart 2saw a car drive through the Forman kitchen, and the drivers were ultimately revealed to be Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes, the iconic actors behind ’90s stone duo Jay and Silent Bob. Smith’s character, Sonny, announced that he was Leo’s (Tommy Chong) son, arriving in Point Place to take over his father’s business.It was unclear at the time whether Smith and Mewes would be sticking aroundor were only meant to be brief cameos.That ’90s Showpart 3 came with an answer.
Smith’s Sonny was a fairly constant presence inThat ’90s Showpart 3. He and his friend Bunch moved into Leo’s house andseemed solely responsible for providing Leia and her friends fuel for their “Circle” time. This indicates that Sonny truly did replace Leo, further supported by the fact that Chong was nowhere to be seen inThat ’90s ShowPart 3. While sad, this is rather fitting. Chong was part of the famed 1970s stoner duo Cheech and Chong, so it makes sense that Smith, his 1990s replacement, would be the new clueless pothead ofThat ’90s Show.
6Jason Mewes As Bunch
Recurring Character In That ’90s Show Part 3
Like Smith, Mewes made his first appearance at the end ofThat ’90s Showpart 2, when his character, Bunch, drove a car through the Forman basement. It’s only stated that Bunch is a friend of Leo’s son, but little else is known about him or where he came from. InThat ’90s Showpart 3,Bunch lives with Sonny in Leo’s old house and assists his friend in his business(assumedly, just selling weed).
Bunch is similar to Mewe’s Jay and Silent Bob character overall. Of course, Sonny isn’t silent, so there’s a different dynamic to this Point Place duo than the iconic team of 1990s stoner comedy. Like Leo, both Bunch and Sonny are pretty clueless. Of course, this is all part of what makes them so easy to love inThat ’90s Showpart 3. Hopefully, they will be around for several seasons to come.
5Mike “The Miz” Mizanin As The Party Animal
Appeared In That ’90s Show Part 3, Episode 1, “All Apologies”
After Nate took the blame for crashing a car into the Forman kitchen inThat ’90s Showpart 3, Jay wanted to do something special to thank him for taking the heat off the gang. This ultimately led him, Leia, and Ozzie to a wrestling convention, wherethey hoped to get an autograph from a wrestler called The Party Animal. However, they had to go to great lengths to get it, with Laia following him into the bathroom and demanding that he sign Nate’s belt at the urinal.
The part ofThe Party Animal is played by celebrity guest star Mike “The Miz” Mizanin, a real professional wrestler and TV personality. The Miz first signed with WWE in 2004 and is known for hosting reality competitions likeThe Battle of the ExesandThe Challenge: Champs vs. Stars.
Every That ’70s Show Character Missing From That ’90s Show Season 2
While That ’90s Show season 1 was full of character cameos from That ’70s Show’s cast, season 2 left out most of those from the original series.
4Kira Kosarin As Betsy Kelso
To get over Nikki, Nate headed to the bar inThat ’90s Showpart 3 with the aim of meeting someone new. He is quickly successful in this, and before long, Nate has hooked up with a spunky brunette. However, while telling his friends about this,Nate learns that the girl is Jay’s sister, Betsy Kelso. This is a familiar name to fans ofThat ’70s Showsince Michael Kelso introduced his baby girl way back in season 7 of the series.
This is a familiar name to fans of That ’70s Show since Michael Kelso introduced his baby girl way back in season 7 of the series.
Many have been asking forBetsy’s big return sinceThat ’90s Showmade no reference to her prior to part 3. It seemed for a time that Netflix had forgotten about Jay’s older sister, but actorKira Kosarin brought her to the screenand will hopefully continue to do so in future episodes as well. Kosarin is best known forThe Thundermans,Henry Danger, andThe Haunted Hathaways.
3Sherry Cola As Morgan
Appeared In That ’90s Show Part 3, Episode 4, “Two Princes”
Red was fed up with being interrupted by teenagers in his home inThat ’90s Showpart 3, so he took Kitty’s advice and headed to a local coffee shop. However, while there, he was just as annoyed by the various customers and aggressively scolded them until they left. The coffee shop owner, Morgan, was initially pleased. She gave Red the unofficial job of getting annoying customers out of the shop. However, she found herself in a pickle when she realized that Red found all the customers annoying, so no one was left.
Morgan was played by actor and comedian Sherry ColainThat ’90s Show. Though Cola got her start in standup, she is best known for playing Alice Kwan in the seriesGood Troubleand for leading the 2023 filmJoy Ride.
2Cedric Yarbrough As Otis
Appeared In That ’90s Show Part 3, Episode 5, “Life Is A Highway”
Another celebrity guest onThat ’90s Showpart 3 was Cedric Yarbrough, an actor and comedian best known for the seriesReno 911!and the ABC sitcomSpeechless.Yarbrough played Otis, Gwen’s dad, in the Netflix spinoff series, who had previously been mentioned but had been absent up to this point.
It was mentioned earlier in the series that Gwen’s dad was a truck driver who was often away, leading to theories that the man was actuallyThat ’70s Show’s Steven Hyde. Of course, Yarbrough’s character proves this wasn’t the case. Gwen had a touching moment with her father inThat ’90s Showpart 3, indicating that Yarbrough will be another frequent flyer with the franchise.
1Robert Clendenin As Earl
Appeared In That ’90s Show Part 3, Episode 7, “Are You Gonna Go My Way”
Another excitingThat ’70s Showcharacter cameo inThat ’90s Showpart 3 was Robert Clendenin’s Earl. Back in the parent series,Earl had been a recurring pain in Red’s neck. He was initially an employee working under Red, but his being constantly late (with only horrible excuses) led to him being fired. Earl then attempted to sue Red, though he lost by default when he showed up late to the meeting. Later, Red unintentionally got Earl fired again when he complained about a burger at the fast food joint where he worked.
Things weren’t much better for Earl in the 1990s. InThat ’90s Showpart 3,Clendenin’s character is seen at the men’s support grouprun by Mitch. Red attends the group and is reunited with Earl, who is naturally less than thrilled to see him.
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.
