My so-called life: Debra Jo Rupp talks ‘THAT ‘90s SHOW,’ meaningful Kitty Forman moments

Preston Barta // Features Editor

Ah, how we’ve missed hanging out…in the streets…with Kitty’s laugh, Red’s butt-kicking remarks, and a group of teens who raise Cane amid a sea of mundanity and decade-specific pop culture. 

That ‘70s Show – starring Debra Jo Rupp, Kurtwood Smith, and Topher Grace – transitioned into the ‘80s off screen in its televised narrative nearly twenty years ago. Good gravy, we’re getting old – which is why a new generation can enjoy the high jinks via the series continuation on Netflix, appropriately called That ‘90s Show. 

So, hello, Wisconsin (and wherever you’re reading this)! Because That ‘90s Show is now streaming on Netflix and ready to make your living room more radical with Blind Melon needle drops and more.

The new series guns the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser from the ‘70s to ‘95. Leia Forman (Callie Haverda), daughter of Eric and Donna (Grace and Laura Prepon), is visiting her grandparents, Kitty and Red (Rupp and Smith), for the summer. She makes fast friends with the neighbors and surrounding kids in Point Place. It’s the same sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll attitude of the original series – just new clothes (plaid, denim and butt-cut hairstyles) and new tunes.

To talk about the new series and what fans can anticipate in the ten-episode first season, Fresh Fiction sat down virtually with Debra Jo Rupp. In our below video interview, we chat about the most meaningful qualities of Kitty Forman, jumping forward in time with a new generation of Point Place kids and reconnecting with the original cast members.

OUR INTERVIEW with DEBRA JO RUPP (“KITTY FORMAN”)