Series review of “That 90s Show”, Part 2: Popular teen sitcom has developed into its own monster series

Although the first episode of The wild 90s Part 2 contains the ultimate catchy tune “Macarena”, in contrast to part 1, the series seems to have to find itself first and can be enjoyed independently. The connections to That 70’s Show with some of the cast reprising their roles are just the right side of funny. We can enjoy Shaggy’s ‘Boombastic’, Carmen Electra dancing to La Bouche’s ‘Be My Lover’, Toni Braxton’s ‘Un-Break My Heart’ and Des’ree’s ‘I’m Kissing You’ which Romeo + Juliet‘s aquarium scene and enjoy the antics of Leia (Callie Haverda) and her friends.

It’s 1996 and Leia has returned to the home of her grandparents – Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) and Red (Kurtwood Smith) – in Wisconsin. Part 1 ended with Leia and Nate (Maxwell Acee Donovan) almost kissing. Things get complicated because Leia sees Jay (Mace Coronel) and Nate dating Nikki (Sam Morelos). The fact that Nate is Gwen’s (Ashley Aufderheide) brother and Gwen is Leia’s best friend are additional obstacles along the way.

Although Leia and Nate initially decide not to tell anyone, they cannot keep this big secret for long, and it comes out in spectacular fashion on the radio when Ozzie (Reyn Doi) tries to win tickets to a Spice Girl concert.

There’s a pregnancy scare, a couple of crazy parties where everyone, including Kitty, gets drunk, Kitty and Red try to spice up their marriage, a trip to Paris, and an ongoing rivalry between Leia’s grandfathers Red and Bob (Don Stark). Some things are pretty unbelievable, including the reactions to racism and homosexuality, which seem very 2020s and definitely not 1990s Wisconsin.

The older ones, especially Rupp and Smith, do much of the heavy lifting, but the younger ones do well, too. There’s a relaxed camaraderie among the six teenagers who poke fun at each other, and there are some laugh-out-loud moments. Sherri (Andrea Anders), Gwen and Nate’s mother, and Donna (Laura Prepon), Leia’s mother, are fun.

At 24 minutes per pop, The wild 90s is not a drain on your precious time. The fact that the show is not trying to ride the nostalgia wave by throwing in a bunch of cameos, but instead wants to get us excited about the new teens in Point Place, is certainly encouraging. Now we can eagerly await part 3, which is out on October 24th.

“That ’90s Show” parts 1 and 2 are currently streaming on Netflix