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By Mike Thompson

The FOX network only has two original live-action sitcoms currently on their schedule. (Note: I refuse to count the half-hour concoction Ally among FOX’s sitcoms, but more on that later.) One of the shows, Action, which has been a ratings loser since its debut in September, is being removed from the lineup for November and may not return. In which case, FOX would have only one live-action half-hour sitcom, but that wouldn’t be too bad, since the lone sitcoms left would be That ‘70s Show.

As the title suggests, That ‘70s Show is set in the decade of the 1970s. The main characters on the show are six teenagers. The unofficial leader of the six is Eric Forman (Topher Grace). It is in the basement of Eric’s house that the six spend most of their time. The other teenagers are: Donna Pinciotti (Laura Prepon), Eric’s next-door neighbor and love interest; Steven Hyde (Danny Masterson), the serious and hard-edged member of the group; the dim-witted Michael Kelso (Ashton Kutcher); Jackie Burkhardt (Mila Kunis), Kelso’s girlfriend; and Fez (Wilmer Valderrama), the wacky foreigner that is never afraid to offer his two cents, no matter how misguided those cents may be.

When That ‘70s Show debuted in 1998, it seemed that the adventures of Eric and his friends would make up all of the episodes. Luckily, though, the producers wisely chose to expand the show so that Eric’s parents, Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp), would play a part in each episode. Over the course of the season, the roles of Donna’s parents, Bob (Don Stark) and Midge, were also expanded. Also, towards the end of the season, Eric’s sister Laurie (Lisa Robin Kelly) flunked out of college and moved back home. The expansion of the supporting characters was a masterful move. It gave the writers characters to write about rather than the teenagers. Also, Kurtwood Smith is a great actor, and the emphasis of his role can only be a good thing. The adventures of the six teenagers are fun to watch, and the adventures of the Forman and the Pinciotti families are also fun to watch. This doesn’t mean that That ‘70s Show doesn’t have faults. Some jokes fall flat, and the laugh track is very annoying, very loud, and overused. It would be wise for the producers to cut down on the laugh track, or at least lower it a few decibels. However, every show has flaws, and That ‘70s Show has proven to be a very good show despite these flaws. The critics haven’t missed this fact, with magazines such as Entertainment Weekly, US, and TV Guide all bestowing generous praise on the show. Most importantly, the viewers haven’t missed this either.

That ‘70s Show spent its first season located on Sunday nights at 8:30, following The Simpsons. The show consistently retained much of The Simpsons’ lead-in audience, and became the first live-action sitcom to follow The Simpsons and still do well in the ratings since, well, ever. However, Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, had a new animated sitcom, Futurama, debuting, and made it known that he wanted That ‘70s Show’s timeslot for Futurama. FOX gave it to him, and That ‘70s Show was moved to Monday nights at 8 for the summer of 1999, where two episodes, some new episodes (left over from the 1998-99 season) and some repeats, were shown. It was here that That ‘70s Show started to really become a hit. It consistently garnered higher ratings than Ally McBeal, which followed the show at 9. Then, for the 1999-2000 season, it was moved to its third timeslot in little more than a year, Tuesday nights at 8:30, where it would face some tough competition, such as NBC’s 3^rd Rock from the Sun, and WB’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Despite these odds, though, That ‘70s Show has flourished in its new timeslot. It does so despite a weak lead-in from the "new" show Ally, which takes segments from the hour-long Ally McBeal and recycles them in the form of a half-hour sitcom. The fact that the show is being touted as original programming represents a new network TV low. Fortunately, Ally is doing terribly in the ratings. However, this hasn’t impacted That ‘70s Show too severely, as it consistently builds strongly on the audience for Ally. Sure, with a stronger lead-in, That ‘70s Show could be doing even better, but what counts is that it is still a hit show, and justifiably so.