Among the first network debuts of the fall season, this series began to create controversy months ago because a scene in the pilot suggests that the teenage characters have been smoking pot. In fact, their stoned conversation is the funniest thing in the whole episode. Produced by the teams that created Roseanne, The Cosby Show and 3rd Rock from the Sun, That 70's Show is otherwise a typical teen comedy, only with '70s artifacts pasted into it. Satirizing smiley faces and leisure suits is hardly fresh, although there's a sweetness and likability to the cast, led by Eric Foreman. The show may be more sophisticated than its '70s equivalent, Happy Days (also set 20 years before its own time), but that's not saying much.
--By James Collins