That ’90s Show Just Gave Us a Major Eric Update — and Made It Even Easier for Topher Grace Never to Return
Warning: The following contains spoilers from That ’90s Show Part 3, Episode 7.
Topher Grace hasn’t been seen in Point Place since Eric Forman first dropped his daughter Leia off at her grandparents’ house in That ’90s Show‘s January 2023 premiere — and we probably shouldn’t count on seeing him again any time soon.
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Last we saw Red and Kitty’s son, he was employed as an adjunct professor in Chicago, where he taught a course on the religion of Star Wars. A year and change later, Eric has received the offer of a lifetime: “He’s on his way to Skywalker Ranch to shadow George Lucas and write a book about the making of the new Star Wars movies,” Donna reveals to Leia in Part 3, which is set in the summer of 1996 — three years out from the release of The Phantom Menace. “It happened really fast. He got the call, packed his bag and said goodbye to me in Wookiee.” And just like that, Eric is living in California, more than 2,000 miles from his wife and daughter.
While he’s away, Donna, we’re told, will split her time between Chicago (where she works), Point Place (where she will allow Leia to remain for the school year) and California (because it’s easier to justify why we never see Eric if he isn’t making return trips home).
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Alas, it’s beginning to seem like we may never see Grace reprise Eric again. He, like Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, returned to pass the proverbial torch to a new generation of basement dwellers in That ’90s Show’s series premiere, but has not been back for additional appearances. Wilmer Valderrama, who reprised Fez throughout Part 1, has also been absent from the sequel series’ sophomore run, receiving nary a mention despite his previous entanglement with Red and Kitty’s next-door neighbor, Gwen and Nate’s mom Sherry.
“We always hope to have everybody back,” showrunner Gregg Mettler previously told TVLine. “We come up with ideas, we bat things around… but when you get down to the nitty-gritty of it all, it’s about scheduling…. I will be grateful for the rest of eternity for the contributions of the legacy cast members from That ’70s Show in Part 1. Them returning was a blessing, and they handed the show off in a delightful way.” But moving forward, he said, “focusing on our characters… and weaving in That ’70s Show people [when available] is a recipe that works for us.”
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