‘The ’90s Show’ Seemingly Writes Off Topher Grace’s Eric for Good

Topher Grace may not be reprising his role as Eric Forman in That ‘90s Show anytime soon.

In Part 3 episode 7 of the Netflix series, Eric’s wife, Donna Pinciotti (Laura Prepon), reveals that he was offered his “dream job.”

“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 tells her and Eric’s daughter, Leia (Callie Haverda). “It happened really fast. He got the call, packed his bag and said goodbye to me in Wookiee.”

Donna explains that Eric will now be living in California, miles away from their family in Point Place, Wisconsin. While Eric is gone, Donna says she’ll split her time between her workplace in Chicago, Point Place and California.

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With this change in his career, it seems like he won’t be returning to Point Place in the near future.

Grace, 46, returned as Eric in Part 1 of the spinoff series alongside Prepon, 44. Former costars Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher and Wilmer Valderrama also made cameos. The real-life couple has said they have no plans to return.

“We did our thing,” Kunis, 41, told Entertainment Tonight in April about her character, Jackie Burkhart, and Kutcher’s Kelso not returning.

Prepon, for her part, has made several appearances alongside series regulars Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp who reprised their roles as Eric’s parents, Red and Kitty Forman, respectively.

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“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.”

He continued, “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.”

Mettler also gave a shout-out to Prepon, who plays her recurring role as Donna. “She directed the entire Part 3, and she performed a lot in it,” he explained, calling her “wonderful.”

As the show moves forward without many of its OG cast members, Mettler noted that “focusing on our characters… and weaving in That ’70s Show people [when available] is a recipe that works for us.”

That ‘90s Show Part 3 is currently streaming on Netflix.