The funniest scene in "That '70s Show" is one that also managed to send some TV critics bonkers when Fox mailed out the pilot: A bunch of teens, circa 1976, engage in the then-novel ritual of smoking grass in the family basement/rec room.
At least, we assume that's what they've been doing. As the camera quickly pans the faces of four buddies sitting around a table, they laugh, make breath-holding noises and have the kind of pointless, overlapping dialogue historically precedent to gorging on Hostess cupcakes.
The whole bit lasts about two minutes. But you would have thought it a milestone in immoral influences on television, judging by the chorus of questions at the press conference last month in Pasadena, Calif.
"Drugs ruined a lot of people in the '70s," said one critic. "Are you going to put that in, too?" "We were talking to (Fox president) Peter Roth, and he said that he was going to ask you to add some sort of cautionary scene about drug use in the pilot." "Many of us think this is the funniest show they've seen. Many of us are really upset about the drug stuff."
Lighten up, comrades. First, it's TV. Second, it's a sitcom. And third, it's a TV sitcom set in what was one of the most culturally goofy eras in American history. Especially if you were a teenager stuck in the fictional Wisconsin suburb of "That '70s Show," debuting tonight at 8:30 on KCPQ-TV.
The precise moment is May 17, 1976, and our hero is 16-year-old Eric Foreman (Topher Grace). You know Eric: the kind of neat-looking, smart kid who gets good grades and behaves well, but has to break the rules occasionally just to maintain his cool quotient among friends.
The latter include warm and wise girl-next-door Donna (Laura Prepon); gullible Kelso (Ashton Kutcher); Kelso's spoiled, bullying girlfriend Jackie (Mila Kunis); foreign-exchange student Fez (Wilmer Valderrama) and Hyde (Danny Masterson), the guy with the conspiracy theories. "There is no gas shortage, man, it's fake," says Hyde. "The oil companies control everything."
That immortal '70s mantra is one of several you'll hear in tonight's pilot, which culminates in a trip to a Todd Rundgren concert courtesy of Eric's dad's old Vista Cruiser. The scene in which Mr. and Mrs. Foreman (Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp) bequeath the car to Eric is hilarious.
As Eric attempts to focus, he's equally befuddled by his brief brush with marijuana and by cryptic parental warnings. "A car is not a bedroom on wheels." "If I find one beer can in that car, it's over." "No trips out of town, Eric. Understand?"
Hours later, of course, Eric and his pals are beelining for Milwaukee to hear the "Hello, It's Me" god. "I wonder where the kids are going," says Mrs. Foreman. "Out of town," Dad calmly replies.
Of television's many growing-up sitcoms, "That '70s Show" most closely resembles "Happy Days." Yes, it's going to deal with some racier issues - after all, the '70s weren't the '50s, though they may seem innocent compared to the '90s. So be prepared for the occasional beer or joint, heavy necking and whatever else a substantial amount of the teenage population experienced during the Ford and Carter years.
Be prepared as well for numerous way-back flashes, ranging from hot pants to Happy Faces to the inevitable Farrah Fawcett-Majors. You even get a flesh-and-blood icon in ex-Angel Tanya Roberts, who plays Donna's mother. Still, a little evoking goes a long way; let's hope the show's producers don't sacrifice the subtler aspects of growing up in the '70s to a lot of pop ephemera.
"That '70s Show" has a wholesome, fresh-mouthed feel much like the show it replaced, "King of The Hill" (moved to 8 p.m. Tuesdays). Granted, it's not quite as funny and has the added challenge of following "The Simpsons." But the actors are good, the characters likable and - if the writing holds up - this show will probably help Fox hang on to its Sunday night audience.
'Holding the Baby'
"Holding the Baby," on the other hand, seems designed for that half-hour when we're taking a break after NFL football to walk the dog or cram our gullets before returning to watch Bart and Homer.
Debuting at 7:30 tonight, also on KCPQ-TV, this Fox comedy helps demonstrate how quirky the mind of a TV critic is. Everybody howled about a measly joint in "That '70s Show"; nobody blinked an eye when, five minutes into "Holding the Baby," the mother of a 1-year-old abandons him to move to Tibet.
Like we said, it's a sitcom. Unfortunately, the humor is staler than day-old formula, and a can of Gerber's peaches couldn't be more strained.
Gordon Stiles (Jon Patrick Walker) is the single dad who gets left holding the baby when his wife abandons the marital ship. Quicker than you can say Mary Poppins, a svelte graduate student named Kelly (Jennifer Westfeldt) enters, seeking a receptionist's job at the management consulting firm where Gordon works.
Given the standard single-dad concept, the show already has one strike against it. Unfortunately, the writers can't find any way to put a new spin on an old premise.
We get poop jokes, pee jokes, upchuck jokes and sex jokes (courtesy of Gordon's younger brother, played by Eddie McClintock. Almost no body excrescence is overlooked.
All this is too bad, at least for the genuinely charming and talented Westfeldt. Look for her to turn up in something better. Meanwhile, given the ease with which Fox churns out cheap, reality-based shows - and the ability of such shows to readily contract if a football game runs long - it's a mystery why the network is spending money on a lame sitcom like "Holding the Baby."
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