Why Topher Grace Left That ’70s Show

“That ’70s Show” lasted eight seasons, but most fans agree that not all of those seasons were created equal. Where exactly is the line between good “That ’70s Show” and bad “That ’70s Show”?Some say it was when Donna went blonde. Some say it was just after Kelso and Donna returned from California. Some say the show’s decline began in the middle of Season 3, when Lisa Robin Kelly left the show. One thing is clear, though: Season 8 is the season without Eric (Topher Grace), so no one really cares.

In a sense, Eric’s departure was inevitable. He’s a smart, bookish member of the gang who was supposed to go off to college right after season 5, but the longevity of the show has led the writers to wonder why he stayed so long after high school for an entire season. I overcame difficulties to explain. 6 and 7. Red’s heart attack was a decent excuse for a few episodes, and the writers got some mileage out of Eric’s desire to take a gap year to discover himself, but this lasts two seasons. And I felt kind of sad, to see him still hanging out in his parents’ basement.

So it almost makes sense that Eric would eventually leave Point Place in season 7 and decide to take a teaching job in Africa, far away from the rest of the gang. If the show had ended there, it would have been the perfect ending for his character. Unfortunately, there was still time left in the season.

As is often the case in situations like this, the reason for Eric’s exit had little to do with his overall character arc and everything to do with what’s going on with the actor in real life. Through the first few seasons of “That ’70s Show,” Topher Grace was getting a taste of acting in movies, but the grueling sitcom schedule severely limited the types of roles he could take on. as a newspaper explained “Grace is leaving the series to devote more time to her burgeoning film career,” the statement reads. The fact that the quality of the writing for “That ’70s Show” had already clearly deteriorated likely contributed to his departure.

Shortly after Grace left the show in the Season 7 finale, Sam Raimi announced that Topher Grace would be cast in the role of Spider-Man 3. This was the kind of announcement that strongly suggested that Grace’s decision was already paying off, but when it was revealed a few months later that Grace was playing Venom, expectations waned, but many Spider-Man fans thought Grace was a miscast character. .

“Spider-Man 3” has gained acclaim over time, but back in 2007 it was considered a disappointment, especially in terms of Grace’s film career. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, while Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis’ rise to fame seemed unstoppable, Topher Grace’s surprisingly low-key movie career was marred by resentment towards Grace for leaving the series. It became the subject of controversy among fans of “That ’70s Show.” Indeed, slow and steady wins the race. While other “That ’70s Show” cast members are currently in jail or experiencing PR nightmares, Grace continues to star in fun and versatile roles in projects like “Black Mirror” . Blackkklansman” and “Home Economics”. He may not be an A-list celebrity, but his post-’70s Show career is still very impressive, including an unrecognized cameo in 2024’s ‘The Heretics.’ , with no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Although Eric’s exit seemed like a clear point of no return for the series, the cast and crew remained optimistic about the future of the series, especially since Kelso, played by Ashton Kutcher, also left shortly after Season 8. “When they made the decision, it was completely, 100 percent OK, because after eight years, I think it’s okay to say you want to quit, but we looked at it and said, ‘There’s still no show. Is there one?’ said Fez actor Wilmer Valderrama during his break before Season 8. “And it’s a really great ensemble. Each of us brings our own characters, so we knew there were a lot of lines to explore.”

At least in public, fans seemed to have been expecting a Cheers-like situation, where the show could have easily failed after Diane (Shelley Long) left, but instead continued on for six more seasons. He remained in good shape. Josh Myers, who will join the cast in Season 8 as Eric’s replacement, also seemed excited about the series’ vibrancy. “Last year everyone thought this was going to be the last season…but ratings were going to be the deciding factor,” Myers said. said. “It’s inconceivable that these actors wouldn’t want to come back for another season just because they’re making so much money. My mom says Danny Masterson is making $15 million this season. I’m not talking about it outside of school because I read that somewhere.” ”

Remarkably, no one in the cast seemed to blame Grace for wanting to leave. In interviews after his departure was announced, most of the cast and crew seemed to support the choice. Mark Hudis, one of the show’s producers, said he was impressed with how Grace handled being thrust into the national spotlight in 1998. “Topher Grace did an amazing job,” Hudis said in the article. Interview May 2006released a few weeks before the series finale. I was a child with almost no experience other than school shows.

For the most part, the characters on “That ’70s Show” reacted to Eric’s exit in the usual way. Although Eric was constantly mentioned, the tone and setting of the series remained largely the same, with everyone hanging out in Eric’s basement and living normal lives. One of the most memorable Eric-related character moves in Season 8 is when Red Forman finally admits that he misses his son. It’s a rare and tender moment, and Red would be embarrassed if he found out it was recorded on tape and played by Eric.

The biggest impact of Eric’s exit was that he and Donna broke up off-screen. They both realized that their long-distance relationship wasn’t working and agreed to end it for a while. This paved the way for newcomer Randy (Josh Myers) to swoop in as Donna’s new love interest, but that creative choice left long-time fans not too fond of Randy. This was a storyline that really highlighted how weird it was that the gang was still hanging out at Eric’s house. It’s one thing for Donna to stop dating Eric, but why is Donna parading her new boyfriend around Eric’s parents, and why is Randy so comfortable hanging out at Eric’s house? Is it?

Fans often blame Eric’s absence for Season 8’s problems, but Season 8 could have been bad for reasons unrelated to him. Most egregious of all, the show ditched the beloved Hyde and Jackie romance to make way for the horrible Fez and Jackie romance, and this decision ruined any goodwill the series may have had left. It was something to do. With the exception of the ever-reliable Red and Kitty, nearly every major character in season 8 felt like a caricature of their former selves. Well, everyone except Randy.

I like Randy Pearson in a way. More precisely, I like Josh Myers. He, like his brother Seth Meyers, has a kind of affable charm that tempers the jokes that don’t always land. Don’t get me wrong, I wish they had kept it Season 7 could feature Eric’s replacement, Charlie, instead of being thrown off the water tower.but Randy himself wasn’t that bad. It’s possible that fans could have liked him if he had been introduced earlier in the series, and if the writing had remained of high quality, and perhaps if the writers had not bothered to write some sort of romance between him and Donna. Randy.

Of course, nothing of the sort happened. Randy is left with the impossible task of saving a spiraling franchise from certain doom, while becoming an easy lightning rod for fan anger. The script itself didn’t help, as it kept insisting that Randy was the coolest guy ever, to the point of establishing that he dated every other girl at Point Place before meeting Donna. A lighter touch probably would have worked better.

And despite Josh Myers’ early interviews expressing excitement for the series, he seems to have quickly realized that his character was unpopular. “I did the final season of ‘That ’70s Show,’ and a lot of people didn’t like me because of that,” he said. Said in an interview in 2022. “They were like, ‘You stole Eric’s girlfriend,’ and I was like, ‘No, no, Topher Grace was going to be in Spider-Man 3. I just got the job.’ “Donna isn’t a real person. She’s a character…”

So what’s Josh up to these days? Since then, he has continued to appear in lesser-known but worthy TV shows such as “The Awesomes” and “Red Oaks.” These days, you can probably catch him playing California Governor Gavin Newsom on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” He also appears as himself on the annual Thanksgiving episode of “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” He may not have been the perfect successor to Topher Grace, but that was never a legitimate expectation for him in the first place.