‘The Circle’ Scenes Return in ‘That ’90s Show’: How They’re Different in the ‘That ’70s Show’ Spinoff
“The Circle” scenes from That ’70s Show created some of the most iconic moments in the original series. Fans of the Fox comedy, which ran from 1998 until 2006, will enjoy knowing “The Circle” returns in the Netflix reboot That ’90s Show. But this time, things look a bit different for a few reasons. Find out why.
‘That ’70s Show’ couldn’t show smoking on Fox
Smoking marijuana was as common in the 1970s as it is now — just a lot less legal. Eric Forman (Topher Grace), Donna Pinciotti (Laura Prepon), Steven Hyde (Danny Masterson), Jackie Burkhart (Mila Kunis), Micahel Kelso (Ashton Kutcher), and Fez (Wilmer Valderrama) spent a lot of their time in the Forman’s basement smoking the green stuff. However, the series never actually showed any of the characters smoking. That’s because Fox has strict censorship rules in place.
As a result, creators Bonnie and Terry Turner had to get creative about the way they demonstrated their characters getting high. Instead of physically showing them smoking a joint, showrunners used “The Circle.” According to That 70s Wiki, “… the blunt or joint is passed around ahead of the person speaking on camera, thus never shown.”
‘The Circle’ returns in ‘That ’90s Show’
Smoking pot wasn’t the only time That ’70s Show used “The Circle.” The shot was often used when Eric would have dinner with his parents or on occasion when the characters would consume alcohol. Now, it’s being used on a new generation of kids in That ’90s Show (plus the original cast).
In the pilot episode of That ’90s Show, Eric and Donna drop their daughter Leia (Callie Haverda) off at Kitty and Red’s (Debra Jo Rupp, Kurtwood Smith) home in Point Place, Wisconsin for the summer. While Leia’s out making new friends, Eric, Donna, Kitty, and Red sit around the kitchen table drinking beer.
“This feels weird,” Donna points out in the updated “Circle” scene. “Why is it so smoky?” Red asks, prompting Kitty to retrieve burning popcorn. Red adds: “Enjoying yourselves, kids? You’re upstairs, people now.”
Netflix cut down on showing any kind of smoking in 2019
In addition to paying homage to the original series, That ’90s Show relies on “The Circle” to minimize the amount of smoking scenes in the series. That’s because Netflix pledged to cut down on such content. In July 2019, the streaming giant announced it would avoid depictions of smoking in programming aimed at young viewers.
In a statement, Netflix told Variety that it would not show smoking or e-cigarette use in future shows with ratings of TV-14 or below. The streaming platform did the same for movies rated PG-13 or below, except for “reasons of historical or factual accuracy.” Netflix also said it would also limit depictions of smoking in projects with higher age ratings “unless it’s essential to the creative vision of the artist or because it’s character-defining (historically or culturally important).”
Watch the first season of That ’90s Show on Netflix.
