FREE: That 70's show (eighth season)

The listing, That 70's show (eighth season) has ended.

All groovy things must come to an end, and the season-eight DVD set marks the conclusion of the popular retro/teen comedy That '70s Show with a fair amount of nostalgic extras to help ease the blow for fans. Though the producers were clearly angling to extend the program's lifespan with the introduction of new characters, most notably Josh Meyers as new kid Randy, That '70 Show had clearly run its course by season eight. It simply couldn't overcome the loss of key players Topher Grace and Ashton Kutcher (who appears in only a handful of episodes here)--the show's real heart and humor--despite stalwart support by Danny Masterson and Wilmer Valderrama (and the unbeatable duo of Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp), and the gags feel unfocused and cartoonish. Still, there are amusing episodes to be found throughout the set, most notably "You're My Best Friend" (Hyde has a disastrous bachelor party prior to his even more horrible marriage to stripper Samantha), "My Fairy King" (Jackie discovers her feelings for Fez), and the finale, which ushers the gang into the 1980s with an agreeable touch of sentiment. Supplemental features fall in line with all the previous '70s Show sets; director David Trainer provides commentary on four episodes, including the finale, while co-star Tommy Chong and Meyers get their own "Flashback" retrospectives to discuss their time on the series. Trainer reappears to provide a tour of two of the series' most famous sets: the Foreman's house and the water tower, while "Season 8 in 8 Minutes" is another extraneous montage of clips. The set's best extra--and perhaps the most valuable for series fans--is the 25-minute That '70s Show Through the Years: A Retrospective, which provides interviews with the main cast members culled from the show's entire network run. -- Paul Gaita
Disc and case in good shape!