Why Fez Won't Return In That '90s Show Season 2 Gets Definitive Response From Original That '70s Show Star

That ’70s Show star Wilmer Valderrama, who plays Fez, shares a definitive answer on why he won’t be returning in That ’90s Show season 2. A sequel to That ’70s Show, the new Netflix sitcom centers on Eric and Donna’s teenage daughter, Leia Forman, as she spends the summer in Point Place, Wisconsin with her grandparents, Red and Kitty, during the mid-1990s. Though multiple stars from That ’70s Show, including Valderrama, returned for the first season of the sequel series, many of them won’t be back for That ’90s Show season 2.

Talking to PEOPLE, Valderrama revealed the reason why he won’t be appearing in That ’90s Show season 2. The star, who plays Fez, says he is busy filming NCIS and doesn’t have time for the Netflix series. However, Valderrama has complete confidence in the younger cast to carry the show forward. Read his full comments below:

There’s no time! We’re pushing 20 episodes a season [on NCIS], but at the same time, it’s the kids’ jobs. This is their show now, and I think it was important that we came and pay respect to their show and have fun with the legacy of what we did. At the same time, it was really about, you know, now seeing them take it over.

Every That ’70s Show Star Not Returning For That ’90s Show Season 2

Laura Prepon Is The “Only Member Of The Younger Leading Original Cast” Who Will Return

It’s now known that Valderrama won’t be returning for That ’90s Show season 2 because he is busy filming NCIS. However, a report previously confirmed that Laura Prepon is the “only member of the younger leading original cast” who will return for That ’90s Show season 2. Other young members of the original leading cast include Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, and Ashton Kutcher. Other older members of the original cast – such as Debra Jo Rupp, Kurtwood Smith, Don Stark, and Tommy Chong – will be returning for season 2.

It was previously confirmed that Kunis and Kutcher, who returned as Jackie and Kelso for one episode in season 1, won’t be returning in season 2. Kunis says they were content with their cameos in the first season and their characters’ son, Jay Kelso (Mace Coronel), carrying on their legacy. Grace, who also appeared in one episode in season 1 as Eric, won’t be seen in season 2, though his daughter, Leia, remains the lead character. This leaves Prepon’s Donna, Leia’s mother, as the only original member of the younger cast who will return for season 2.

To Valderrama’s point, the sequel show is now squarely in the hands of the younger That ’90s Show cast. This includes Callie Haverda, Ashley Aufderheide, Reyn Doi, Sam Morelos, and Maxwell Acee Donovan. Most of these younger actors are unknown, though they will surely continue to make names for themselves in That ’90s Show season 2 and beyond, just as the younger That ’70s Show stars did.

Source: PEOPLE

That 90s Show

That ’70s Show returns set two decades later with That ’90s Show, acting as a sequel but bringing back old cast favorites. Led by Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) Forman, the new cast arrives as the next generation, with the daughter of Eric and Donna, Leia Forman, leading the charge. Spending the summer with her grandparents, Leia makes new friends and forges new bonds in Point Place, Wisconsin. That ’70s Show series regulars make cameos in the show to maintain that sense of familiarity, and the show adopts the conventions of the ’90s as expected. That ’90s Show first aired on Netflix with a total of ten episodes. 

Cast

Kurtwood Smith , Debra Jo Rupp , Mace Coronel , Callie Haverda , Ashley Aufderheide , Sam Morelos , Reyn Doi , Maxwell Acee Donovan

Release Date

January 19, 2023

Seasons

1

Writers

Gregg Mettler , Bonnie Turner , Lindsey Turner , Terry Turner

Directors

Gail Mancuso , Laura Prepon

Showrunner

Gregg Mettler

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