That 70’s Show Aired Out of Order, Here’s The Right Way to Watch

That ’70s Show ran for eight seasons but many of the episodes were broadcast out of order. Here’s the correct viewing order according to the show’s chronological timeline.

The beloved period sitcom debuted in 1998 on Fox and aired 200 episodes in total. That ’70s Show focused on six teenagers living in Point Place, Wisconsin. When the crew wasn’t hanging out in Eric Forman’s (Topher Grace) basement, they were usually getting into trouble due to their extreme boredom. They also spent a lot of time learning about relationships, society, and life in general while growing up in the ’70s.

It’s not uncommon for sitcoms to air their episodes out of production order, especially for shows that were broadcast in the ’90s and earlier. As it wasn’t required to watch every episode in order – as is common on streaming – continuity was less of a concern. But for regular viewers, this meant that storylines sometimes didn’t add up. This is especially true of The ’70s Show early on in the series; in one episode, Jackie (Mila Kunis) and Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) would be broken up, but in the next subsequent episode broadcast, they would still be together without any explanation.

To avoid confusion, we’ve put together a guide for viewers to watch That ’70s Show in the ideal episode order.

Correct That ’70s Show Season 1 Viewing Order

That ’70s Show season 1 started in chronological order but after the fourth episode, the timeline is completely scattered. Some of the shufflings made sense because the network most likely wanted to air the Thanksgiving and Christmas episodes closer to the appropriate slots. The episode “Grandma’s Dead” was supposed to be the season 1 finale but it was later pushed to a later date. Here’s the correct order of episodes based on the production schedule.

• “That ’70s Pilot”
• “Eric’s Birthday”
• “Streaking”
• “Battle of the Sexists”
• “Sunday, Bloody Sunday”
• “Eric’s Burger Job”
• “The Keg”
• “Drive-In”
• “That Disco Episode”
• “Thanksgiving”
• “Career Day”
• “Grandma’s Dead”
• “The Best Christmas Ever”
• “Eric’s Buddy”
• “Ski Trip”
• “First Date”
• “Stolen Car”
• “The Pill”
• “That Wrestling Show”
• “Punk Chick”
• “Prom Night”
• “A New Hope”
• “Water Tower”
• “Hyde Moves In”
• “The Good Son”

Correct That ’70s Show Season 2 Viewing Order

Similar to season 1, That ’70s Show season 2 featured a scrambled timeline. Most noticeably, the Halloween episode was considered the eighth episode in the production order but it was moved so that it could air in October. To match the correct episode order, follow the list of That ’70s Show season 2 episodes below.

• “Red’s Last Day”
• “The Velvet Rope”
• “Laurie and the Professor”
• “Garage Sale”
• “I Love Cake”
• “Red’s Birthday”
• “Sleepover”
• “Halloween”
• “Eric Gets Suspended”
• “Vanstock”
• “Laurie Moves Out”
• “Hunting”
• “Eric’s Stash”
• “Kitty and Eric’s Night Out”
• “Red’s New Job”
• “Burning Down the House”
• “The First Time”
• “Afterglow”
• “Kiss of Death”
• “Kelso’s Serenade”
• “Jackie Moves On”
• “Parents Find Out”
• “Holy Crap!”
• “Red Fired Up”
• “Cat Fight Club”
• “Moon Over Point Place”

Correct That ’70s Show Season 3 Viewing Order

The majority of episodes in That ’70s Show season 3 aired in a different order compared to the production list. This once again looked like it was shuffled to meet holiday dates. After the sixteenth episode, the episodes aired in the order that they were filmed which followed a linear timeline. Here’s the correct viewing order for season 3.

• “Reefer Madness”
• “Red Sees Red”
• “Too Old to Trick or Treat, Too Young to Die”
• “Hyde’s Father”
• “Roller Disco”
• “Baby Fever”
• “Eric’s Panties”
• “Jackie Bags Hyde”
• “Ice Shack”
• “Fez Gets the Girl”
• “Hyde’s Christmas Rager”
• “Dine and Dash”
• “Donna’s Panties”
• “Who Wants It More?”
• “Radio Daze”
• “Romantic Weekend”
• “Kitty’s Birthday (Is That Today?!)”
• “The Trials of Michael Kelso”
• “Eric’s Naughty No-No”
• “Holy Craps!”
• “Fez Dates Donna”
• “Eric’s Drunken Tattoo”
• “Backstage Pass”
• “Canadian Road Trip”
• “The Promise Ring”

Correct That ’70s Show Season 4 Viewing Order

The scrambled timeline continued in That ’70s Show season 4. There weren’t many holiday episodes so there’s no explanation for why this season was out of order for the broadcast dates. The correct viewing order can be found below.

• “Pinciotti vs. Forman”
• “It’s a Wonderful Life”
• “Eric’s Depression”
• “Hyde Gets the Girl”
• “The Relapse”
• “Bye-Bye Basement”
• “Uncomfortable Ball Stuff”
• “The Forgotten Son”
• “Donna’s Story”
• “Red and Stacey”
• “Eric’s Hot Cousin”
• “The Third Wheel”
• “An Eric Forman Christmas”
• “Jackie Says Cheese”
• “Tornado Prom”
• “Class Picture”
• “Donna Dates a Kelso”
• “Kelso’s Career”
• “Leo Loves Kitty”
• “Jackie’s Cheese Squeeze”
• “Prank Day”
• “Eric’s Corvette Caper”
• “Hyde’s Birthday”
• “Eric’s False Alarm”
• “That ’70s Musical”
• “Everybody Loves Casey”
• “Love, Wisconsin Style”

Correct That ’70s Show Season 5 Viewing Order

The episode order of That ’70s Show season 5 followed the production order until the eleventh episode. From there, it jumped around until episode 17 but the rest of the season went back on track. Here’s a list of the episodes in the right order.

• “Going to California”
• “I Can’t Quit You, Baby”
• “What is and What Should Never Be”
• “Heartbreaker”
• “Ramble On”
• “Over the Hills and Far Away”
• “Hot Dog”
• “Thank You”
• “Black Dog”
• “The Crunge”
• “The Girl I Love”
• “When the Levee Breaks”
• “Whole Lotta Love”
• “Your Time Is Gonna Come”
• “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You”
• “Misty Mountain Hop”
• “The Battle of Evermore”
• “Hey, Hey, What Can I Do?”
• “Bring It On Home”
• “No Quarter”
• “Trampled Under Foot”
• “You Shook Me”
• “Nobody’s Fault But Mine”
• “Immigrant Song”
• “Celebration Day”

That ’70s Show Season 6 And Beyond

Starting in That ’70s Show season 6, the series was broadcast in the order in which the episodes were filmed. The process stayed that way until the series ended in 2006 with season 8. Season 6 was set in 1978 before it transitioned to 1979. The season 8/series finale, took place on New Year’s Eve in 1979. When the final credits rolled, the date changed to 1980, officially closing out That ’70s Show.

About The Author

Kara Hedash
(1745 Articles Published)

Kara Hedash is a features editor and writer for Screen Rant. From time to time, she dives into the world’s most popular franchises but Kara primarily focuses on evergreen topics. The fact that she gets to write about The Office regularly is like a dream come true. Before joining Screen Rant, Kara served as a contributor for Movie Pilot and had work published on The Mary Sue and Reel Honey. After graduating college, writing began as a part-time hobby for Kara but it quickly turned into a career. She loves binging a new series and watching movies ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to hidden indie gems. She also has a soft spot for horror ever since she started watching it at too young of an age. Her favorite Avenger is Thor and her favorite Disney princess is Leia Organa. When Kara’s not busy writing, you can find her doing yoga or hanging out with Gritty.

See also  10 Casting Decisions That Hurt Once Upon A Time (And 10 that Saved It)

More From Kara Hedash