Why That ’70s Show’s Christmas Episodes Don’t Make Any Sense

That ’70s Show featured a number of Christmas specials during its run, but the timeline for the episodes never made any sense. The Fox sitcom debuted in August 1998 and ran for eight seasons before concluding in May 2006. The holiday-themed episodes, set between 1976 and 1979, added to the confusion of the show’s already scattered timeline.

The comedy series followed six teenagers as they faced the trials and tribulations of growing up in the mid to late 1970s. At the center of the group was Eric Forman, a somewhat nerdy kid whose basement served as the hangout for him and his friends – Hyde, Donna, Kelso, Jackie, and Fez. When the series began, the year was 1976, but the timeline jumped to 1977 by the end of season 1. During the third season, the calendar flipped to 1978, and the series stayed in that year until the middle of season 6 before 1979 hit. The final two and a half seasons of That ’70s Show took place in 1979 until the series finale which rang in a new decade in the concluding moments.

In total, there were five Christmas episodes during That ’70s Show’s eight-season run. At first glance, the number of seasons doesn’t raise many questions regarding the holiday episodes. When taking into account the proposed timeline, however, the Christmas episodes don’t make sense considering there were five of them spanning a series that supposedly took place over the course of four years.

A Breakdown Of Every That ’70s Show Christmas Episode

The indicators that revealed the date of each That ’70s Show Christmas episode came through the registration tag on the Vista Cruiser’s license plate in the opening and closing credits. The biggest head-scratcher came when 1978 lasted over the course of four seasons, repeating multiple holidays in one calendar year. Based on the information in the series, here’s when each Christmas episode was set in That ’70s Show:

• Season 1 – “The Best Christmas Ever” (1976)
• Season 3 – “Hyde’s Christmas Rager” (1977)
• Season 4 – “An Eric Forman Christmas” (1978)
• Season 6 – “Christmas” (1978)
• Season 7 – “Winter” (1979)

There was a clear discrepancy with the length of 1978 since it included two Christmas episodes that were unrelated. The “Winter” episode took place in 1979 and featured Eric and his friends stealing the gifts from a local Toy Drive. If that date was accurate, the characters would have welcomed 1980 a few days later. Instead, Eric left for Africa and was absent for the show’s eighth and final season before returning for the last episode that took place on December 31, 1979.

It was no secret that the series suffered from continuity errors. The creative team behind That ’70s Show had to stretch the timeline to allow the series to run for the long-term. This situation occurred with many long-running sitcoms. That ’70s Show aired many of their episodes out of order which always added to the confusion. In this case, it’s easier to just ignore the timeline inconsistencies and enjoy the series for what it turned out to be. The Christmas specials were some of the best episodes in the series and a botched timeline shouldn’t ruin that belief.

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  Mission: Impossible 7 Budget Reportedly $290 Million After Delays

More From Kara Hedash