Release Date: April 1st, 2008
Running Time: 477 minutes

The Film

Reviewing television DVDs makes me tired of shows that I even really followed to begin with, which also makes it blatantly clear when a series has gone on past its prime. That ‘70s Show: Season Eight is an unfortunate example of a good series losing steam in its final hours.

If you haven’t been paying attention over the past decade, That ‘70s Show is a sitcom about the antics of a group of teens and their families in a town known as Point Place during the 1970s. Season Eight has far too many changes for its own good. Fundamentally changing the dynamic of a series in its final season is never a good idea. The two lead actors, Topher Grace and Ashton Kutcher, left the series, leaving a big hole in the cast, one that the show never fully recovered from.

Everything gets stirred up from the get go. Hyde returns to Point Place with a new wife, a stripper, who pops in on the show every so often. Hyde also hires a new guy named Randy (Josh Meyers at the record store who quickly integrates into the group. After a few episodes Kelso loses his job as a cop and leaves for Chicago to be closer to his daughter. Donna starts to have feelings for Randy when her long distance relationship with Eric begins to fall apart, and Jackie has to deal with the odd realization that the man of her dreams turns out to be Fez! These are all major changes that get thrown at you over the course of a few episodes. These are the kind of things that need to happen mid-series, to give you time to have the new characters and situations grow on you. Bringing in all these new elements does not help wrap things up.

For a final season you want everything to feel like it is winding down. You also want to see old faces and get nostalgic. The season really needed Topher and Ashton, not because they carried the show, but because the fans want to say goodbye to the group that they have grown to love over eight years. The series does have a fitting finale that takes place on New Year’s Eve of 1979, but overall the season’s impact was hurt by all the radical changes and never accumulates the same level of laughs or drama that had the fans expect.

The four-disc set contains all 22 episodes from the final season: “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Somebody to Love,” “You’re My Best Friend,” “Misfire,” “Stone Cold Crazy,” “Long Away,” “Fun It,” “Good Company,” “Who Needs You,” “Sweet Lady,” “Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy,” “Killer Queen,” “Spread Your Wings,” “Son and Daughter,” “Keep Yourself Alive,” “My Fairy King,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “We Will Rock You,” “Sheer Heart Attack,” “Leaving Home Ain’t Easy,” “Love of My Life,” and “That ‘70s Finale.”

The DVD

The video is presented in 1.33:1 Full Frame. Compression artifacts and grain are rarely a problem and the psychedelic colors look fantastic. This is probably the best the show has ever looked.

The audio is offered in English Dolby Digital Stereo with English Subtitles. With the exception of improved clarity, it sounds very similar to the broadcast airing. The mix is balanced so you won’t have any trouble understanding the dialogue, but little effort is spent trying to build atmosphere with the audio.

The Extras

Commentary is offered on “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Keep Yourself Alive,” “We Will Rock You,” and “That ‘70s Finale” with Director David Trainer. If you’ve heard other commentaries from the show you know what to expect, the novelty to these is that they have a retrospective, goodbye tone them and should be a good listen for fans.

“A ‘70s Show Flashback: Tommy Chong” is a 5-minute featurette on Tommy Chong’s role in the series. Likewise “A ‘70s Show Flashback: Josh Meyers” covers Meyers’ role of Randy.

“Season 8 in 8 Minutes” is a montage highlighting all the major moments from the season.

“That ‘70s Set Tour with Director David Trainer” is a 12-minute tour of the sets from the show.

“That ‘70s Show Through the Years: A Retrospective” is a 24-minute collection of interviews from the cast, including: “Topher Grace is Eric Forman”, “Mila Kunis is Jackie Burkhart”, “Ashton Kutcher is Michael Kelso”, “Danny Masterson is Steven Hyde”, “Laura Prepon is Donna Pinciotti”, “Wilmer Valderrama is Fez”, “Debra Jo Rupp & Kurtwood Smith are Kitty & Red Forman”, and “Don Stark is Bob Pinciotti.” Fans will undoubtedly feel a pinch of sadness hearing the cast’s final thoughts on their experiences.

Finally, Episode Promo Spots are offered for each episode.

Final Thoughts

That ‘70s Show: Season Eight may not be the best season of the series, but it is the conclusion and if you’ve bought the previous seasons you might as well pick this up for the sake of completion.