Summary

• Original stars Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher not returning as Jackie Burkhart and Michael Kelso in That '90s Show season 2 may impact their son Jay's character development.
• Jackie and Kelso's absence in That '90s Show season 2 will be difficult to justify given that Jay still lives in Point Place.
• That '90s Show may be able to get away with Kelso and Jackie's absence in season 2 as it mirrors the original gang's own parents rarely appearing onscreen in That '70s Show.

Two original stars from That '70s Show will not be reprising their roles again in That '90s Show season 2, which could hurt the development of one of the spinoff's main characters. That '90s Show season 1 followed Eric and Donna's teenage daughter Leia Forman (Callie Haverda) as she spent the summer of 1995 with Red and Kitty in Point Place and made a whole new group of friends. Now, Leia is returning for the summer of '96 in That '90s Show season 2, which will be split into two parts containing eight episodes each.

That '90s Show season 2 part 1 will be released on June 27, 2024, followed by part 2 on October 24.

The trailer for That '90s Show's season 2 gave a sneak peek of all the upcoming guest stars in That '90s Show season 2, including '90s celebrity icons and original That '70s Show cast members. Some OG stars, like Donna and Bob Pinciotti, already reprised their roles in season 1, while others, like Seth Green’s Mitch Miller, are making first-time cameos in the spinoff. Two That '70s Show stars who also had cameos in That '90s Show season 1 will not be returning for season 2, which could pose a problem for a character from the new generation.

Mila Kunis & Ashton Kutcher's Absence In That '90s Show Season 2 Could Hurt Jay's Story

Jackie & Kelso's Son Jay Was Introduced In That '90s Show Season 1

After making brief cameos in the series premiere of the spinoff, Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher will not be returning for That '90s Show season 2 as Jackie Burkhart and Michael Kelso. Although the on-and-off couple was not endgame in That '70s Show, Kunis and Kutcher, who later got married in real life, reprised their iconic roles in the very first episode of That '90s Show. Their appearance in the pilot confirmed that Jackie and Kelso had reconciled and, more importantly, that Leia's new friend (and future love interest), Jay (Mace Coronel), is their son.

Neither Kunis nor Kutcher appeared in any more episodes of That '90s Show season 1, but the fact that Jay is a Kelso became a running joke and was constantly brought up by other OG characters like Red and Kitty. Jay's lineage is a major aspect of his characterization that informs how both the '70s Show fans and original characters are meant to view him. As the only other legacy character in the new friend group besides Leia, Jay's special link to the original show provides a lot of story potential for his character in the future.

Any new plotlines involving Jay's family in That '90s Show season 2 will have to be executed without either of his parents appearing onscreen, which could be a challenge.

Coronel is confirmed to be returning as Jay in That '90s Show season 2, but the absence of Kelso and Jackie will make it difficult to properly explore certain parts of his character further. Any new plotlines involving Jay's family in That '90s Show season 2 will have to be executed without either of his parents appearing onscreen, which could be a challenge. As a result, the spinoff may avoid delving further into Jay Kelso's family history altogether, since viewers' would be left them disappointed after expecting to see Jackie and Kelso.

That '90s Show Might Have A Hard Time Explaining Kelso & Jackie's Absence

Jay's Enduring Presence In Season 2 Will Make Jackie & Kelso's Absence More Obvious

With Jay sticking around, Jackie and Kelso's complete absence in That '90s Show season 2 will be particularly glaring. While they only appeared in one scene in season 1 to establish their canonical reconciliation and relation to Jay, it will be strange not to see Jackie and Kelso at all in the new episodes. They obviously still live in Point Place if Jay does too, so their lack of appearances will come off as a missed cameo opportunity rather than an intentional character write-off.

It will be harder to provide a satisfying explanation for both Jackie and Kelso being MIA with Jay still in the picture.

Granted, Kunis and Kutcher aren't the only OG stars not returning in That '90s Show season 2 after making cameos in season 1. Based on their absences in the trailer, neither Topher Grace nor Wilmer Valderrama seem to be returning as Eric and Fez in That '90s Show season 2. However, Fez doesn't have any offspring that would necessitate his presence, and Laura Prepon's return as Donna will fulfill the parental role for Leia, making Eric's absence more justifiable. It will be harder to provide a satisfying explanation for both Jackie and Kelso being MIA with Jay still in the picture.

Fez was dating Sherri Runck, the mother of Leia's friends Gwen and Nate (who are half-siblings), in That '90s Show season 1, but he does not have any children of his own, let alone any in Leia's friend group.

How That '90s Show Season 2 Can Work Around Its Missing '70s Show Stars

The Spinoff Could Adopt A Similar Parental Dynamic As The Original Show

One way That '90s Show could move forward organically with Jay's character sans Jackie and Kelso is if the spinoff leans into the missing parent dynamic present in That '70s Show. Other than Eric and Donna's parents, it was actually quite rare for the core gang's parents to appear onscreen in That '70s Show, especially Kelso's. In this way, Kelso and Jackie's absence in That '90s Show season 2 follows the '70s Show tradition of sporadic parental appearances. If That '90s Show continues to mirror this trend with the rest of the new crew's parents, it won't seem as jarring.

Because of the nostalgia for the original series, Jackie and Kelso's absence in the rest of That '90s Show will be more notable because fans are already attached to their characters.

Of course, it's not quite the same situation with Leia's other friends' parents, since Jackie and Kelso are both Jay's parents and OG That '70s Show characters. Because of the nostalgia for the original series, Jackie and Kelso's absence in the rest of That '90s Show will be more notable because fans are already attached to their characters. Ultimately, not having Jackie and Kelso around in That '90s Show season 2 will be tough to pull off, but fully embracing their absence as part of a '70s Show tradition could help make a little more sense of things.

That '90s Show season 1 is available to stream on Netflix.