INDIANAPOLIS — It's summer again in the fictional Point Place town in Wisconsin for Part 3 of "That '90s Show," a sequel series to "That '70s Show."
"We are in the second summer that Callie's character has spent with Red and Kitty, so she's already established a good group of friends, and they're already driving me crazy," said Kurtwood Smith, who reprises his iconic, curmudgeonly role as Red Forman in "That '70s Show."
Following a similar format to its predecessor, Red and Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) welcome a new generation of teenagers into their basement when their granddaughter, Leia (Callie Haverda), spends the summers at their place.
"It's incredible, such an honor," Haverda said of joining the show in a lead role — and for reference, Haverda wasn't even born when "That '70s Show" ended its eight-season run. "I feel like in this second – technically third – season that we've shot, we've definitely come into our own. You can tell with this third part, we've found our groove for sure, and all of our characters have their own personalities, and you really see them develop."
And as a sequel series, there's plenty of opportunities for reprisals from "That '70s Show," along with big-name celebrities in guest-starring roles.
"Seth Green, who, of course, has a recurring role on 'That '70s Show,' is back as the manager of Hot Topic," Smith said. "Almost every (episode), we have someone wonderful."
Also back from "That '70s Show" is Laura Prepon ("Orange Is the New Black") as Donna Pinciotti, Smith's character's daughter-in-law and Haverda's character's mother. Along with acting though, Prepon directed all eight episodes of the third part.
"It's honestly, kind of the most mind-blowing thing in the world. She's such a great director," Haverda said. "I think she brings something to the set that most directors don't: she has the experience on '70s,' so she shares with us her journey, and she knows what we're going through as young actors on this show and relate to us in a different way than most directors."
All eight episodes of Part 3 of "That '90s Show" are now streaming on Netflix.