How That ‘90s Show Can Land Feet-First in a New Era of TV

That ‘70s Show was a massive success when it originally aired back in 1998. It launched the careers of stars Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, and Wilmer Valderramma, became Fox’s second longest-running live-action sitcom ever, and is still in syndication today on multiple cable networks. A reboot of the series called That ‘90s Show is set to feature eight out of fans’ Top 10 favorite characters from the original series. It’s a guaranteed recipe for success…right?

As Fox learned from the short-lived That ‘80s Show, spinning off a highly popular sitcom is no guarantee of success. And the fact that this new series will be on Netflix underscores the fact that, just like the characters from the original show, this franchise is entering a new era. The viewing habits of the That ‘70s Show audience have changed with everyone else’s, and making the transition from broadcast to streaming will require precision targeting of the old show’s fans to ensure they know where to find this new series. We’re using Insights to see what more programming That ‘70s Show fans have enjoyed in recent years, allowing Netflix’s marketers to find the show’s audience and truly bring the gang back together.

Other Netflix Shows

Since this spinoff is making a jump from its original network, and since That ‘70s Show hasn’t been available to stream on Netflix for many years, Netflix will want to know which audiences within its own subscriber base are most likely to check out their new comedy. Those who like Orange Is the New Black are 3X more likely to also love That ‘70s Show, the strongest affinity for any Netflix show among fans of the classic sitcom. They’re also 2X more likely to love The Ranch, which is unsurprising when you consider that the Netflix original features That ‘70s Show stars Danny Masterson and Ashton Kutcher. 

More recently, Netflix originals like Atypical, Stranger Things, Sex Education, and The Queen’s Gambit have captured the interest of That ‘70s Show fans. Knowing this might enable Netflix to prominently place That ‘90s Show on various menus within its app for users who like these shows, for instance.

Another interesting data point: fans of the Topher Grace-led comedy are also 2X more likely to love the original Addams Family show from the 1960s. While that show isn’t on the popular streamer, Netflix does have a certain enormously popular original series based on one of its characters — if even a fraction of the Wednesday audience is interested in this new spinoff, That ‘90s Show could be another goldmine for Netflix.

Disney+

Though Disney+’s newer shows belong to a totally different genre of TV than That ‘70s Show, not to mention a different era, there are some surprising affinities with the streamer’s catalog. The MCU show that has the strongest affinity with That ‘70s Show is 2021’s Loki. Meanwhile, two Star Wars shows — The Book of Boba-Fett and The Mandalorian — are more likely to be beloved by our target audience than with the average viewer. Disney+ is also the only place where you can stream classic episodes of The Simpsons, a show that That ‘70s Show fans are 3X more likely to love.

Hulu/FX

FX is one of the networks on which That ‘70s Show is syndicated, so it only makes sense for Netflix to advertise its spinoff series there. That said, reaching cord-cutters who prefer to watch FX content without ads will require targeting with marketing tools like Facebook Suggested Audiences. Insights can tell us which shows are most likely to be beloved by potential That ‘90s Show viewers, information that social media marketers can then use to target those viewers.

The FX series that have strong affinities with That ‘70s Show are, not shockingly, other long-running, highly popular comedies that started out on broadcast television. Family Guy, a show originally on Fox that began syndication on FX back in 2019, is 3X more likely to be beloved by our target audience. That ‘70s Show fans are 2X more likely to also like the current record-holder for longest-running live-action sitcom, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (interesting when you remember that Always Sunny star Glenn Howerton was also the lead in That ‘80s Show). Bucking this trend is American Horror Story, a horror anthology series that’s also 2X more likely to be beloved by That ‘70s Show fans. 

Amazon

Rounding out the list of contemporary TV fanbases are Amazon Originals. There are only two shows that have affinities with That ‘70s Show, and they’re very different — our target audience is 2X more likely to enjoy both the comic period piece The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and the outlandishly violent superhero thriller The Boys. 

These final two examples affirm just how large and diverse the audience that Netflix will need to put together in order to match the success of the original show. Digital marketers would be wise to play things safe at first, running small campaigns testing the effectiveness of ads with all the audiences we’ve covered in this article, then upping investment in the fanbases where the ads seem to resonate most. If they’re savvy, Netflix can ensure that millions tune in to see That ‘70s Show’s arrival to the ‘90s — hopefully, it’ll be so good we can all forget about That ‘80s.

These stories are crafted using Ranker Insights, which takes over one billion votes cast on Ranker.com and converts them into actionable psychographics about pop culture fans across the world. To learn more about how our Ranker Insights can be customized to serve your business needs, visit insights.ranker.com, or email us at insights@ranker.com.

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