Summary

• That '90s Show season 2 brings back That '70s Show's episode title tradition with 8 episodes named after '90s songs.
• Netflix released Part 2 in June 2024 and Part 3 in October 2024, continuing the trend of era-specific pop culture references.
• That '90s Show could further homage That '70s Show by using songs from a single artist per season.

That '90s Show season 2 has brought back a clever That '70s Show trick, despite the first season having left it out. The spinoff series has incorporated a great many features of the original, serving fans the nostalgia they're looking for with overt cameos and references. However, some of the best of these have been the more subtle Easter eggs. They are there for the most avid That '70s Show fans to catch but don't get in the way of the new cast of That '90s Show or the references to '90s pop culture.

Netflix released the first eight episodes of That '90s Show season 2 in June 2024, which sees Leia Forman return to Point Place, Wisconsin, for another summer with her grandmas. This time around, it's 1996, and the installment came with even more era-specific pop culture references than season 1. The second part of season 2, which has been dubbed "Part 3" by Netflix, will begin streaming on October 24, 2024, and will again contain eight episodes. Given the cliffhanger ending of That '90s Show Part 1, anticipation is high to see how Part 2 proceeds—but it will also be interesting to see if the series continues its revived trend.

That '90s Show Part 2 Brings Back That '70s Show's Episode Title Trademark

Every Episode Of That '90s Show Part 2 Is Named For A '90s Song

In the second half of That '70s Show, each episode was named after a popular song from the 1970s. This began with season 5, episode 1, "Going to California," which was a reference to the Led Zeppelin song, and continued through episodes like "The Kids Are Alright" (S6, E1) and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" (S7, E9). Past season 5, the only exception was That '70s Show's series finale, season 8, episode 22, "That '70s Finale."

Though Netflix seemed to forgo this trend in That '90s Show season 1, it has made a return in Part 2. All eight episodes are named after a popular song from the 1990s, which is a delightfully nostalgic discovery. Just as in That '70s Show, the titles meticulously match the plot, which certainly takes some creativity from the writers.

That '90s Show Part 3 Can Still Take Its That '70s Show Episode Title Homage A Step Further

That '90s Show Hasn't Perfectly Met The Trend Yet

As delightful as That '90s Show Part 3's homage is, Part 3 could take it even further. This previous installment still broke the trend a bit since That '70s Show used to use songs from a single artist for each season. For example, all the episodes of season 5 were named after Led Zeppelin songs, while all season 6 episodes were named after songs from The Who. This, of course, makes aligning the plot of an episode with a song title more challenging, but that's part of why it's so fun.

It's precisely these sorts of clever references that have made nostalgia-based series like That '70s Show and That '90s Show work so well.

Perhaps every episode in That '90s Show can be titled for songs from a '90s band like Pearl Jam, while the next installment takes reference from Nirvana. It's a subtle detail that not everyone will notice. Still, it's precisely these sorts of clever references that have made nostalgia-based series like That '70s Show and That '90s Show work so well.