Jackie Burkhart’s mom was played by Eve Plumb in That ‘70s Show recast was for Laurie Forman, who changed actresses from Lisa Robin Kelly to Christina Moore in season 6, the series also recast Jackie Burkhart’s mom the same season.
Pam Burkhart first appeared in That ‘70s Show’s season 1 episode “The Keg,” which saw Jackie and the gang use a house she was selling to host a party. Originally played by The Brady Bunch’s Jan Brady actress Eve Plumb, Pam was introduced as an upstanding businesswoman and real estate agent, thus paralleling the season 1 personality of Jackie’s well-known lawyer father. However, Pam wouldn’t return until That ‘70s Show’s season 6 episode “Who Are You,” which would see an entire overhaul of the character with a new actress and personality.
While casting Eve Plumb was a perfect connection to the personality like Brooke Shields, whose notoriety would also help bring more viewership for season 6.
It’s also not uncommon for sitcoms to recast a character many seasons later if they had only appeared in one episode, as many failed to realize that Jackie’s mom had already been introduced before Brooke Shields was cast. Once That ‘70s Show decided to bring back Pam Burkhart, it was with the notion that she would have a much more substantial role in the season’s arc and Jackie’s character development. Strangely enough, half of the kids in That ‘70s Show had at least one of their parents abandon them: Jackie’s mom abandoned her while her dad was in prison, Midge left Donna, and both of Hyde’s parents left him. Because of this, Jackie became much closer to Hyde and Donna, as they had all shared similar experiences of essentially having to raise themselves.
If That ‘70s Show had kept Eve Plumb as Pam Burkhart’s actress, the sitcom also may not have included her brief romance with Bob Pinciotti. ing the idea that Pam was sent to replace Midge within That ‘70s Show’s character dynamics, she quickly began dating Bob – a relationship that surprised the rest of the characters. Pam would only appear in six more episodes throughout That ‘70s Show seasons 6 and 7, disappearing just as abruptly as she returned. Pam broke up with Bob because she wanted to be a better parent to Jackie and thought Bob should be with Midge, but once that storyline ended, she was never seen again. Pam was another example of That ‘70s Show's teens largely lacking present and attentive parents, with Red and Kitty Forman serving as the parents to all six young characters – Jackie included.