Summary

• Leia Forman's age in That '90s Show creates timeline issues for the That '70s Show franchise.
• That '90s Show attempts to address age inconsistencies through the summer setting and a younger cast.
• Confusion persists as That '90s Show characters' ages clash with 'That '70s Show' timeline.

Leia Forman’s age in after That ‘70s Show’s finale, which cut to black upon turning to New Year’s Day 1980. The sequel series follows Donna Pinciotti and Eric Forman’s teenage daughter Leia as she stays with her grandparents for the summer in Point Place, where she gets into many of the same rebellious activities as her parents in the ‘70s.

That ‘70s Show’s confusing timeline was one of the most notorious aspects of the sitcom, as it often muddled the characters' ages, consistency with the depicted year, and overall age of time. However, since That ‘90s Show is set during the summers, it shouldn’t run into as many problems with depicting the correct ages. That ‘90s Show’s teenage characters also begin the sitcom at a younger age than Eric and his friends were in That ‘70s Show season 1, so the spinoff can follow a more natural progression of time across seasons. Even still, Leia’s age in That ‘90s Show has already caused problems with the franchise’s overall timeline.

Leia Forman Turns 15 Years Old In That '90s Show Season 1

Leia was born in July 1980

That ‘90s Show season 1, episode 6 is set on Leia Forman’s 15th birthday. The series begns on July 3, 1995, with Leia’s birthday only being about two weeks later, as returning That '70s Show character Eric announced they were going to go to space camp for two weeks, and he was still there during her birthday party. When assessing the timeline, Leia was either born in late July or early August 1980. While Leia is still 15 in That '90s Show season 2, part 1, she'll likely turn 16 in part 2 when the timeline reaches her birthday in July 1996.

When assessing the timeline, Leia was either born in late July or early August 1980.

Leia's age in That ‘90s Show season 1 is the only confirmed age for the teens, so it’s unclear exactly how much older Nate, Nikki, and Jay are than Leia, Gwen, and Ozzie. However, it seems that they’re no more than a year older than Leia, so Nate, Nikki, and Jay are likely only 16 years old in season 1. But, since That ‘90s Show's subsequent seasons are also set during summer, the spinoff may never confirm the exact birthdays and ages of all the other characters.

Does Donna's Pregnancy With Leia Create A '70s Show Plot Hole?

Donna would already have to be pregnant in That '70s Show's finale

In That ‘90s Show, the ages of Leia, Jay, and even Eric don’t align with the notion that the sequel series takes place 15 years after the original. If Leia was born in early August 1980, then Donna would have become pregnant with her in December 1979, yet Eric was still in Africa during that time. In this case, Leia’s age in That ‘90s Show is a plot hole for That ‘70s Show's timeline, unless she was born premature. If so, That ‘90s Show could make her conception fit the timeline by revealing that Donna became pregnant with Leia in January 1980, directly after Eric returned from Africa.

In this case, Leia’s age in That ‘90s Show is a plot hole for That ‘70s Show's timeline, unless she was born premature.

Still, That ‘90s Show's timeline has more problems. Donna mentions in That ‘90s Show’s premiere that Eric is 38 years old, yet he was only about 19 years old in That ‘70s Show’s finale. This means that Eric should be 35 years old at most in That ‘90s Show season 1’s 1995 setting, though the spinoff reveals he’s two years older. Similarly, Jackie and Kelso’s son Jay is able to drive in That ‘90s Show season 1, suggesting he’s at least 16 years old. For this to be true, Jackie would have given birth to him in early 1979, yet she was childless in That ‘70s Show's finale.

How Leia's Age In That '90s Show Compares To Donna & Eric In That '70s Show

Leia and her friends are younger than Eric was in That '70s Show season 1

That '70s Show may have one of the most inconsistent timelines in TV history, which is largely revealed through the characters' ages (not just That '70s Show having five Christmases in four years). Eric turns 17 years old in That '70s Show season 1, episode 2, so he begins the series approximately two years older than Leia is in That '90s Show season 1. However, while Eric turned 17 in 1976, he doesn't turn 18 until summer 1978 in That '70s Show season 6.

Donna's age floats along the same confusing timeline, as she's also supposed to be 17 years old when That '70s Show begins in spring 1976, but doesn't turn 19 years old until around the winter of 1979 in That '70s Show season 8. Since Leia at least appears to be growing a year older with each summer that Netflix's sequel follows, it seems she'll catch up to Eric and Donna's That '70s Show season 1 ages by That '90s Show season 3 in 1997. If so, That '90s Show is shaping up to also end with Leia at age 19 in 1999, mirroring her parents' ages in the original sitcom's finale.