when did the first episode of that 70s show air
August 23, 1998 August 23, 1998
title: That '70s Show text: That '70s Show That '70s Show is an American television period sitcom that originally aired on Fox from August 23, 1998 to May 18, 2006. The series focused on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in fictional Point Place, Wisconsin, from May 17, 1976 to December 31, 1979. The main teenage cast members were Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Laura Prepon and Wilmer Valderrama. The main adult cast members were Debra Jo Rupp, Kurtwood Smith, Don Stark, Tommy Chong and Tanya Roberts. The creators had wanted the show to have a 1970s "feel" title: That '70s Show text: the opening and closing credits. Season 1 showed a "76" year tag, seasons 2-3 showed "77" tags, seasons 3-6 showed "78" tags, seasons 7-8 showed "79" tags, and the final episode of season 8's closing credits showed an "80" tag. The show was set in May 1976 in the August 23, 1998 premiere. After 12 episodes, the series transitioned to 1977. The 23rd episode, "Grandma's Dead", was also set in 1976, because it was supposed to be the season finale of season 1. The show remained in 1977 for the next two seasons. Near the end of the third season, title: That '70s Show text: the series transitioned to 1978 until early in the sixth season. The remaining episodes took place in 1979, and the series finale abruptly ends during a New Year's Eve party as the characters reach "one" during a countdown to January 1, 1980. The show's unexpected longevity (it was the only series to debut on Fox in 1998 to survive cancellation) combined with the first season jump to 1977 necessitated a slow-down of the series' timeline. Over time, this proved problematic from a narrative standpoint, as nearly every year featured a Thanksgiving and/or Christmas episode, and the teen-aged actors playing high-school title: That '70s Show text: for the show. The show usually opens with the theme song, "In the Street", written by Alex Chilton and Chris Bell of the band Big Star. The original version of the song appeared on Big Star's 1972 debut album "#1 Record". In 2000, Chilton confirmed that he was paid $70 in royalties each time the show aired, an amount he thought ironic, given the show's title. Big Star's original version of the song was not used on the show. Instead, a cover version sung by Todd Griffin was used as the theme song for the show's first season. Beginning in title: That '70s Show text: The shift to 1977 during the last half of the first season also allowed the inclusion of the first "Star Wars" movie, which premiered in May 1977. Throughout the first two seasons, episodes opened with title cards showing the season/month and year (example: Late Spring, 1977 or June 1977). These, however, were largely abandoned after season 2, with few subsequent episodes using them. However, they were used again in the final episode, i.e. "December 31, 1979 10:45 a.m." From the premiere onward, the episode's year could be determined by the registration tags on Eric's Vista Cruiser at the end of