The character sheet for That '90s Show. For characters introduced in the original series, go here.
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Youth
Leia Forman
Leia Anne Forman
Played By: Callie Haverda
A smart, snarky teenager who craves adventure, and the daughter of Eric Forman and Donna Pinciotti.- Affectionate Nickname: Her grandfather often calls her "kiddo". Her mom sometimes calls her "Lei-Lei".
- Bad Liar: While she is able to lie to strangers such as Mama, she has a lot of trouble lying to her friends or grandparents.
- Braces of Orthodontic Overkill: Mentions in the third episode she used to wear a comically huge contraption that needed to be adjusted every night.
- Chekhov's Skill: She tells Gwen that she's "kind of a big deal" in her school's debate club. Later, when she's trying to buy a tap, she uses her skills to stop Mama from calling the police on her (by pointing out that she'd lose her liquor license for selling a keg to minors in the first place)."Debate Club. First Place, Junior Regionals. It was over before it started."
- Daddy's Girl: Used to be one, but she's outgrown this by the start of the series.
- Dating What Daddy Hates: Or in her case, what Granddaddy hates since Red considers Jay just as much as a troublemaker and dumbass like his father despite their differences. It takes some time and a lot of convincing to change Red's mind. Downplayed with Donna, while she is surprised that Leia dated a Kelso, she got over it quickly before talking about her own brief relationship with Jay's uncle.
- Deadpan Snarker: Just like both of her parents, and paternal grandfather.
- Friendless Background: While talking about her life in Chicago, she mentions she is not popular at school and describes herself as "invisible".
- Generation Xerox:
- She's a Distaff Counterpart to her father, being a straight-laced, neurotic dork, though she doesn't seem to have inherited his nerdier interests like his love of Star Wars.
- Like her mother and aunt, Leia is in a relationship with a Kelso, something that Red disapproves of. Unlike Laurie and Michael, or Donna and Casey, however, Leia and Jay's relationship is more than just sexual.
- She has a tendency to create unnecessary drama in her relationships by overthinking and not communicating openly and honesty, much like her mother did in the early seasons.
- Like Father, Unlike Son: Despite the many ways she is similar to her father, she is the exact opposite of him in one important way. Eric hated Point Place and spent his entire life dreaming of getting out. Leia loves Point Place and defies her father to spend the summer there and is sad to leave when summer ends
- Named After Someone Famous: Unsurprisingly, nerdy Eric named her after Leia Organa, but Donna put her foot down in regard to her middle name; Eric had wanted to name her Leia Tattooine, but Donna insisted on Anne, something he chooses to not recognize.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: She acts as an equivalent to her own father, essentially being his Distaff Counterpart by being a more neurotic dork than the other character.
- Spin-Offspring: Of That '70s Show central couple, Eric and Donna.
Gwen Runck
Gwen Runck
Played By: Ashley Aufderheide
A rebellious Riot girl with a loyal heart who lives next door to Leia's grandparents.- Friendless Background: Becomes very upset at the thought of Leia returning to Chicago because as Nate points out, while Leia thinks she's a big deal, most of their fellow local kids don't "get" her.
- Good Bad Girl: Her role on the show is to be the "rebel" to Leia's "good girl" but she is pretty tame by realistic standards and a good friend to Leia. This is somewhat justified by Gwen’s admission that she only skimmed the "Riot Grrl" manifesto, implying that she’s more into the aesthetic than the actual movement.
- Innocently Insensitive: Despite Gwen's father not really being involved in her life, he's still more involved than Nate's father. This actually causes an argument between the siblings after Nate's father sends him a t-shirt, but as it was too small to fit Nate, Gwen wound up taking it for herself as she didn't realise that despite the shirt not fitting, Nate was still holding on to the sentiment behind it and Gwen taking it because it didn't fit just highlights how uninvolved his father is.
- Parental Abandonment: Gwen's father is a trucker, so she only sees him sporadically.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: She acts as an equivalent to Hyde, being a more rebellious teen with a distaste for authority and being close friends with the more rule abiding Leia.
Jay Kelso
Jay Kelso
Played By: Mace Coronel
A charming, flirty young videographer, Leia's love interest, and the son of Michael Kelso and Jackie Burkhart.- Ditzy Genius: He's rather smart like his mother, but he's still half a Kelso because of his father - he's rather quick to believe that Chicago has a different time zone because of the gravitational pull of the lakes."That makes sense! Those lakes are doing more than we think they're doing."
- Generation Xerox: Averted - Whilst Jay clearly inherits his parents' looks as well as his dad's goofball demeanor and (apparently) his Casanova behavior, he's a straight A student unlike his Book Dumb father.
- It’s eerie how much he both looks and sounds like his father’s younger self (played by Ethan Peck). His deep voice helps.
- Informed Flaw: While he's noted to be a man-whore several times, we never actually see much evidence for this, as he's very respectful and loyal in his relationship with Leia. This stands in some contrast to his father, whose propensity for cheating was a Running Gag.
- Insult to Rocks: At first, Red is angry at Jay for getting Leia in trouble for driving the Vista Cruiser without his permission and with an old license plate and threatens him with his usual "foot-in-ass". Then, Jay gets into even more hot water when he accidentally got Kitty a tattoo while driving her from the dentist. Red becomes so enraged at this that he says Jay is a waste for a foot in the ass.
- Lady Killer In Love: At first doesn't pursue anything with romantic with Leia BECAUSE he has feelings for her. He's never actually felt anything for a girl before, and it freaks him out.
- Mr. Fanservice: Played for comedy. He tries to take a page out of his father's book, borrowing his CK One, in his attempts to seduce Leia with his good looks, by covering his chest and torso in body oil, and posing suggestively on a car, but due to the lubrication, he ends up sliding off. Later on we learn that Jackie also punished him because of his lubricant burning a hole in the carpet.Gwen: (scornfully) You look like a wet hot dog.
Jay: (sincerely) Thanks Gwen! - Sins of Our Fathers: While not as dumb, reckless, or even a jerk as his father, Red still dislikes Jay since Red always liked Michael the least of Eric's friends because of his stupidity and trouble-making tendencies. In fact, Red is shocked when he finds out Jay's last name during their first meeting.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Jay inherits much of Michael's looks.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: He acts as an equivalent to both his father, by being The Casanova and Mr. Fanservice, and Donna, being Leia's love interest and being far more confident than her. However, in regard to his dad, Jay's actually shares his role with Nate since they both have different qualities belonging to the original Kelso.
- Spin-Offspring: Of Beta Couple Jackie Burkhart and Michael Kelso.
Nate Runck
Nate Runck
Played By: Maxwell Acee Donovan
Gwen's easygoing and fun-loving half-brother.- Dumb Jock: Easily the dumbest of the kids, and on the football team.
- Nice Guy: Whilst the gang as a whole aren't as mean-spirited as Eric's group of friends, Nate is easily the most empathetic of the group.
- Parental Abandonment: His father is barely part of his life. Gwen taking a t-shirt gifted from his father - despite it clearly being too small for him - causes an argument between the siblings due to how little Nate’s father is involved in his life compared to Gwen’s.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: He acts as an equivalent to Kelso, being a dim-witted but well-meaning boy dating a popular mean girl. However, he lacks Kelso's role as The Casanova and Mr. Fanservice, which was given to Kelso's son Jay and he also lacks Kelso's tendecy to pick on his friends.
Ozzie
Ozzie
Played By: Reyn Doi
An insightful and perceptive teen who is openly gay.- Deadpan Snarker: always has a sarcastic barb at the ready, Nate is particularly often the target of this.
- Gayngst: Is so afraid of coming out to his parents that he's developed a complicated, multipart coming out process to work his way up to it.
- Girlfriend in Canada: The friend group accuses Ozzie of pulling this card with his appropriately Canadian boyfriend Etienne, insisting they've never seen any evidence of him truly existing, we do see Ozzie have a phone conversation with him later on, though admittedly only Ozzie's side of the call.
- Intergenerational Friendship: Develops one with Kitty.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: The word “Jerk” is too strong, but he typically prides himself on being unemotional and mocks his friends when they get upset, but multiple times, to his own frustration, he’s become overcome with emotion himself, notably when Leia finally left.
- Not So Above It All: As the gang watch Free Willy, Ozzie keeps making snide remarks about the film when Nate gets too into the film for Ozzie's tastes; but when Willy leaps to his freedom at the end of the film, Ozzie joins in as his friends all cheer. He also pretends to be unmoved by the fact that Leia is going back home for the new school year, unlike the others who repeatedly say how much they'll miss her. Then the car pulls away...Ozzie: Leia, noooooooooo! (collapses to his knees)
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: He acts as an equivalent to Fez, especially as both are deadpan snarkers (see above), though he's actually the opposite to him. While Fez was initially naive and Camp Straight, Ozzie is smug and openly gay.
- Twofer Token Minority: Asian and gay.
Nikki
Nikki
Played By: Sam Morelos
Nate's ambitious and intelligent girlfriend.- Academic Alpha Bitch: She's both the smartest and most popular girl in school, and can get mean when her friends don't do as she tells them.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Downplayed, in that she seems to sincerely like Leia, but is pushing for her and Jay to hook up to get him out of her and Nate's hair.
- Only Sane Man: At one point, Nikki heads upstairs to hang out with Red after growing tired of her friends acting like dumbasses.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: She acts as an equivalent to Jackie, being a popular mean girl dating a more dumb and easy-going boy. However, she's portrayed as being more academically inclined, and less of a princess, than Jackie was and her relationship with Nate is less toxic. There is even a time Red stated that he likes Nikki, much like how he stated he liked Jackie out of all of Eric's friends.
Adults
Sherri Runck
Sherri Runck
Played By: Andrea Anders
The Formans' new neighbor. Nate and Gwen's single mother, and Fez's on-again, off-again girlfriend.- Daddy Issues: Red's behavior in "Boyfriend Day One" gives her flashbacks of her own unpleasant father.
- Drop-In Character: Replaces Bob Pinciotti in this role.
- Good Parents: Shockingly, considering her Hard-Drinking Party Girl vibe, Sherri's usually on the ball when it comes to her kids. She gives Gwen leeway to act out, but draws the line when it comes to serious stuff, like tattoos and unprotected sex.
- Mama Bear: The minute she learns Nate is upset and that it has something to do with his father, she dials Japan, in what must be in the middle of the night their time, and begins demanding he make it right with his son despite only having about half the information of why her son was really upset.
