Eric Forman (Topher Grace)

The main character. A high school boy living in Point Place, Wisconsin and son of Red and Kitty Forman. Is basically a sci-fi nerd but has a wild streak in him that emerges from time to time. Towards the end of the series, he moves to Africa for a year to teach in order to further his career.

• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: As weak as he's often made out to be, he always displays "the Forman rage" whenever he's in a fight.
• Deadpan Snarker
• Digging Yourself Deeper: He does this a lot.
• Geek Physiques: He's often teased for his skinniness.
• Heroes Want Redheads: With Donna, although he loved it when she went blonde in season seven.
• Hollywood Nerd
• I Uh You Too
• Mistaken for Gay
• Put on a Bus: At the end of Season 7.
• Ridiculously Average Guy
• The Unfavorite: To Red.

Donna Pinciotti (Laura Prepon)

The Girl Next Door to Eric's house. Has a fling with Eric that over time turns serious. Their relationship is generally the main focus of the show. Has some ups and downs with Eric and has broken up with him a few times. Was intending to go to college but decided to stay behind to continue her relationship with Eric. After Eric leaves, she starts dating a new guy named Randy.

• Catholic School Girls Rule
• Closer to Earth
• Fiery Redhead
• Girl Next Door
• Hot Amazon
• Informed Attractiveness: While not ugly by any means, she's repeatedly stated to be one of the most attractive girls in town.
  • Except by Jackie, who states that she looks like a trucker.
• Statuesque Stunner
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: With Jackie.

Steven Hyde (Danny Masterson)

Troubled kid with a dysfunctional family and rarely attends school. His mother is very loose and he lived alone in a dilapidated house until he moved in with the Formans. Has a tendency to suspect various doings behind the scenes. Is usually the one who brings "the stuff" to the Formans' basement.

• Conspiracy Theorist: "There's this car that runs on water, man."
  • According to Hyde, Steven Spielberg directed a fake moon landing for the government - which "is how he got the job for Jaws."
• Cool Shades: He is always seen in these.
• Deadpan Snarker: He fits this trope really well.
• Fake Mixed Race
• Hilariously Abusive Childhood: "They didn't leave me at the mall. They forgot me. They were drunk."
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold
• Jerkass Façade
  Kitty: Trade you a lollipop for a kiss.
  Hyde: I don't need that baby crap. (the others leave the room and then Hyde quickly gives her a kiss on the cheek)
• Last Name Basis: He's called Hyde by everybody except Kitty and Jackie.
• My Sister Is Off Limits: Did not like Kelso fooling around with Angie.
• Parental Abandonment: His dad left when he was a kid and his mom was gone by the end of Season 1 - requiring the move-in with the Foremans. His dad returned in Season 3 and Hyde moved in with him, but reversed in Season 4. Off-screen, Hyde's parents got back together, but then left him again.
• Suddenly Ethnicity
• Vitriolic Best Buds

Michael Kelso (Ashton Kutcher)

A pretty-boy with a few crayons short of a box. Often says the weirdest things and believes he's the center of attention when it comes to the ladies. Dated Jackie but his cheating broke them up. Eventually becomes a police officer.

• Badass Adorable
• The Brainless Beauty
• Brilliant, but Lazy: Scored surprisingly well on the SATs. He initially tries to exploit his newfound potential, but gives up when he learns it won't help him get women.
• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder
• The Ditz
• Jerkass
  • Becomes more of a Jerk with a Heart of Gold as the series progresses.
• Last Name Basis
• Put on a Bus: In season eight.
• Stupid Sexy Flanders
• Too Dumb to Live: For starters, fell off the water tower... once a year... throughout every year of school.

Jacqueline "Jackie" Burkhart (Mila Kunis)

A bit of an airhead girl who has a tendency to condescend to everyone (strangely, no one is offended by this and tend to ignore it). Has dated both Kelso and Hyde through the course of the series.

• The Brainless Beauty
• The Cheerleader
• The Friend Nobody Likes: Jackie starts out as this, with everyone including her primarily because she's Kelso's girlfriend.
• Lovable Alpha Bitch
• Parental Abandonment: Her father was arrested and went to jail. Her mother was traveling abroad at the time and was too busy partying to return for months on end. (Jackie and Pam did eventually patch things up, though.) From what we see of Jackie's father before he went to jail, he wasn't a particularly attentive parent either. Red and Kitty are much more like parental figures to her than her own parents.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: With Donna
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Donna.
• Wrench Wench: While the others are at career days with their parents, Jackie goes to the Forman house and helps Red in the garage. She demonstrates a real knack for helping fix the car.

Fez (Wilmer Valderrama)

A foreign kid who is always trying to get laid. Likes to act campy. Has a crush on Jackie and has made it known numerous times. "Fez" is not his real name, simply a name the guys came up with for him. His real name is something incomprehensible.

• Catch Phrase: "Good day." / "I said good day!"
  • "Whore!"
• Culture Clash
• A Date with Rosie Palms
• Foreign Exchange Student: The name "Fez" is even short for "foreign exchange student", despite the difference in spelling, which the series' official web site describes as "poetic license". His friends know Fez's real name but consider it unpronounceable.
• Funny Foreigner
• Lovable Sex Maniac
• Mistaken for Gay
• My Sister Is Off Limits: In a throwaway joke, Fez mentions his relief that his sister is thousands of miles away from Kelso.
  Kelso: And if things don't work out with Angie, I'm on the first plane out!
• No Name Given: Fez is short for "foreign exchange student", which makes him...
• Only Known By His Nickname
• Sweet Tooth
• The Un Reveal: In one of the last episodes, his best friend from back home comes for a visit. He turns out to be... a different ethnicity and has a different accent (as he "comes from the other side of the island"). The end credits feature the gang quizzing them both about their country, but they only offer vague answers.
• What the Hell Is That Accent?: Enforced by Fez's actor, Wilmer Valderrama, to add to the Running Gag about Fez's unknown home country.

Lauren "Laurie" Foreman (Lisa Robin Kelly, Christina Moore)

Eric's sister. Seen as a tramp by everyone, including herself (something she is oddly unafraid to admit). Had a relationship with Kelso and is not liked by Kitty, who almost has nothing nice to say to her ever.

• Commuting On A Bus: In Seasons 5 and 6.
• Dumb Blonde
• Even Evil Has Standards: Became horrified when Eric told her he saw Red and Kitty having sex, and then comforted him and told him it would be alright.
• Heel Face Revolving Door: Seems to make a genuine effort to change and be a good person at the end of Season 5. However, in Season 6 (with a new actress in place), she regresses to her old self without explanation.
• Long Bus Trip: Season 7, where it was eventually stated she was out of the country. Unlike before, she never came back, which was Lampshaded in the Grand Finale.
• The Other Darrin: Played by a different actress in season six.
• Pet the Dog: Comforting Eric after he told her he saw their parents having sex. Due to this, Eric was a complete basket case, and Red and Kitty thought he was on drugs. Since he couldn't bring himself to admit what was really wrong, Laurie bluntly told them "he saw you guys doing it!", then happily (and sincerely) told Eric "I helped!".
• Put on a Bus: Halfway through Season 3, she went to Chicago and was no longer in the main cast.
• Really Gets Around: Oh, does she ever.
  Hyde: (To Kelso) You call that "Going where no man has gone before?" That's going where every man has gone before!
• Sitcom Arch Nemesis: To the entire group barring Kelso.
• Too Dumb to Live
• The Vamp
• The Unfavorite: To Kitty. By Season 5, even Red realizes how ungrateful she has been and calls her on it.

Randy Pearson (Josh Meyers)

The new guy for season 8. Very polite and laid-back. Quickly joins the group and dates Donna after Eric left for Africa.

• The Ace: Bordering on Mary Sue.
• Final Season Casting
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: For Eric and Kelso

Reginald "Red" Foreman (Kurtwood Smith)

The patriarch of the Forman family. A hard-nosed veteran who always seems to be annoyed at something. Worked at a factory until it shut down, at which point he became a supervisor at a department store (and Eric's superior). Eventually has a heart attack, which prompts Eric to stay home from college. When he recovers, he purchases a troubled muffler store. Eric and Red are often at odds but there is an understanding between them when there has to be.

• Ass Shove: While he's always threatening to put his foot in someone's ass, he's only ever done it once and that was on Iwo Jima. It's not stated whether it was an enemy or an incompetent comrade (or even superior officer).
• Badass
  • Retired Badass: He's a veteran of World War 2 and Korea.
• Catch Phrase: "Dumbass!"
  • And also "I'll put my foot up your ass" and all variations of.
• Cool Old Guy
• Dad The Veteran
• Deadpan Snarker
• For Your Own Good: His approach to raising Eric.
• Happily Married: To Kitty.
• Hey, You!
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold
• Mean Boss: To be fair, the people that work for him do tend to be really stupid.
• Once an Episode: Red threatening to put his foot up someone's ass.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: His mother was first person to call him that and everyone else does so.
• Only Sane Man
• Papa Wolf
• Real Men Hate Affection
• Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl
• Surrounded by Idiots
• Team Dad: Much to his chagrin, of course.
  • He could've had a corvette!
• Where Did We Go Wrong?: With Eric.

Katherine "Kitty" Foreman (Debra Jo Rupp)

Eric's mother and Red's wife. Attempts to be as cheery as possible, despite her son's constant snarking, her daughter's obvious sluttiness and disdain, and her husband's unending grumpiness. Works as a nurse at a hospital. Seems to suppress a lot of unpleasant thoughts in order to keep her bright personality.

• Annoying Laugh
• Covert Pervert
• Lady Drunk
• My Beloved Smother: Certainly has her moments to Eric and sometimes Hyde.
• Only Known by Their Nickname
• Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl
• Stepford Smiler
• Team Mom: To Red's constant irritation.
• Where Did We Go Wrong?: With Laurie.

Bob Pinciotti (Don Stark)

Donna's father. Works at an electronics store.

• The Ditz
• Hidden Depths: During Career Day, Donna is embarrassed by the way Bob behaves at work and all the goofy promotions. He justifies the craziness, however, by saying it's all to pay for Donna's college and ensure a good future. (Except the presence of a monkey, which was for his own amusement.)
• Honest John's Dealership
• Kavorka Man
• Nice Guy: Wouldn't he have to be to hang out with Red all the time? Kelso also reasoned that this trope was how Bob hooks up with attractive women.
• Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: With Midge. He later dates Pam, Jackie's mom (played by Brooke Shields).

Midge Pinciotti (Tanya Roberts)

Donna's mother. Is amazingly hot.

• The Brainless Beauty
• Buxom Is Better: So much that once she leaves the show the boys imagine a montage for her "sweet uptown rack".
• The Ditz
• Hot Mom
• Put on a Bus: She leaves Bob in season 4.
• Sweater Girl
• Stacy's Mom
• Straw Feminist
• Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Until she leaves Bob.

Leo Chingkwake (Tommy Chong)

A hippie that maintains a very easy-going attitude with everything he does.

• Ascended Extra
• Cloudcuckoolander
• Expy: Of Chong's main character from Cheech And Chong.
• Put on a Bus: When Tommy Chong was arrested by the end of Season 4, Leo obviously disappeared from view. Sometime into Season 5, it was revealed that he had left town (leaving Hyde a goodbye letter) to go back to his family. The Bus Came Back towards the end of Season 7, though.
• Stoners Are Funny