History Characters / That70sShow

* [[Characters/That70sShowAdults Adults]]: Tropes relating to the adults of the series, including parents.

* [[Characters/That70sShowYouth Youth]]
* [[Characters/That70sShowAdults Adults]]

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[[foldercontrol]]

!Kids

[[folder:Eric Forman]]
[[quoteright:256:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/That70sShow-Eric_7743.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:256:''"God, I feel like I'm Luke Skywalker, ya know?"'']]
->'''Played By''': Creator/TopherGrace

The main character. A high school boy living in Point Place, Wisconsin, and son of Red and Kitty Forman. Is a sci-fi geek but has a wild streak in him that emerges from time to time. Towards the end of the series, [[spoiler:he moves to Africa for a year to teach in order to further his career]].
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* AllMenArePerverts: Despite being the NiceGuy and, usually, the OnlySaneMan of the group, he can be just as horny as Hyde and Kelso.
* AmazonChaser: When he and Donna first met as kids, he commented in an impressed, amazed tone on how strong she was.
* BackForTheFinale: After being PutOnABus for Season 8.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: The Forman Rage is strong in this one, as Red proudly pointed out. Eric is a geeky and socially awkward klutz who can never really put up much of a fight... unless he's defending someone he cares about. Anytime his friends or family are being mistreated, he immediately shakes off his usual cowardice and leaps to their defense, whether it be from school bullies, random drunks, or his own dad. "The Keg," "Grandma's Dead," and "What is and What Should Never Be" are all episodes with shining examples of this.
* BookSmart: Despite Red's insistance that "the only smart thing about you is your mouth," there are frequent indications that Eric does very well in school, at least when outside factors don't intefere. He is, however, naive about other matters, at least at the beginning of the series.
* ButIWouldReallyEnjoyIt: He loves Donna, but both of them have doubts about consummating their relationship until mid-Season 2.
* ButtMonkey: Guess who's the butt of the jokes 80% of the time?
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Early on, Eric was far less of a DeadpanSnarker and more a put-upon everyman, ThisLoserIsYou kinda guy. His fandom of ''Franchise/StarWars'' was also originally not limited to him, but extended to the rest of the male members of the gang as well. In addition, Eric becomes lazier to near childish levels in the later seasons.
* ChildhoodFriendRomance: With Donna, as they befriended each other as children, dated as teens, and continue with a WillTheyOrWontThey to their adulthood.
* CoolLoser: He's good-looking and likable but gets picked on.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: As weak as he's often made out to be, he always displays "the Forman rage" whenever he's in a fight. He's also a deadly accurate shooter.
* DeadpanSnarker: This quality is why Red calls him "Smartmouth", [[BlatantLies a trait Red says he gets from his mother]].
* DiggingYourselfDeeper: He does this a lot. Hyde calls him "Literature/TheLittleEngineThatCould of Screwing Yourself".
* DitzyGenius: He has moments of being rational, intelligent and is shown to have a good work ethic due to his geekiness but is just as goofy, impulsive, and immature as most of the group.
* TheDogBitesBack: Eric, of all people, calls out on Red, of all people, who'd rather keep his Corvette and refuse to be there for Kitty when she's pregnant.
* DumbassTeenageSon: He's this in the eyes of his father Red, and while he's nowhere near as dumb as Kelso, neither is he a paragon of sensibility.
* TheDutifulSon: He is this compared to his sister Laurie. After Red has a heart attack (which Laurie was partly responsible for causing), she ditches the family. Eric, meanwhile, puts off going to college to get a job as a waiter to help support the family. Red begins to acknowledge this more and more as the series goes on.
* ExtremeDoormat: In an alternate future where he never kissed Donna, he's no longer has the smart mouth that Red complains about, but he is also a complete pushover.
* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling:
** The responsible to Laurie's foolish.
** After Hyde moves in at the end of the first season, he can be seen as the foolish to Hyde's responsible.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Phlegmatic.
* GeekPhysiques: He's often teased for his skinniness.
* GeekyAnalogy: Keeps comparing himself to Luke Skywalker, or sometimes Franchise/SpiderMan. The latter becomes funnier since his actor would eventually play [[Film/SpiderMan3 Venom]].
* TheHero: Main protagonist of the show.
* HeroesWantRedheads: With Donna, although he loved it when she went blonde in season seven.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Hyde. They both were able to say "Indy 500" simultaneously when having to come up with a lie about what they were talking about when Kelso showed up.
* HollywoodNerd: Eric's not that bad-looking, but he is a huge geek and often seen as a pathetic weakling. Some characters wonder how he hooked up with Donna. [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan She's got her reasons]].
* HonorBeforeReason: After Casey broke up with her, Donna was distraught and eventually went back to Eric. However, he pushed her away on the grounds that he won't just be some second choice on the rebound. He had too much dignity for that, much to the confusion of his parents. ''Kitty'' calls him a dumbass for it.
-->'''Red:''' So, you're too proud to take her back? And what do you have to be so proud of? You're not an athlete. The only smart thing about you is your mouth. And look at you.\\
'''Kitty:''' Red, he looks fine. He's just so darn stupid!
* HypocriticalHumor: He wasn't happy about Kelso fooling around with Laurie, in part because of how annoying he found Hyde's "nailed your sister" jokes. He gleefully changes his tune in Season 7 when Kelso hooks up with Angie (Hyde's half-sister), saying he "suddenly" realized how funny those jokes can be.
-->'''Eric''': Sticks and stones may break my bones, but Kelso nailed your sister.
* InformedFlaw: Is constantly mocked as geeky and unattractive. While he is a geek through and through, he is far from ugly. Though most insults tend to focus on him being a geek rather than his looks. Aside from Donna, several attractive women ([[EvenTheGuysWantHim and even one man]]) express an interest in him over the course of the series.
* IUhYouToo: When Donna first tells him that she loves him, his response is "I love... cake."
* JerkassBall: More and more often as time goes on.
* LastNameBasis: He is referred to by his last name by Hyde.
* LazyBum: After Hyde moves in with the Formans and starts pitching in with chores, he discovers that they're actually not too difficult and concludes that Eric's constant complaints about them were because he was just being lazy.
* LovableNerd: He's socially awkward, clumsy, and geeky but usually manages to be charming, sweet-natured, and lovable.
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Feminine boy to Donna's masculine girl.
-->'''Kitty''': "Eric? Honey, could you get the Thanksgiving turkey out of the freezer? Oh, wait. It's a 20-pounder. Donna, could you get the Thanksgiving turkey out of the freezer?"
* MistakenForGay: By Buddy in Season 1. When Eric asks Buddy why he made a move on him, Buddy explains his attraction is very likely the same things Donna likes about him and there was probably a little wishful thinking involved too.
* MommasBoy: To Kitty.
* MotiveDecay: Deconstructed. Previously, Eric wanted to leave home and be with Donna, but the former got derailed by Red's heart attack at the end of Season 5, while the wedding was ultimately called off at the end of Season 6. At the start of Season 7, Eric decides to just take a year off and do various goofy activities--much to Red's increasing irritation. It reaches a head in "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and Eric admits he just doesn't want to lock himself into a path he might hate later. Red agrees to give him six months to figure out what he wants, and Eric ultimately decides to become a teacher.
* MusclesAreMeaningless: Zigzags. He is shown to be not very strong, but when he fights he completely dominates guys that have much more weight, except for Hyde.
* NakedPeopleAreFunny: One episode reveals that he sleeps in the nude sometimes. Red spends the rest of the episode ribbing him about it.
* NeverMyFault: Often does this in many episodes. He was caught masturbating in the bathroom by Donna in one episode and then blames her because she doesn't want to have sex with him.
* NiceGuy: This quality makes him stand out from the rest of the group; Eric is always willing to help someone out. But he can be very cocky, brash, and insensitive sometimes.
* NobleMaleRoguishMale: Noble to Hyde's Roguish. Zigzagged in later seasons.
* ObliviousToLove: He's actually oblivious that he is still in love with Donna in season four after breaking up with her in the previous season. His family and friends on the other hand can still see it. It took some scolding from his parents and seeing Donna moving on for him to finally realize his feelings for her.
* OnlySaneMan: To his friends and usually his parents.
* PutOnABus: At the end of Season 7.
* RidiculouslyAverageGuy: Lampshaded by Jackie.
-->'''Jackie''': Michael's the looks, Steven's the brains, and you? Your house has food.
* RunawayFiance: [[spoiler:By the end of Season 6, Eric had doubts about going through with his marriage with Donna and runs away. Donna was initially furious, but after a talk with a returning Eric, both of them admitted that they were not ready for marriage]].
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Sensitive guy to Hyde's manly man.
* SmallNameBigEgo: As Red usually scolds him, "The only smart thing about him is his mouth," yet he often brags about how great he is.
* SpoiledBrat: Hyde feels that Eric's one because he's a lazy, mouthy, selfish, and whiny MommasBoy but he's obviously not as bad as his sister.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Later seasons portrayed Eric as a selfish, brash, and lazy manchild with zero ambition and doesn't know what to do with his life.
* TheUnfavorite: He begins the show as this to his father Red. [[JockDadNerdSon Red seems to find it difficult to relate to him as he's not into sports and his personality isn't very similar.]] This changes over the course of the series as Eric proves himself the more responsible sibling upon learning of [[ReallyGetsAround Laurie's behavior]], and on occasion will tell Eric how proud he is of him.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Hyde.
* WellDoneSonGuy: He's always looking for Red's approval.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Donna Pinciotti]]
[[quoteright:255:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/That70sShow-Donna_7869.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:255:''"If women don't learn to stand up for themselves, men will always control the world."'']]
->'''Played By''': Creator/LauraPrepon

The GirlNextDoor 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 [[spoiler:Eric leaves, she starts dating a new guy named Randy]].
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* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: She spends much of the show hooked up with Eric, but otherwise is very attracted to bad boys like Hyde or Aerosmith's Steven Tyler. Eric will often attempt to be more rebellious to impress her, and she's visibly more into him when he shows his wild side. This is what made her briefly hook up with the roguish-but-selfish Casey Kelso.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: A lot, though not quite as much in later seasons.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: To Bob, both out of rebellion and when he's doing something she doesn't want or like. The only reason she's not called out on it is because Bob's an ExtremeDoormat. He does, however, snap back at her when she tries to get him to stop dating Jackie's nmom.
* ButIWouldReallyEnjoyIt: She loves Eric, but both of them have doubts about consummating their relationship until mid-Season 2.
* CatholicSchoolGirlsRule: In Season 5, Bob sent her to Catholic school as punishment for running away to California. Eric, and all the other guys for that matter, doesn't mind the uniform at all.
* ChildhoodFriendRomance: With Eric, as they befriended each other as children, dated as teens, and continue with a WillTheyOrWontThey to their adulthood.
* CloserToEarth: Tends to be the voice of reason in the group, though she occasionally shares this role with either Eric or Hyde.
* DeadpanSnarker: Especially around Jackie.
* DoesNotKnowHerOwnStrength: In "The Seeker", Donna accidentally knocks Hyde off the water tower with what is supposed to be a light, friendly tap.
--> How am I stronger than ''all'' the guys I hang out with?
* DrugsAreBad: Her smoking ends up getting Eric suspended. She asked him to hold her cigarette, and a teacher caught him with it.
* DudeMagnet: A vast majority of male characters from Hyde, Kelso, Kelso's brother Casey, Fez to many one-time minor characters had an interest in Donna (although Kelso and Fez are into AnythingThatMoves). Emphasized later when she works in the radio station's booth as "Hot Donna". She's initially embarrassed at being a LustObject for guys to leer at ("Hot Donna has now signed 87 guys! And two girls") but then she starts enjoying it.
* EveryoneLovesBlondes: Dying her hair blonde caused quite a stir in Point Place. Granted, she was considered attractive when she was a redhead. (Laura Prepon dyed her hair for a different role.)
* FieryRedhead: A redhead with an aggressive and passionate personality, until she dyed it blonde in Season 7.
* GeniusBruiser: She is the most muscular and the strongest in the group, and one of the smarter ones.
* GirlNextDoor: To Eric.
* HollywoodGenetics: Donna is a natural redhead, however her mom is a blonde and her dad has dark brown hair.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** In one episode she gets angry with Eric for making plans with his friends without checking with her first. At the end of the episode she makes him promise that he'll always check with her before making time with his friends. Eric then asks Donna if she needs his permission to hang out with her friends, to which she replies "no" and leaves to go see a friend.
** And in another episode she yells at Eric for going on ''two dates'' with another girl while she and Eric were broken up. Donna, meanwhile, had ''slept'' with Casey Kelso around the same time.
** Also calls Eric out for his insecurity and not trusting her in "Radio Daze" after she announced to the whole town (including the DJ who was clearly attracted her based on calling her "Hot Donna") that she was single and never bothered to talk to him about it. While this wasn't the first time Eric had been jealous, she behaved the same way to him in "Eric's Panties".
* InformedAttractiveness: 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. Though this ''is'' Jackie we're talking about.
* {{Jerkass}}: From time to time. She can be really petty, abrasive and arrogant.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: What she really is.
* InVinoVeritas: When drunk or in "the circle" she has a tendency to act the loopiest of any of the gang, to downright CloudCuckoolander levels.
* TheLadette: A trait that Jackie bemoans all the time.
* MaleGaze: In the episode The Best Christmas Ever, Donna is on a ladder, bending over to put decorations on the Christmas tree. She asks “Okay, how does that look?” in reference to the tree. But Eric and Hyde look over and look at her butt for a moment. In the episode Moon Over Point Place, in the circle, the camera focuses on her shaking her ass. In the credits of the episode, the same thing occurs, though it involves the whole cast this time.
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Masculine girl to Eric's feminine boy. [[spoiler: also with Randy, who is quite vain]].
* MsFanservice: Donna is very attractive, and everyone knows it, and on the radio, she is known as "Hot Donna" for obvious reasons. She also shook her ass at the camera.
* OneOfTheBoys: She's just as likely to get down and dirty as the rest of the guys in the group, if not more.
* OnlySaneWoman: Just like Eric, to the point where Kelso jokingly refers to them as "Mom and Dad".
* RealWomenDontWearDresses: She hates the notion that being feminine automatically means being "girly", and so she typically wears jeans and long-sleeved or plaid shirts. Jackie often calls this her lumberjack look. Despite this, she's worn long dresses on special occasions and had to wear a skirt as part of her school uniform.
* ShakingTheRump: In Moon Over Point Place, she shakes her butt at the camera.
* SheCleansUpNicely: In her prom dress, she gets the attention of many male background characters. Also, when she wears the catholic schoolgirl outfit in "I Can't Quit You, Baby", she gets this reaction from the other characters.
* ShoeSizeAngst: Has big feet which she is sometimes teased about.
* TheSmartGirl: But she's also TheBigGirl.
* StatuesqueStunner: She's a DudeMagnet and quite tall[[note]]The actress that plays her, Creator/LauraPrepon is 5'10"[[/note]], especially compared to [[PetitePride Jackie]].
* StrawFeminist: Verges on this at several points, mostly DependingOnTheWriter. Sometime's it's portrayed realistically, sometime's it's PlayedForLaughs.
* StrongGirlSmartGuy: The strong girl to Hyde's Smart Guy.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The Tomboy (TheLadette, FieryRedhead, and OneOfTheBoys) to Jackie's Girly Girl (ProudBeauty, TheCheerleader, and LovableAlphaBitch).
* TomboyishVoice: She's a tomboy played by deep-voiced Laura Prepon.
* TookALevelInKindness: Donna is noticably far less bitchy in the second half of the series.
* TheUglyGuysHotDaughter: She definitely takes more after her mother.
* UnkemptBeauty: In universe, gets the most compliments from the guys when she isn't dolled up.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Jackie, much to Donna's dismay.
* WhatDoesSheSeeInHim: Many people (including Eric himself on occasion) don't understand what the heck Donna is doing with Eric.
-->'''Eric''': Donna? I just have to ask... why me? I mean there are so many other guys who are way better looking.\\
'''Donna''': [[SarcasmMode You know you're right, if only I could be with some handsome jock who was mean and shallow and didn't make me laugh]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Steven Hyde]]
[[quoteright:254:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/That70sShow-Hyde_8971.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:254:''"The government '''is''' out to get you."'']]
->'''Played By''': {{Creator/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 [[ConspiracyTheorist various doings behind the scenes]]. Is usually the one who brings "the stuff" to the Formans' basement.
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* AccidentalMarriage: His relationship with Sam was this as they drunkenly got married during Hyde's stay in Vegas. [[spoiler:And like many other example of this, it was also "Accidental Bigamy" as Sam was already married and never divorced her first husband, so her marriage with Hyde isn't valid, and she returned to Vegas.]]
* BrilliantButLazy: He's probably the smartest character on the show, but has [[TheSlacker no ambition or motivation to do anything but sit around in a basement.]]
* BrutalHonesty: Well let's just say don't expect him to sugarcoat anything. When interviewed for a job at Fatso Burger, he even states that his weakness is being brutally honest, and immediately calls the interviewer a pinhead.
* CallingTheOldManOut: After holding it, Hyde finally vents at Bud for abandoning him and then coming back like nothing happened. Bud doesn't even try to fight back, copping to every bad thing he did and saying he deserves to be yelled at. This infuriates Hyde even further because it's no fun doing this trope when the target immediately caves. They have some beers instead.
* CharacterDevelopment: While he still stays the same lazy stoner at his core, he does mature and become more responsible thanks to Kitty and Red's influence.
* ChocolateBaby: After Hyde meets his real father, William Barnett, who's black, Hyde mentions his mother must have been pretty relieved when he came out white.
* ConspiracyTheorist:
** "There's this car that runs on water, man."
** According to Hyde, Creator/StevenSpielberg directed a fake moon landing for the government - which "is how he got the job for ''Film/{{Jaws}}''."
* CommitmentIssues: Mostly the reason he and Jackie broke up.
* CoolShades: He is always seen in these.
* DeadpanSnarker: He's the king of sarcasm.
* DontYouDarePityMe: Hates the idea of anyone feeling sorry for him, after his mother abandoned him Eric had a hard time getting him to accept help, it took Red basically forcing him to move in with the Foremans to snap him out of it.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The writers for the show initially had plans for a Hyde-Donna-Eric love triangle, and that dynamic was very clearly present in Season 1. However, plans changed to have Hyde's character revolve around his familial bonds, and hence in future seasons he didn't treat her any different that he did with the guys.
* EruditeStoner: Fits this trope to a T.
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: More than anyone else, Kitty can bring out Hyde's softer side. In one episode he's the ''only'' person who remembers her birthday.
* EveryoneHasStandards:
** He's tempted but stops himself from stealing jewelry at Beatrice's funeral.
** During the period Kelso was cheating on Jackie with Laurie, Hyde repeatedly needled him and set up traps to expose or embarrass him. That amused him, but he absolutely refused to tell Jackie himself, as he sincerely believes friends shouldn't rat on each other. For this particular example, Hyde also chides Donna for giving Eric a hard time for not telling her about any of this and says the guy deserves a break in return for all the things he does for her.
* ForgivenButNotForgotten: In the second season episode, "Halloween", Eric learned that Hyde tried to kiss Donna in the first season episode, "Ski Trip". In "Eric's Stash", a few episodes later, though inflamed by Laurie, it's revealed that Eric still resents Hyde for it to the point he blames Hyde for stealing some money from him. [[spoiler: It was Red who took the money to buy a new hot water heater]].
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Melancholic.
* GeniusBruiser: He is both the strongest and smartest of his friends.
* HeroicComedicSociopath: Often takes joy in seeing others misfortune or them getting hurt.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Eric.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: He's a genuinely good-natured and upstanding guy, but he ''hates'' openly displaying it. Being around Kitty and, eventually, Jackie has drawn that side out of him a bit more.
* HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood: "They didn't leave me at the mall. They forgot me. They were drunk." The rest of it, though, is genuinely upsetting and taken seriously.
* {{Jerkass}}: If anyone can insult someone to that person's face, it's Hyde.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's mean, insensitive, blunt and aloof but does care for his friends and was eventually a great boyfriend to Jackie when they were dating.
* KnightInSourArmor: Long before they hooked up, Jackie had a crush on Hyde from his defending her. When he beats up a guy who insulted her at Red's barbecue, she sees him as a KnightInShiningArmor, much to his embarrassment and frustration.
* LackOfEmpathy: He rarely feels compassion or sympathy for others, it's even lampshaded in an episode by Eric.
* LadykillerInLove: Had this dynamic with Jackie.
* TheLancer: To Eric's [[TheHero hero]]. He even dresses up as the [[Franchise/StarWars the trope image character]] in one of Eric's {{Imagine Spot}}s.
* LastNameBasis: He's called Hyde by everybody except Red, Kitty, and Jackie (who started calling him Steven after she got a crush on him).
* LeanAndMean: His slim build goes with his sadistic and abrasive {{Jerkass}} status.
* MellowFellow: Always maintains his laid-back and nonchalant attitude.
* MeaningfulName: "Hyde" likes to hide his feelings a lot.
* MetalHead: Was a 70's variety of this.
* MoralityPet: Jackie & Kitty are his, with both of them bringing out the best in him.
** For Jackie, he goes to prom and helps her get back with Kelso, takes the fall for the weed at the end of season 2 and defends her when her date (who is just trying to sleep with her then dump her) insults her. And that's before they start dating.
** He goes out of his way to be good to Kitty, wishing her happy birthday long after he'd moved out.
* MySisterIsOffLimits: Did not like Kelso fooling around with Angie.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: At the end of Season 2, Jackie's about to get busted for holding, so Hyde takes the blame and goes to jail. In the Season 3 premiere, Red kicks him out of the house for this and only relents when Donna explains the whole story. However, Red still gives him a lengthy, angry lecture about everything that went on during this entire ordeal, which overwhelms Hyde. It's transcribed in full [[FootInYourAss/That70sShow here]].
* NobleMaleRoguishMale: Roguish to Eric's noble. Zigzagged in later seasons.
* OnlySaneMan: Downplayed. He usually has the most common sense in the group but can sometimes do stuff that will get gang in trouble.
* OppositesAttract: He's a smart, dry-witted, cynical ConspiracyTheorist whilst Jackie is a ditzy, rich, loud cheerleader. Gradually deconstructed; their respective differences cause a lot of conflict in their relationship, and they break up and get back together several times. [[spoiler: Eventually they break up for good because Jackie wants to know that they have a future together while Hyde feels he is too young to commit to marriage and is more content to live in the moment.]]
* ParentalAbandonment: 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 Formans. 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 [[KickTheDog then left him again]].
* ReallyGetAround: Not as much as Kelso, but still qualifies as he only has one serious relationship.
* RealMenHateAffection: He denies even having feelings. It ends up causing problems when Jackie needs emotional support in Season 5.
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Savvy Guy to Jackie's Energetic Girl. They had this dynamic long before they were together, as depicted in the episode where he teaches her to be "zen" in order to piss Laurie off. She ends up pulling it off so well, he compliments her for the first time in the series, saying she was totally badass.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Manly man to Eric's sensitive guy.
* TheSlacker: "Just imagine what I could do if I applied myself. Oh well, guess we'll never know." Jackie tries to break him of this, to no avail. Amusingly, he has had several jobs where HE is the responsible one, as his bosses are usually even lazier than he is, or in Leo's case, can barely remember he owns a business in the first place.
* TheStoner: He's the source of the gang's stash.
* TheSnarkKnight: He's pretty the {{Troll}} with his snarkiness and schadenfreude sense of humor.
* StrongGirlSmartGuy: The Smart Guy to Donna's Strong Girl.
* SuddenlyEthnicity: [[spoiler: Season 7 reveals that his real father is black.]]
* TeamDad: Along with Donna, Hyde is the most mature in the group and tends to act as a big brother figure to his friends and often gives them advice on life.
* TechnicianVersusPerformer: [[SiblingRivalry With his sister]] she's been dreaming of taking over her dad's business all her life (to the point that when she was 8 she was disappointed with [[AllGirlsLikePonies a pony]] as a gift) whereas Hyde has no life goals, only took a job managing the record store because he likes music and wanted to spend time with his dad, [[TheSlacker hates hard work and spends all his time slaking off]] [[TheStoner and smoking weed]], however Angie is a ControlFreak who freaks out if things don't go exactly according to plan and needs Hyde to improvise.
* TinMan: While he is very aloof and good at keeping his emotions, he can be very passionate.
* TokenEvilTeammate: While Jackie and Kelso are not nice people, it's mostly because they are too ditzy and immature to know better. Hyde is smart enough to understand what he's doing, but he's still mean and unsensitive towards everyone, and his LackOfEmpathy is even lampshaded in one episode.
* ToxicFriendInfluence: He encourages everyone to make stupid choices and if they try to protest, he mocks them until they give in.
* TroubledButCute: He is a delinquent with parental abandonment issues but still sleeps around and has a good heart.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With everyone, but especially Eric. They insult each other a great deal, but Hyde goes out of his way to help Eric a few times.
* WhatDoesSheSeeInHim: Eric doesn't understand how Hyde can be attracted to Jackie, whom Eric can't stand. Subverted when Hyde tries to explain his attraction to Jackie to Eric, making Eric realize it's not so much that Jackie isn't hot as much as her attitude is so annoying that it distracts him from her hotness.
* WithFriendsLikeThese: He's good at getting the guys in trouble.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Michael Kelso]]
[[quoteright:256:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/That70sShow-Kelso_7163.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:256:''"You have the right to remain '''burned'''!"'']]
->'''Played By''': Creator/AshtonKutcher

A pretty-boy with [[TheDitz 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.
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* AdvertisedExtra: In Season 8. So much to where he’s prominently featured on the cover and disc art of the season’s initial DVD release (via Twentieth Century Fox, which is now out of print, as of 2019).
* AttractiveBentGender: Played with. Jackie seems to have a {{Fetish}} for androgynous men wearing feminine clothes, so she makes Kelso wear a summer dress and put makeup on.
* BackForTheFinale: After being PutOnABus for most of Season 8.
* BracesOfOrthodonticOverkill: Flashbacks in "Reefer Madness" and "Class Picture" show him with braces and headgear during his junior high days.
* BrainlessBeauty: An idiotic male bimbo.
* BreakoutCharacter: Season seven even saw a shift of storylines focusing more on his CharacterDevelopment than Eric's.
* BrilliantButLazy: Scored surprisingly well on the UsefulNotes/SATs. He initially tries to exploit his newfound potential, but gives up when he learns it won't help him get women. Also in one early episode, he was able to tinker with a video game to make it more challenging, and in another, he was able to quickly calculate in his head how much money they would make from a kegger and was even able to quickly change his calculation to account for how much less the younger partygoers would drink.
* ButtMonkey: Downplayed. Most of his comical mishaps are well-deserved, he usually brings them onto himself with his own stupidity. Its more KarmicButtMonkey than this trope.
* CatchPhrase: "BURN!" and "Damn, Jackie" (when he's upset with Jackie).
* CharacterDevelopment: Matures significantly during the final two seasons, though he never becomes unrecognizable. Becoming a father motivates him to get his life together and become a (somewhat) functional adult.
* ChickMagnet: He's very successful with girls. Humorously, he doesn't seem to understand that this doesn't apply to everyone, as he once cluelessly asked Fez how he could still be a virgin with all the women constantly throwing themselves at him, much to Fez's anger.
* ChildrenRaiseYou: After getting Brook pregnant, Kelso initially wants nothing to do with the child but eventually comes to accept it. Kelso slowly becomes more responsible such as sending Brook to the hospital and finding a job so his daughter can have someone to look up to. He even dials down his pervertness because of her and is visibly disturb by Fez's obsession with breast milk.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: He will gladly sell out his friends in the hopes of saving himself. When Red caught them in "Misty Mountain Hop" with a stash, Kelso insisted he knew nothing about it while saying Hyde did. He added in Fez just for the hell of it. And oh yeah, Kelso paid for and hid the stash in the cabin in the first place.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Being the idiot of the group, he's probably the biggest offender.
* CrazyJealousGuy: With Jackie despite the fact that [[HypocriticalHumor he constantly cheats on her]].
* TheDitz: His most famous personality traits are conceit and sheer stupidity, performing a great number of idiocies on a regular daily basis.
* DumbassHasAPoint: Occasionally shows flashes of common sense:
** When Kelso wants to find out if he's the police academy stooge, Donna suggests just asking his commander, but Kelso reminds her that not knowing is the whole point.
** In the above-mentioned keg episode, two bullies get mad at him for not having a working tap, but Kelso angrily reminds them that they're the ones who broke it.
** In a later episode, when the guys were paranoid that Kitty's vacuum was bugged by the feds, they end up destroying it, only for Kelso to be the first one to realize that they could have just put the vacuum outside.
** He was the one who identified his brother Casey as bad news and warned Eric about it long before anyone else.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Describes himself as "man-pretty". Kelso and Fez freely admit they find each other mutually handsome.
* EveryoneHasStandards:
** Despite being oversexed, constantly sleeping around and even making small passes at Donna from time to time, he's the most vocal opponent of anyone doing anything sexual in the circle, which he considers sacred. [[HypocriticalHumor In defending this stance he admits he's had sex in both a church and a cemetery]].
** He is literally the only one in "Everybody Loves Casey" besides Eric to speak poorly of him and his relationship with Donna.
--->'''Kelso:''' ''[to Eric]'' And I'm telling you as his brother, Casey is bad news. He's either gonna get bored and split, or something worse is gonna happen, so you gotta do something.
* FairCop: Became a police officer specifically because the uniform would prolong his beauty many years.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Sanguine
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: He's an immature teenager who ends up causing problems for his friends and constantly goes out of his way to make their lives worse ForTheLulz. By the later seasons, it's more that he's tolerated by the others and allowed to hang around because he's easy to make fun of than genuinely liked.
* FunPersonified: Even lampshaded by Red at one point.
* GeniusDitz: He has occasional flashes of intelligence showing there is a brain somewhere underneath his ditziness.
* HandsomeLech: A dumb, oversexed PrettyBoy who is capable of getting women with his good looks.
* HasAType: All of his prominent love interests boss him around to a degree. By his own admission, he likes being on the short leash and under a woman's thumb. It only goes so far, though; he realizes he cheated on Jackie because of her repeated insults, while Laurie treated him even worse and ultimately broke his heart. Brooke and Angie clearly wore the pants, as it were, but they consistently treated Kelso with respect, and he was much happier for it.
* HeroesLoveDogs: There are several episodes where he shows up late for something because he was busy playing with some random dog he met on the way, and he considers a neighbor getting a new dog to be a major event.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Fez.
* HiddenDepths:
** Because he was one of the older siblings, he has a real knack for taking care of babies. Related, he lets it slip in "Moon Over Point Place" that he makes a good bit of money babysitting.
** He also comes to realize that his constant cheating on Jackie was due to her domineering attitude towards the relationship, and decides that he does not apologize for it in an argument. Notably, he never cheats on Brook or Angie, who are actually nice to him.
* {{Hypocrite}}: He becomes angry at Jackie for dating Hyde while he is away when he cheated on her several times with Laurie.
* InformedAttractiveness: He goes on and on about how hot he is, and is never corrected. Apparently his hottitude is a matter of record in the [=T70S=] 'verse. While Ashton Kutcher is certainly good-looking, Kelso's attractiveness reaches memetic levels on the show.
* ItsAllAboutMe: He manages to be more selfish then everyone else in the group except Jackie.
* {{Jerkass}}: Kelso's worst traits are his shallowness, narcissism, insensitivity and self-absorbtion. Though he becomes more of a JerkWithAHeartOfGold as the series progresses.
* JerkassHasAPoint:
** He points out in episode 17 of season 6 that Fez and Hyde are immature, stuck in high school and are afraid to let him move on with his life after they shaved his mustache to make it look like Hitler's.
** He's right that it's easy to judge him regarding Brooke and that they're going to be parents when they have no investment in the situation.
* KarmicButtMonkey: Probably the biggest and most satisfying one in the show. Courtesy of Hyde mostly and occasionally from his other friends too. Hyde frequently retaliates against Kelso's trouble-making by attacking him physically, and occasionally even [[WithFriendsLikeThese threw him under the bus unprovoked]]. Almost all of Kelso's comical mishaps are well-deserved be it either his own idiocy or his own irresponsibility.
* LargeHam: Kelso's energetic, dramatic and boisterous and his loudness is consistently PlayedForLaughs.
* LaserGuidedKarma: Kelso cheated on Jackie with Laurie, only to later on learn that Laurie is cheating on him. Unlike other examples in this trope, a hurt Kelso (dumb as he is) realizes how much he hurt Jackie and therefore believes he deserved to be hurt like this himself.
* LastNameBasis: Just like Hyde, he's called Kelso by everyone except for Jackie and Kitty.
* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Pulled this off for some of the seasons, in classic SeventiesHair fashion, but gets his hair cut in season 7 right after his daughter is born, though he says it's because he got gum in it.
* LovableCoward: Can be either this or a DirtyCoward. Invoked in episode ''Halloween'', when Kelso hears a noise which he takes for a vengeful spirit; he pushes his girlfriend out of the way in his haste to flee.
-->'''Jackie''': I can't believe Michael pushed me aside.\\
'''Donna''': Me neither. I thought he'd use you as a {{human shield}}.
* ManChild: He possesses numerous infantile qualities such as enjoying Christmas specials deemed childish by his peers and fussing when something is preventing him from viewing them. Although to be fair, calling him a manchild is slightly a little stretching given the character's age (17-19).
* MassiveNumberedSiblings: Michael is one of 7 siblings.
* {{Narcissist}}: To the point that he literally dreams of another Kelso sponge bathing him.
* NeverMyFault: He tells his friends that he is not responsible for the fire at the police academy...while explaining what was he doing prior to the fire.
* NoIndoorVoice: He has the loudest voice of anyone in the group, especially when he's angry or excited. There's a reason why his catchphrase is yelling "BURN!!!" at the top of his lungs.
* OneHeadTaller: With Jackie.
* PlayboyHasADaughter: Brooke reveals to him she's pregnant with his daughter in one of the show's later seasons, forcing him to [[CharacterDevelopment grow from shallow and oversexed into a responsible adult who respects women]]. He even refused to grope Donna's breasts when given the opportunity. To drive this point home, earlier episodes have shown him to be quite eager to even ''glimpse'' Donna's breasts.
* PutOnABus: Somewhat in season 8. He only appears in the first four episodes and the series finale. For these five appearances, Ashton Kutcher is credited as a “Special Guest Star”.
* PrettyBoy: Necessary component of his TheBrainlessBeauty act.
* ProudBeauty: One of the things he has in common with Jackie.
* ReallyGetsAround: "I had ''two'' girlfriends. And a little action on the side."
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Manly man to Fez's sensitive guy.
* ShipperOnDeck: He surprisingly becomes one for Jackie and Hyde in later seasons, even trying to help get them back together in one episode.
* SmallNameBigEgo: Like Jackie, he thinks he is the most handsome person in town.
* StupidSexyFlanders: Oh, Fez.
* TooDumbToLive: For starters, fell off the water tower... once a year... throughout every year of school.
* TookALevelInDumbass: Though the initial dumbass level was very high.
* ToxicFriendInfluence: It's between him and Hyde over who is the more toxic, but Kelso goes out of his way to make his friend's lives worse.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Jacqueline "Jackie" Burkhart]]
[[quoteright:254:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/That70sShow-Jackie_6588.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:254:''"Look, the sooner you realize I'm a genius, the better off we'll both be."'']]
->'''Played By''': Creator/MilaKunis

A bit of an airhead who has a tendency to condescend to everyone. Strangely, no one is offended by this, and they tend to ignore it. She has dated both Kelso and Hyde over the course of the series and gets together with Fez in the second-to-last episode.
----
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Her relationship with Hyde.
* TheBeautifulElite: She's pretty, she's rich, and she won't shut up about it.
--> "If I'm not a rich, popular girl, I'm nothing. I'm like Donna."
* BeautyIsBad: Downplayed. She's pretty and popular as well as snobby, rude, and self-absorbed, but deep down [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold not a bad person.]]
* BerserkButton: Don't tell anyone her middle name is Beulah.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: A girlish cheerleader who's normally even more useless in a fight than Eric. When Laurie insulted Jackie though, Jackie finally snapped and attacked Laurie in a vicious Cat Fight. Even Hyde was impressed, telling Jackie that you kicked her ass, man! Jackie also beats up her karate instructor in her first lesson after Donna makes a point about her (Jackie's) breakup with Hyde.
* BigEater: When down on her luck or unable to find a boyfriend, she tends to eat. ''A lot''.
* BrainlessBeauty: Downplayed. She's shallow, vapid, ditzy and sometimes comes across as an airhead, but she's not as stupid as Kelso.
* BrutalHonesty: She is pretty tactless and speaks her mind without a filter.
-->'''Hyde''': Roy has some problems with people.\\
'''Roy''': They don't like me. You don't like me, right?\\
'''Jackie''': Not really. But to be fair, I have very high standards.\\
'''Roy''': Yeah? She's really nice, Steven.
* CharacterDevelopment: When she started dating Hyde. She could very well be the most developed character in the entire show. Many of the characters remain rather static throughout the series but Jackie goes from being a vapid, money-obsessed cheerleader stifling her true self for the sake of popularity to a competent, though still headstrong woman who isn't afraid to take care of herself and doesn't hide who she is.
* TheCheerleader: She starts out as one, and when she's kicked off the squad in season 6 and realizes that she doesn't want to be taken back, it's shown as a part of her personal growth.
* ControlFreak: Often bossing Kelso around and telling him what to do.
* CuteButCacophonic: She once describes herself as "a beautiful girl with a shrill, demanding voice".
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Her father doesn't like Kelso, even going as far as cutting off Jackie's financial support when he discovers she's still dating him.
* TheDitz: Along with Kelso in a Ditz couple, although she's definitely smarter than him.
* DudeMagnet: Just ask Kelso, Hyde, Fez, and other guys who are attracted to her throughout the show.
* EmbarrassingMiddleName: Her middle name is Beulah; for some reason, she considers it horribly embarrassing and wants to keep it in secret. In the Halloween episode where they find out, she actually beats Hyde up for saying it...though it could be just an ImagineSpot.
* TheFashionista: Down to the shopping addiction and the affection for makeovers.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Jackie starts out as this, with everyone including her primarily because she's Kelso's girlfriend (while urging him to dump her). Eventually, she and Donna become best friends to Donna's surprise. The guys all start accepting her for different reasons--Hyde alternately starts burning her and protecting her, Fez develops a major crush on her, and Eric takes a liking to her after she beats up Laurie.
* GirlsLoveStuffedAnimals: Has a collection of stuffed animals. Her favorite is a unicorn that she calls "Fluffycakes".
* GirlyGirlWithATomboyStreak: Normally very feminine (especially in contrast to Donna), a cheerleader and high-maintenance rich girl, but in one episode [[WrenchWench she helps Red fix a car]], after Eric proves inadequate.
* InformedAttractiveness: It's PlayedForLaughs once; when Eric asks Hyde why he'd hook up with Jackie. Hyde tells Eric to imagine being stranded on an island with Jackie in nothing but a coconut-bikini, he still doesn't get it. Then he tells Eric to do what he does and tune her out. So Eric re-imagines the same thing but without sound, only to realize Jackie is kind of hot.
* {{Irony}}: The main reason that Hyde and Jackie break up is because Hyde refuses to even consider committing to a permanent relationship. While early Jackie couldn't give less of a rat's ass about the future, it was Hyde's challenging of Jackie's personality that causes her to grow up and begin to seriously think about her future. When Hyde declines to even give Jackie a simple maybe as to the future of their relationship they break up. If it wasn't for Hyde's influence Jackie would probably remain the same airhead of the early seasons, and wouldn't have cared about the permanence of their relationship.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Especially in early seasons, she only cares about herself.
* {{Jerkass}}: The reigning bitch of Point Place.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Thanks to CharacterDevelopment, she becomes sweeter and less bitchy in later seasons.
* KickTheDog: [[spoiler: When Fez politely rejects her, she becomes a full blown crazy psychopath who tries to hurt Fez badly just to get sadistic satisfaction. This is what later causes Fez to get fed up with her.]]
* LesserOfTwoEvils: In Season 2, most of the group barely tolerates Jackie (at best), but they'll still take her over Laurie.
* LethalChef: She rarely tries to cook, but when she does, the results are disastrous.
* LovableAlphaBitch: Donna eventually warms up to her, and they become a TomboyAndGirlyGirl pair.
* LovableSexManiac: {{Subverted|Trope}}. With Kelso, initially, the two of them did everything ''but'' engage in intercourse, but Kelso being arrested (cementing him as a sexy bad boy in her eyes) was enough to push her over the edge, and after that you couldn't leave the two of them alone in a room with a flat surface. After their breakup and her subsequent near-obsession with Hyde, she started out this way with him.
* MaleGaze:
** Jackie was subject to this long before she became a full-fledged MsFanservice.
** In a famous scene in early season 5, Hyde shares a male gaze moment of Jackie with Eric to explain what he sees in her.
** Jackie invokes this, as well as some {{fetish}} to attract Hyde's attention by wearing a toe ring. Hyde bravely retains his cool.
* MoralityPet: To Hyde, as when they start dating he becomes more soft and less pissed-off.
* MotorMouth: To the frustration of virtually everyone else, she'll just go on and on and on.
* MsFanservice: After Mila Kunis turned 18, she had many BareYourMidriff moments.
* {{Narcissist}}: In her own words, "if I could run across the beach into my own arms, I would."
* NoAccountingForTaste: Her relationship with Hyde. She's a rich, spoiled, selfish AlphaBitch-type, he's a smart but lazy ConspiracyTheorist slacker. They both can see the improbability of their relationship.
--> '''Jackie''': Steven, do I really sicken you?\\
'''Hyde''': No. I sicken me because you're supposed to sicken me, but you don't.\\
'''Jackie''': Well, I feel the same way.
* OddFriendship: With Red. They become closer when Jackie helps him fix his car. Jackie and Hyde might be the only friends of Eric he actually likes, and Jackie tells Eric to put his father on the phone when she has to say goodbye.
* OneHeadTaller: With Kelso (Mila Kunis is 5'4" and Ashton Kutcher is 6'2").
* ParentalAbandonment: 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.
* PetitePride: She often mocks Donna for her (relatively) large physique, as she goes into narcissistic rants about her gorgeously slender body.
* ProudBeauty: So much. It was in many ways the main thing she and Kelso had in common. Often dips in the ScrewTheRulesImBeautiful pool.
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Energetic Girl to Hyde's Savvy Guy. They had this dynamic long before they were together, as depicted in the episode where he teaches her to be "zen" in order to piss Laurie off. She ends up pulling it off so well, he compliments her for the first time in the series, saying she was totally badass.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: She is a firm believer in this approach, though she sometimes needs reminding.
-->'''Red''': Look, Jackie. I know that things seem grim. But your father's rich, right? Well, then I'm sure that whatever trouble he's in, he'll buy his way out and wriggle free.\\
'''Jackie''': You're right! I mean, this is America. The rich are treated differently here.\\
'''Red''': [[DeadpanSnarker Yep, and I'm so glad I took some shrapnel to make that possible]].\\
'''Jackie''': [[SarcasmBlind Me too!]]
* SmallNameBigEgo: She thinks she's the prettiest and most popular girl in Point Place and everyone could benefit from her advice. Others beg to differ.
* SpoiledBrat: Especially in the first few seasons, until her father is arrested for embezzlement and her mother takes off to Mexico.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Girly girl to Donna's tomboy. Often lampshaded.
* TookALevelInKindness: She evolves into a LovableAlphaBitch in later seasons.
* {{Tsundere}}: Type A, in all of her relationships.
* UptownGirl: Jackie is a rich girl and cheerleader, Hyde is a poor delinquent with a messed up family who lives with Eric's family because he has nowhere else to go. Initially Hyde stated their differences in social status as a reason they shouldn't go out, as they had nothing in common.
* ValleyGirl: Though she's from Wisconsin.
* VillainProtagonist: [[spoiler: In "Leaving Home Ain't Easy" when Fez rejects her.]]
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Donna.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: She's terrified of clowns.
* {{Womanchild}}: "I want what I want when I want it, what is so immature about that?"
* WrenchWench: 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.
--> "I just fixed a car! I feel like Nancy Drew!"
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fez]]
[[quoteright:255:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/That70sShow-Fez_582.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:255:''"Whenever I look at naked ladies, I get really tired. Then I get my second wind, and then I want to look at more naked ladies."'']]
->'''Played By''': {{Creator/Wilmer Valderrama}}

A foreign kid who is always trying to get laid. Likes to act [[AlwaysCamp 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.
----
* AbhorrentAdmirer: He had a crush on Jackie since the start but Jackie had never returned his feelings for most of the show, until the final season.
%%* AlwaysCamp
* AmbiguouslyBrown: Part of his NonSpecificallyForeign characterization.
* BigEater: Coupled with his sweet tooth, he is nearly always seen snacking on something. He has a love affair with American junk foods after a lifetime of subsisting on the ForeignQueasine of his home nation. In the ''[[Franchise/ScoobyDoo Scooby-Doo]]'' animated circle, Fez is seen eating almost like Shaggy.
* ButtMonkey: Being the effeminate, unlucky-with-the-ladies guy.
* CampStraight: Though it has been hinted from time to time that he's attracted to/in love with Kelso.
* CasanovaWannabe: For most of the show he's a horny wannabe ladies man known for his pathetic attempts to get girls, until the final season when he becomes more successful.
* ChivalrousPervert: His creepy perversion and sex obsession rivals Kelso but unlike Kelso, he's more sensitive to women's feelings and is more gentlemanly than most characters. Fez shows that he can actually be quite charming and is also a good dancer but is often dismissed for being an eccentric and immature foreigner that's naive to American culture and etiquette which also makes Fez feel quite lonely and insecure.
* CatchPhrase:
** "Good day." / "I said good day!"
** Various uses of "son of a bitch!"
* CharacterizationMarchesOn:
** Fez's original character was that of a FunnyForeigner who misunderstood American culture. He didn't develop his [[LovableSexManiac constant desire to do it]] and [[SweetTooth love of candy]] for quite a while.
** Early on, after making a tape of their ramblings in the circle, Fez called Kelso stupid. Later on, Fez would rush to his defense when Hyde or even Eric called Kelso stupid.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Biggest one in the group along with [[BrainlessBeauty Kelso]]. He is openly regarded as weird by his friends.
* CultureClash: Especially in the early seasons when his unfamiliarity with U.S culture was a RunningGag. Apparently, before becoming an exchange student, he had virtually no exposure at all to western media or pop culture.
* ADateWithRosiePalms: Very, ''very'' much so.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Fez's first line in the first episode sums up everything you need to know about him.
--> "[[FunnyForeigner I may not say this right because I am new to English]], [[LovableSexManiac but she has tremendous breasts, yes]]?"
* ForeignExchangeStudent: The name "Fez" is even short for "foreign exchange student", despite the difference in spelling, which the series' official website describes as "poetic license". His friends know Fez's real name but consider it unpronounceable.
* FormerlyFit: He put on some weight at the beginning of the final season, prompting a couple of jokes from Kelso and a blunt "You're fat" from Hyde.
* FunnyForeigner: Even the characters aren't sure what country he's from, though Wild Mass Guessing favours Trinidad and/or Tobago.
* HaveIMentionedIAmSexuallyActiveToday: Early on, he sometimes tried to pretend he wasn't still a virgin, not that any of the other characters bought it for a second.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Kelso.
* IllBeInMyBunk: As the seasons go by, he gets more comfortable indicating this. On one occasion, Nina got him worked up, but it didn't go any further, so he made it clear this was to be the case. A squicked out Donna said they're all clearly getting too comfortable with each other.
* IdiotBall: Though, most of this has to do with him being unfamiliar with American customs. Because of his limited knowledge outside of his customs and his insatiable needs, he naturally thinks highly of Kelso.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: While he's easily the biggest overzealous pervert of the group to the point that he regularly pervs on his friends to try and watch them do it, he still manages to be a genuinely friendly, sensitive and sweet-natured gentleman, possibly even more so than Eric himself. In one episode, when he notices how hostile Caroline was being towards his friends, he confronts her and then breaks up with her.
* LargeHam: Fez is an passionate, flirtatious and flamboyant character and like Kelso, his eccentric personality is always hilarious.
* LovableSexManiac: Fez's lechery is almost always played for laughs.
* MistakenForGay: A running gag directed towards Kelso throughout the series. In S7 Ep 20, "Gimme Shelter" happens to him and Kelso. They're looking for an apartment and find a great one only to discover the landlord is Fenton, an enemy of Fez, who refuses them a lease. As they're leaving Kelso comments that they'll have to find someplace to live with the baby, referring to his with Brooke, however, Fenton misinterprets this and lets them move in since he can't turn away two men raising a baby.
* MySisterIsOffLimits: 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!
* NonSpecificallyForeign: He is from some ambiguous foreign country (probably from somewhere in South or Central America). Most likely a former colony, as it's revealed in the last season it has a sizeable population of British and Dutch citizens.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: "Fez". So-called due to his OverlyLongName, see below.
* OverlyLongName: Fez' real name and home country; taken to the point of a RunningGag. When Fez does say his real name but is drowned out by the bell, in real life he was reciting all the actors on the series' names.
* ProgressivelyPrettier: Gets more muscular by each season.
* ReallyGetsAround: In the final season he becomes a ladies' man and is seen with three different women in the same episode.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Sensitive guy to Kelso's manly man.
* SitcomArchNemesis: He and Fenton are this to each other.
* SixthRanger: Fez is the newest member of the group at the beginning of the series.
* StalkerWithACrush: He's this to Jackie and Donna. At some point, he tells Jackie, "You're a super cute high school girl that I've been spying on through a window for three and a half years".
* SweetTooth: And ''how''.
-->"WHERE'S MY CANDY YOU SON OF A BITCH!?"
* ThoseTwoGuys: With Hyde up until season five, where Hyde starts dating Jackie, and Kelso starts hanging out with Fez.
* TheUnintelligible: The others treat Fez like his English borders on incomprehensible, rather than the notable but not overwhelming accent he actually has.
* TheUnreveal: 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.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Over the middle to later seasons he becomes even more creepy, perverted and all around disgusting towards his friends, to the point that he hides in closets and other locations to spy on women or on his friends in couples and repeatedly makes unwanted moves on women.
* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: Enforced by Fez's actor, Wilmer Valderrama, to add to the RunningGag about Fez's unknown home country.
* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: A RunningGag was that Fez often gave contradictory information about his home country while also never revealing exactly which one it was. He may have made some of these things up to mess with his friends, though.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Lauren "Laurie" Forman]]
[[quoteright:222:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download2_2427.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:222:''"I'll do anything for ten dollars."'']]
->'''Played By''': {{Creator/Lisa Robin Kelly}} (Seasons 1-3 & 5), {{Creator/Christina Moore}} (Season 6)

Eric's older sister, who studies to be a beautician. Happily slutty. Had a relationship with Kelso and is [[TheUnfavorite not liked by Kitty]], who almost has nothing nice to say to her ever.
----
* BeautyIsBad: Proudly exemplifies this trope and will even shamelessly uses it as a means of seduction.
* BigSisterBully: Laurie relentlessly teases Eric and smugly rubs in the fact Red favors her whenever she can.
-->'''Eric:''' Last time I trusted you, I wound up in the dryer with a pillowcase full of bees, so…
* BitchInSheepsClothing: She is callous, manipulative and pretends to be nice when she is around her parents, especially her father. Her mother meanwhile knows exactly how selfish and reckless she really is.
* BrokenPedestal: Red is sincerely disappointed to learn that his daughter sleeps around and isn't the devoted daughter she claimed to be. Even her flunking out of college didn't faze him, but this did.
* CitizenshipMarriage: A combination of this with SexlessMarriage. At the end of season 5, Laurie married Fez only so that he doesn't get deported. As season 6 showed, it was clearly a marriage in name only - They were never seen spending any time together, most of their brief interactions consist of trading barbs at each other, and much to Fez's chagrin, even after their marriage Laurie would still sleep around with anyone BUT him.
* CommutingOnABus: In Seasons 3, 5 and 6. She was upgraded into part of the main cast in Season 2, but disappeared in the second half of Season 3 and was removed from the opening credits scene. She returned in season 5 and 6 with her roles significantly reduced, and was then completely written out of the show with a Season 7 throwaway line mentioning she had moved to Canada.
* DaddysGirl: Red thinks that Laurie is perfect and lets her get away with murder, he seemingly has no idea that she's the town slut. When Red finally sees her for how his daughter really is, she's genuinely devastated to have fallen from his good graces.
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Red doesn't take it well when he finds out that she's dating Kelso.
* DemotedToExtra: In season 6, after having been recast. Despite appearing in most episodes of that season, she rarely speaks.
* DumbBlonde: She's not as much dumb as she is willfully ignorant. This is likely due to a lifetime of taking short-cuts whenever possible. That said Laurie still isn't very bright and displays very little knowledge outside of anything directly affecting herself. Notably, she flunked out of the University of Wisconsin due to being more interested in fraternity guys than her studies.
* EveryoneHasStandards: Became horrified when Eric told her he saw Red and Kitty having sex, and then comforted him and told him it would be alright. She even tells their parents what he'd witnessed so they'd stop suspecting he was on drugs due to his behaviour, which was a [[PetTheDog rare instance]] of being a good sibling.
-->'''Eric''': You're actually being nice!\\
'''Laurie''': Yeah, it's just not my strong suit.
* FlatCharacter: Her defining personality was that she was mean and nasty to everyone except to Red, whom she sucked up to and could do no wrong in his eyes, and she slept around. The main source of humor came from the fact that her nastiness and promiscuity were all there was to her. Some of the only attempts at breaking away from this were her comforting Eric after finding out he saw Red and Kitty having sex, becoming depressed after Red finally realized how nasty she was, and then later attempting to be a good person before she went back to her original, two-dimensional annoying habits in the later seasons.
** On several occassions, she even seems to ''defy'' character development.
*** Upon growing attached to a baby she was forced to look after, she ultimately chose her hairdryer over it when pressed.
*** When she actually had the urge to talk about her feelings with Kelso, she ultimately concluded that she wasn't doing enough '''for herself.''
*** While sleeping with Kelso, she actually got on surprisingly well with Jackie, but flipped right back to treating her as bad as everyone else once Kelso's cheating on Jackie was finally exposed.
** That said, she does appear to be worried about her future when Red and Kitty confront her about it, and is genuinely excited to start Beauty School.
* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: Foolish to Eric's responsible
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Though none of the group (barring Kelso) like her at all due to Laurie's sociopathic and promiscuous nature, she often gets involved in their activities for one reason or another.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Cares for very little outside of her own interests.
* {{Jerkass}}: From Season 1 to 3 and early on in Season 5, she's egotistical, rude and enjoys tormenting Eric and manipulating her parents. Towards the end of Season 5 she seemed to become a better person. In season 6 she barely interacted with Eric and was instead mostly antagonizing Fez who was her [[CitizenshipMarriage legally-married husband]].
* KarmaHoudini: She constantly tortures Eric, is incredibly promiscuous, purposefully ruins Kelso's relationship with Jackie, not to mention [[DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale forcing herself on him]], and routinely takes her barbs against Eric further than words and sabotages his plans with his friends. She never suffers any repercussions from her actions that last any further than a single episode and is always Red's little girl.
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Until season 5 rolls around her father realizes exactly what she really is. That arguably ended in season 2 when her promiscuous ways was exposed to her father for the first time.
* LongBusTrip: Season 7, where it was eventually stated she was out of the country. Unlike before, she never came back, which was {{Lampshaded}} in the GrandFinale.
* MsFanservice: She is first introduced in only an oversized sweater.
* {{Narcissist}}: Cares for literally no one but herself.
* PetTheDog: 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!". She and Eric both lampshade this, Eric noting that her being nice is odd and Laurie apologizing for being poor at it, as she's not used to it.
* PutOnABus: Halfway through Season 3, she went to Chicago and was no longer in the main cast.
* ReallyGetsAround: Oh, does she ever.
-->'''Hyde''': (To Kelso) "You're dating Laurie? That's not different, man. You're boldly going where ''every'' man's gone before!"
* SatanicArchetype: PlayedForLaughs. Eric and his friends call Laurie the devil not just for being extremely smug and/or manipulative, but also for the fact that she was literally born with a tail. Not to mention [[PsychoticSmirk her reaction]] to getting a 666 (which is actually the number used to invoke Satan) during a game of cards.
* SitcomArchNemesis: To the entire group barring Kelso. She became a better person towards the end of Season 5, when both Red and Kitty took over the SitcomArchNemesis role. When she returned in Season 6 (different actress and portrayal), she was the SitcomArchNemesis only to Fez, with whom she [[CitizenshipMarriage married earlier on]].
* SixthRanger: Although Laurie dislikes most of the group, she still joins them for some of their activities, such as their graduation camping trip.
* SlutShaming: If she's being nasty to someone, chances are they'll retaliate with a joke about her being "cheap" and "easy." Jackie even calls her a cheap slut after their CatFight.
* SmugSnake: Laurie tends to act like she's smarter than she is and that she will always be seen as Red's favourite. Though it soon becomes apparent Kitty has long seen though the façade and even Red comes to realise she's nowhere near as responsible as Eric.
* SpoiledBrat: This is how she is seen by Eric and the audience. Even her mother calls her this directly, believing she is far too selfish and nasty a person.
* StupidEvil: To quote Eric...
--> '''Eric:''' She's stupid and evil. Mostly stupid.
* SiblingRivalry: Eric makes occasional references about her being the favourite child to Red, and they regularly roasted each other.
* TeacherStudentRomance: Has an affair with her psychology professor.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Kitty delivers an epic one to her in Season 1 when sharing during a "therapy circle."
-->'''Kitty''': "Laurie, you're mean to your brother and you're screwing around at college. We don't even see you unless you run out of clean clothes or need cash. The fact is, you're an ungrateful spoiled brat."
* {{Troll}}: Hyde observes that Laurie feeds off the pleasure she gets from insulting others. The more insulted the given person acts, the better.
* TheUnfavorite: To Kitty. By Season 5, even Red realizes how ungrateful she has been and calls her on it.
* TheVamp: Laurie's habit of using men as her playthings is well known to Eric and his friends. Though Kelso isn't smart enough to be put off pursuing her, even whilst in a relationship with Jackie.
* TookALevelInKindness: Seems to make a genuine effort to change and be a good person towards the end of Season 5, although she still retained her promiscuous ways. Her change for the good (relatively speaking) seemed to waver in season 6, where the target of her JerkAss tendencies was shifted from Eric onto Fez instead (Her [[CitizenshipMarriage legally-married husband]]). However, this was largely because she had close to zero interaction with Eric in her final season: The character was played by a different actress and the script was clearly altered to reduce her character dynamics with the main cast in order to write her out of the show.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Randy Pearson]]
->'''Played By''': {{Creator/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.
----
* TheAce: Ladies man, good with tools, and full of ideas.
* ChickMagnet: Just like Kelso, he is good looking and successful with women.
* DeadpanSnarker: He has also Eric's sense of humor.
* FinalSeasonCasting: Josh Meyers was put on the show after his contract with ''Series/MadTV'' was up and he chose not to continue being on the show.
* MrFixit: He forms a friendship with Red after showing Red how good he is at fixing things.
* NiceGuy: Randy appears as a laid-back, gentle and polite young man.
* SixthRanger: Joins the group in the final season.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: For Eric and Kelso.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Charlie Richardson]]
->'''Played By''': {{Creator/Bret Harrison}}

The new guy who hangs out with the gang at the end of season 7... [[DroppedABridgeOnHim for only four episodes]]. He's the son of a friend of Red's back in the war and has only a few memorable moments.
----
* AccidentalPervert: He accidentally walks in on Kitty naked, much to Red's anger. ''Twice''.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: After seemingly being Eric's replacement for the last season, he falls off the water tower in the first episode. Naturally, the audience thinks that he's okay...until the water tower is renamed the Charlie Richardson Memorial Water Tower. The character was intended to last longer, but Harrisson was offered the lead role for the short-lived series ''Series/TheLoop'' and left the show.
* NaiveNewcomer: And ''how''. After getting drunk in front of Red, he wishes to apologize to Red and that he'll understand, to which Eric understandably laughs. And if ''that'' wasn't enough, he even [[IdiotBall takes advice from Kelso before calling him a "genius".]] Though it is understandable since he just joined the gang and went to a Catholic school.
* NiceGuy: Arguably the ''most'' nice person in the entire series, though incredibly naive.
* SixthRanger: Played straight when he first appears. He quickly gains respect when he invites the boys into his father's beer warehouse.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Angie Barnett]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/MegalynEchikunwoke

Hyde's half-sister introduced in the 7th Season. She and Hyde co-own a record store. She only appeared in eight episodes of the show.
----
* BlackAndNerdy: She's black and is a mathematics major.
* ContrastingReplacementCharacter: To Laurie. Both are sisters of a male character of the gang and both were in a relationship with Kelso. However:
** Laurie is white while Angie is black.
** Angie is a smart, hardworking young woman, while Laurie is lazy and prefers to sleep or scheme her way into an easy life.
** While Angie and Hyde did start out as having an antagonistic relationship like Laurie and Eric, Angie and Hyde's relationship became more friendly.
* LongLostRelative: Angie is Hyde's half-sister via their father William "WB" Barnett.
* NamedAfterSomeoneFamous: She is named after Angie Barnett, the first wife of David Bowie.
* PutOnABus: The 22nd episode of season 7 has her get a promotion that takes her to Milwaukee.
* ShoutOut: She first appears in the episode "Angie" which is a reference to the song of the same name by the Rolling Stones.
* SiblingRivalry: She has one with Hyde and they bicker regularly, but they work well together and he's bailed her out of trouble a couple times.
* SiblingYinYang: Angie is serious and career-focused in contrast to her slacker of a brother.
* TwoferTokenMinority: She's a black woman and is the only racial minority of the entire cast besides Fez and Leo.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Nina Bartell]]
-->'''Played By''': Creator/JoannaCanton

Fez's boss at the [=DMV=] and later girlfriend in Season 5.
----
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Her parents are racist to Fez when he first meets them. She dislikes their racism and how they treated Fez, so she gets back at her parents by having sex with Fez on their bed.
* DeadpanSnarker: She tends to respond to Fez and the group's antics with dry wit.
* ItsNotYouItsMe: She uses this excuse to break up with Fez when in reality, she dumped him because she found him too clingy and annoying.
* OnlySaneMan: When it comes to dealing with Fez, she's clearly the more down to earth one and stops them breaking up a few times early on. She points out in one very short conversation with Fez that they clearly need more practice at having sex after their first time was horrible.
* PutOnABus: After she and Fez break up for good, she never appears again.

[[/folder]]

!Adults

[[folder:Reginald "Red" Forman]]
[[quoteright:197:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/images4_1493.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:197:''"You morons just hung vacancy signs on your asses, and my foot is looking for a room!"'']]
->'''Played By''': Creator/KurtwoodSmith

The patriarch of the Forman family. A hard-nosed veteran who always seems to be annoyed at something. Worked at a car parts factory until it shut down, at which point he became a supervisor at a discount 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.
----
* AbusiveParents: His mother loved and doted on him, but his father was a real bastard. Red's parenting is positively lax in comparison.
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Red has a few moments like this throughout the series.
** When Eric confesses the last words to Red's mother were "It wouldn't kill you to be nice for once in your life", before she dropped dead, Red can't help but laugh at the fact and tells him it's okay.
** When Kelso is "canoeing" in the street, which involves a canoe being dragged by rope attached to a car, Red can't help but enjoy the spectacle of misplaced bravery and childlike glee.
--> '''Red:''' "Look at that crazy bastard. He may not be smart but he has more fun than all of us combined."
* AngerBornOfWorry: When Hyde takes the fall for Jackie having pot, Red is ready to kick him out. Once the truth comes out and Hyde comes home, Red explodes at him for his stupidity. Red ends his tirade by threatening to kick Hyde's ass so hard his nose will bleed if he ever does something this stupid again. When Red confirms Hyde isn't kicked out, it's clear he's relieved Hyde is alright and his yelling was to just blow off steam from being worried about Hyde.
* AssShove: 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).
* BeingGoodSucks: He initially refused to take Hyde in after his mom split, as money was already pretty tight. Then he sees the squalid living conditions, and Kitty points out Hyde would fall through the cracks of social services. Red sees he has no choice and tells Hyde to pack up... amid a massive ClusterFBomb for the ages.
* BerserkButton:
** Ignorance and stupidity. For his sins he runs into both on a regular basis.
** He also hates it whenever someone mocks America in any way.
** He doesn't take kindly to anyone putting the moves on Kitty.
** For all he yells at and snarks at Eric, he will get ''very'' mad if anyone else mistreats, demeans or threatens him.
* CanNotSpitItOut: He really, really hates expressing his feelings, especially to other men. He usually only openly praises Eric or tells him he loves him when he's drunk or high on novocaine. When he's not, Red only says things in a really roundabout way, such as ordering Eric to go out and mow the lawn before adding that "the...lawn" thanks him for staying home to help the family after Red suffered a heart attack and Kitty was depressed over her menopause.
* CatchPhrase:
** "Dumbass!"
** "I'll put my foot up your ass" and all variations of.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Two notable instances:
** While still calling his son a dumbass and threatening to insert his foot into anyone's ass, Red was less of a jerkass and more accepting of Eric in the first season. He even ''hugged'' him after spending an entire episode bonding. As the series goes on, Red becomes more accustomed to his jerkass personality trait and can't even bring himself to hug anyone.
** While Red would later be characterized as a Nixon supporter, even going as far as to believe that Nixon was set up for Watergate, in a Season 1 episode, he publicly condemned Ford to his face about pardoning Nixon.
* CloserToEarth: A rare GenderFlip in that Kitty is the one to usually have neurotic reactions while he's the one who keeps her grounded.
* TheComicallySerious: Red often inadvertently slips into this given his reluctance to avoid outward affection. Kitty will actually prey on this to snap him out of being so serious or simply just for her own amusement.
* CoolOldGuy: A badass veteran of two wars, unfailingly faithful to his wife, loves his family immensely and beneath that grim exterior: He's pretty funny too. He also takes in Hyde, even though Red's struggling financially, just so Hyde will avoid becoming another statistic.
* CrashIntoHello: How he met Kitty at a USO dance. Red had dropped his pants as part of a prank he played with a friend, while Kitty became [[HardDrinkingPartyGirl as "loose as a goose"]] and drunkenly tripped over Red. It was love at first sight.
* CrazyJealousGuy: When Red and Kitty were dating, he punched out another beachgoer who was giving Kitty the eye. He also yelled at Leo when the latter seemed to be hitting on Kitty.
** Red actually poked fun at himself for this particular aspect. When Bob told Red that he saw Hyde hitting on Kitty, Red's [[OutOfCharacterAlert immediate response was to make a death threat on Hyde]]. For context, Red was the one who referred Hyde to Kitty for dance lessons, so it was pretty obvious he knew Kitty was just teaching Hyde how to dance. His crazy response was just a hint to Bob to consider the more logical possibility that it was just a misunderstanding.
* DadTheVeteran: Veteran of two wars, and quite proud of it.
* DeadpanSnarker: A quality shared with his son. Especially around the other adults who annoy him. Amusingly he claims Eric's "smartmouth" comes from his mother Kitty, though the evidence might just be against him on that one.
* TheDreaded: The teenagers of Point Place generally feared Red to the extent of running away when he approached. He liked that, and wasn't thrilled when an upset Jackie hugged him. He makes a lot adults nervous too, as a labor board mediator told Red he scared the hell out of him, and Red wasn't at all offended. Even the ''police'' felt sorry for Eric when they learned he was Red's son.
* DrillSergeantNasty: More implied than anything else, but as he was a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Petty_Officer_(United_States) chief petty officer]] during his days in the Navy, he was probably this trope.
* DrugsAreGood: Despite his usual gruff demeanor, he once accidentally ate Hyde’s special brownies and got toasted- hilariously so. He is basically a different person while high, which only adds to the comedy.
-->'''Red''': [regarding his selling Eric’s car] “I sold it to a guy named Peter. Peter...cottontail. Hoppin’ down the bunny trail-“
* EmotionallyTongueTied: He struggles with expressing his positive emotions. Especially with Eric. An incident involving him being drugged by the dentist involved him telling a visibly stunned Eric that he loved him. In the awkward aftermath, Red states under rare circumstances men can say "that phrase" (ie. drunk, dying or to get out of trouble) and at all other times "[[PetTheDog It's just a given]]." Eric picks up on the obvious implication of that statement, much to Red's horror.
-->'''Red''': Other than that. It's just a given.\\
'''Eric''': Oh. Hey, you just kinda told me...\\
'''Red''': ''[[BlatantLies No I didn't]]''.
* EnragedByIdiocy: When he blows his top, he often has a good reason for doing so.
* {{Expy}}: Red is very similar to Archie Bunker of ''Series/AllInTheFamily'' in many ways; they're both irritable, conservative veterans and hardass fathers, although Red lacks the prejudices that were at the core of Archie's character and he is also notably more intelligent.
* TheFatalist: Red becomes more fatalistic over the series and becomes more predictive of the zany antics of those around him. Best exemplified in his [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKwsRF0Y-0g pessimistic advice to Eric]] while dealing with a menopause-ridden Kitty.
* ForYourOwnGood: His approach to raising Eric. It has little to no effect, as Eric simply tries to sneak around his father.
* GoodIsNotNice: His belief with parenting. Sometimes, it's fitting. Other times, not so much.
* GracefulLoser: He spends the latter part of Season 5 doing everything he can to break up Eric and Donna's engagement: fires Eric from his job, won't pay for college, and whatever else he can think of to make the boy's life difficult. Eric refuses to back down--even saying he and Donna will just move to Madison after graduation. Red thinks this over and completely relents, [[SoProudOfYou congratulating Eric for standing up to him]].
* GrumpyBear: Red is very cynical, stubborn and abrasive as an friend and a father but is a sensitive and sweet-natured towards his wife.
* HairTriggerTemper: It doesn't take much to get Red angry.
* HappilyMarried: Despite his comical sitcom grumblings about the hardship of marriage, he is very much this with Kitty. To the point where he is visibly disgusted with the idea of cheating on her, such as when he finds out his old war buddy had invited him to a swingers party, and that a young saleswoman at Price Mart had a crush on him. The thought of straying doesn't even enter his mind.
--> '''Red''' (Caught Eric fooling around with Donna in a hotel room): What the hell are you doing here?
--> '''Eric''': Wait, what are YOU doing here? Oh my god, who are you with?
--> '''Red''': Your mother, you dumbass!
* HeyYou: Red calling Eric and co "dumbasses".
* HiddenDepths: For all his conservative leanings, he seems to have no issue with homosexuality and gets along extremely well with a gay couple, at least until finding out they were fans of an opposing sports team.
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Especially when it comes to Laurie. Eventually, he does come round to seeing her for what she is and taking more pride in how well Eric turned out.
* InformedAttribute: Everyone treats him like a strict hardass, but he's really rather lenient, ''especially'' for the time the show is set. This is likely because from what little we hear, Red's own father was borderline abusive. Red does go too far sometimes but is generally [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure tough but fair]]. However part of this reputation seems to stem from his zero tolerance for stupidity and the frequency he seems to encounter idiotic behaviour. Anyone who has seen him vent his anger at a dumbass, which isn't rare, would probably believe that he's always a hardass. His abusive "kicking your ass" threats are almost always played for laughs and never materialized.
* IResembleThatRemark: When Red asks his son for an honest opinion about him, he not only offers no objection but is actually visably impressed by the accuracy of the answer.
--> '''Eric:''' "I think you're angry because life didn't turn out exactly the way you wanted it to. And, uh, maybe you think if you yell at me, I won't let life push me around too."
--> '''Red:''' "You came up with that answer awful fast. Hell Eric, maybe you'll be okay."
* IWasQuiteTheLooker: Like his wife, Red isn't ugly now (and in fact attracts a much younger woman at one point, much to his horror) but he was a real stud in his youth, as shown in flashbacks to his teenage years.
* JerkassHasAPoint: While sometimes he can go a bit too far with his hard-ass parenting antics, Eric and his friends really are as irresponsible and immature as he thinks they are. One particular point of note took more than an entire season to materialize - He obstructed Eric and Donna's engagement in the 2nd half of Season 5, sensibly pointing out they were too young to be thinking of marriage. While Red backed off by the end of Season 5, he was eventually vindicated by the next season's ending, when [[RunawayFiance Eric admitted he's not actually ready for marriage]].
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: The biggest and most prominent example in this show. He was turned into a stubborn, prideful and short-tempered hardass by both his upbringing by his even sterner father and his experience in the war, but underneath the harsh exterior is a good, honest, hardworking family man. And while the kids tend to view him as an antagonistic killjoy whom they try not to cross paths with, almost just as often he shows moments of kindness and generosity.
** Eric thinks he's TheUnfavorite son to Red, but Red's own perspective is quite different. As revealed in a conversation with Bud, Red thinks that teenagers are stupid, need a parent figure to push them in the right direction, and a tough approach works just fine. And Red expects more from Eric than he does from either Laurie or his foster son Hyde. In fact, in Red's own world view, Eric is arguably the true favourite.
** When Eric fell into a depression from the first breakup in his relationship with Donna, Red took Eric to a bar for a beer and empathized with his situation, which was one of the show's more heartwarming family moments.
** Or how about the fact that he took Hyde in as his foster son for several seasons after learning that Hyde's parents abandoned him, though not without cursing and grumbling at the increased expense.
** When Hyde was arrested and put on probation for drug possession, Red wanted to throw him out of the house. So when Red found out that Hyde was only taking the fall for Jackie, he still lost his temper and strongly berated Hyde for risking his own future over a misguided moment of chivalry... And then forgave him and allowed him to stay on.
** Red had been livid with Fez for [[CitizenshipMarriage marrying his daughter]], and when Immigration Services came in to check on Fez, Red was inclined to tell them the truth. At the last moment however, he relented, and the marriage was officially deemed as legitimate.
* JockDadNerdSon: Insofar as Red can be considered less of a jock and more of a man's man, he loves hunting, sports, and is generally masculine, whereas Eric is nerdy and laid-back.
* LethalChef: When he tries to cook, the results are not very good.
* LikeASonToMe: He treats Hyde much better than his actual son as the former is much more independant man.
* LikeFatherUnlikeSon: The masculine, traditional hardass Red is nothing like the nerdy and laid-back Eric.
* MeanBoss: To be fair, the people that work for him do tend to be really stupid. When he gets the manager's job at Price Mart, Hyde congratulates him by saying "God help the poor bastards who work for you!" Red only smiles and laughs, taking it as a compliment.
* MiseryBuildsCharacter: Red rides Eric pretty hard when he screws up or gets lazy. He sincerely believes that making him miserable now will make him a well-adjusted, happy adult. The results are mixed to say the least, as Eric gets increasingly frustrated and feels stifled by Red's strictness, and starts getting rebellious, but he did grow up with a strong moral center.
* NeverMyFault: Tends to blame Eric for things that are his own fault, or that both of them together are responsible, such as when they both forgot Kitty's birthday. He was especially low enough to blame Eric for [[spoiler: wrecking Bob's barbecue, not knowing that Bob was losing his store, when it was '''''all of Red's fault''''' as he started the barbecue war first due to jealousy and couldn't admit he was wrong... at least, [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold until he went over to repair the damage he'd done to Bob]] and helped him get Bob's barbecue back into full swing, as well as apologize for it]].
* NobleBigot: Parodied in one episode when he found out his two new male neighbors were actually a homosexual couple. While initially very uncomfortable with it, he seemed to be getting past it... until he found out they were ''VIKINGS FANS'' and threw them out on their ear.
* NotSoAboveItAll: For all his talk, Red is usually willing to be immature too. Examples include feeding the boys dead moths as revenge for a prank gone wrong, openly refusing to go to church, bluntly refusing to help people move, being unable to keep a straight face when talking about Eric killing Donna's cat, stealing Bob's annoying Christmas decorations, and buying a motorcycle with his first paycheck instead of investing it in the family.
* OnceAnEpisode: Red threatening to put his foot up someone's ass and/or calling someone a dumbass.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: His mother was the first person to call him Red and everyone else does so. A casual viewer could be forgiven for not even knowing what his full name is.
* OnlySaneMan: The sanest of the adults and the only one who's on the ball when it comes to the kids' antics.
* OpenMouthInsertFoot: Red sometimes has this problem with Kitty, especially after she hits menopause.
* OverprotectiveDad: The number one reason everyone told Kelso not to talk about dating Laurie. Red rather effortlessly scares him into line.
* PapaWolf: No one gives his son crap except him and this sentiment extends to Hyde as well, who becomes an adopted son.
* ParentsAsPeople: Red wants to help Eric become a good man but his bad temper, old-fashioned ideas of what constitutes manhood and the fact that he's had to make do without a positive male role model from his own life to emulate means he often comes up short. For all his flaws and often misplaced harshness, Red does care very much about Eric and is proud of the fact that his son is an intelligent, honest and good-natured young man.
* ParentalFavoritism: He favors Laurie over Eric, as he's oblivious to the fact that she's the town slut. Though this stops in season 5 when he finally realizes her true character. He also seems to favor Hyde, his pseudo-adopted son, over Eric. In Red's own perspective however, it is strongly hinted that Eric is his true favorite.
* ParentalSubstitute: For all Eric's friends but especially Hyde. He complains about this at one point when Jackie runs and hugs him at one point, and says he liked it better when everyone was afraid of him.
* RealMenEatMeat: In one episode Red's doctor tells him to watch his cholesterol. Kitty prepares him a healthy breakfast of fruits and vegetables, and Red is horrified at the prospect of not being able to eat meat.
-->'''Red''': This isn't food! This is what food eats!
* RealMenHateAffection: Is incredibly uncomfortable with showing affection in public, especially to Eric, making his few displays of affection particularly poignant.
* ARealManIsAKiller:
** Red enjoys killing things, ranging from the deer and fish he kills during his hunting and fishing trips to the squirrels that he shoots with a pellet gun. He occasionally goes on solo hunting and fishing trips when he's very angry and needs to cool down, and Eric noted that Red found gutting worms on a hook to be very therapeutic.
** That said, on a hunting trip, when Eric missed an easy shot on a deer, Red initially berated him for it, but relented when Eric made a much more difficult shot on a tin can. When Eric explains he had missed on purpose because he didn't want to kill the deer, rather than just being a lousy shot, Red can't help but respect Eric's conviction.
** Overall he seems to zig-zag whether he applies this to ''other'' people [[RuleOfFunny based on what would be funnier]].
-->'''Red''': I killed people, never said that I didn't enjoy it.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He really is underneath it all. It's especially notable because it was implied several times that Red's father was much ''worse.'' The only time he really overstepped into it was the appropriately titled "Red Sees Red."
** Red has also let Eric off easy when he did things that pissed Red off for reasons Red would approve of, like winning a prank war with Kelso or getting a date with a hot cheerleader.
** He was even this to ''Kelso'' when the latter started messing with his tools and video game system to try and make ''VideoGame/Pong'' more exciting. Red not only agreed with Kelso's thinking Pong was boring, they actually teamed up to improve the game and even faced off on it.
* RedHotMasculinity: Played with. Red is a gruff, no-nonsense who enjoys stereotypical masculine pastimes like sports, hunting, and fishing. While he doesn't exclusively wear the color red, his [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname nickname]] does invoke this trope.
* ResignedToTheCall: Red really didn't want to care about the problems caused by Donna and Casey's relationship. Despite pleas for his help, he refused on the grounds that Donna's not his kid and that he has enough on his plate with Eric and Hyde. However, after seeing how completely hapless Bob was at dealing with the situation, Red decided enough was enough and took charge.
* RetiredBadass: He's a veteran of UsefulNotes/WorldWar2 and Korea.
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Red and Kitty are the grown-up versions of this.
* ShipperOnDeck: Lowkey, but he does encourage Eric to be with Donna and enjoy the time together while they have it. Infact, it's him and Kitty calling Eric out for rejecting her when she was dumped by Casey that inspires Eric to take her back for real.
* SitcomArchNemesis: On many occasions he is this to Eric, in a very light and comedic variation of ArchnemesisDad. Most of the other kids also generally try to steer clear of him when planning their activities, viewing him as an antagonistic killjoy. Most notably, in the 2nd half of Season 5, he and even Kitty herself took a more proactive role in obstructing and derailing Eric and Donna's engagement plans, to the point that the previous SitcomArchNemesis Laurie offered her own advice to the two.
* SoProudOfYou: It becomes clear he is very proud of how Eric turned out after all. He even tells Eric this on a number of occasions, especially when he strikes out on his own. Though the most touching instance is when [[spoiler: Eric is leaving for Africa]].
* SurroundedByIdiots: For the most part he finds himself dealing with a dumbass on a fairly regular basis.
* TeamDad: Much to his chagrin, of course. He could've had a Corvette! And his house is filled with kids, it's like he and Kitty are... MORMONS!
* TinMan: Despite believing that he lacks feelings and encourages the idea of bottling them up, he's shown to a very sensitive to the point of breaking down into tears when he broke with a girl in his teenage years.
* WhereDidWeGoWrong: With Eric. Despite Red's best efforts, Eric simply has no interest or ability in the things Red considers important such as sports or mechanics. Although he is actually ''very'' proud of him, partly because he's been brave enough to go his own way.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Katherine "Kitty" Forman]]
[[quoteright:232:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/images235_1982.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:232:''"Oh, Red... you do care."'']]
->'''Played By''': {{Creator/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.
----
* AbusiveParents: Kitty's parents are quite a doozy...
-->'''Hyde''': What's wrong with Mrs. Forman's parents?\\
'''Kitty''': Nothing. They're just...they're very complicated people who can't be summed up in a couple of words.\\
'''Eric''': Grandma yells, Grandpa drinks.\\
'''Red''': That pretty much summed it up.\\
'''Kitty''': Now, that is not true. My father is a wonderful man who just...gets a little sleepy. And my mother, well...fine, is a little remote. Which I have learned through many helpful books makes it impossible for her to say "I love you." Even if it's the only thing in the world a sad little girl needs to hear.
* BerserkButton: Don't call her "old" or say anything to imply that she's old. On the other hand, when Kelso and Fes groped her at the supermarket without realizing it was her, she was very happy and thanked them for making her day.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Red is usually on the receiving end of this.
* BorrowedCatchphrase: When she was really angry at Red, she's threatened to put her foot in his ass or called him a dumbass.
* ClusterFBomb: Unleashes a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE2l_ZVNCvI magnificent]] one on Red when Eric appears to be moving out culminating in her calling him a [[BorrowedCatchphrase dumbass]].
* CockFight: {{Discussed|Trope}}. Kitty reacts with disapproval when Red admits Eric is off to fight another man interested in Donna, stating men are such "Neanderthals" fighting over a woman. Though her point is [[NotSoAboveItAll quickly lost]] when she recounts an instance when Red fought a lifeguard a little too fondly.
-->'''Kitty''': It's like that time at that beach when that lifeguard pinched my fanny. You just had to lay him out, didn't ya?\\
'''Red''': Well... ''[[FlatYes yeah]]''.\\
'''Kitty''': Well how do you think I felt, Red? Watching you stand over that poor man, your eyes burning with intensity, your [[FemaleGaze sun-tanned muscles gleaming]] like [[EatingTheEyeCandy a bronze god]].\\
''(Both slowly look at each other, then quickly rush upstairs.)''
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Dirty jokes and humor seem to go over her head quite often.
-->'''Bob''': I think I got Red's note. The only words I can repeat are "Eric" and a word that starts with "mother..."\\
'''Kitty''': "Mother"? That's nice!
* CovertPervert: Her and Red's sex life is much more active than it first seems, most of which is enforced by her.
* CrashIntoHello: How she met Red at a USO dance. Red had dropped his pants as part of a prank he played with a friend, while Kitty became [[HardDrinkingPartyGirl as "loose as a goose"]] and drunkenly tripped over Red. It was love at first sight.
* DeadpanSnarker: Just as much as her husband and son, though not as obvious. Red comments that Eric gets his smart-mouth from her.
* DisproportionateRetribution: After hitting menopause in season 5 until the end of the series, she becomes much more stubborn towards everyone. Most notably in season 8, she becomes angry with Donna after she caught her making out with Randy in Eric's bedroom. It's later revealed that Kitty was really angry with Eric while he was in Africa and was venting all her anger at Donna.
* GenkiGirl: She seems to hate acting her age. She's even more energetic and a bit more crazy than the kids.
* GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex: Despite hitting middle age, she and Red are still very attracted to eachother, and have an active sex life, much to Eric's horror when he once walked in on them.
* HappilyMarried: To Red. Their relationship is the clearest evidence that beneath Red's exterior is a loving husband and father. Though she does have to work at bringing out his softer side, she's one of the few people who actually can do so with minimum effort.
* HardDrinkingPartyGirl: She was this in her youth. At a USO dance, she got "as loose as a goose" and ended up [[CrashIntoHello drunkenly tripping and crashing into Red, who'd dropped his pants as part of a prank.]] It was love at first sight.
* HiddenDepths:
** She doesn't buy Laurie's good girl act for a second and unlike Red seems to have been wise to her antics for many years. She calls Laurie out on this on more than one occasion.
** Seems to be more aware of the kids' drug use than Red. When Eric confesses to using marijuana, she's more worried about him admitting this to Red than the fact he uses it. In a later episode, she even tries it herself.
** After a ''really'' bad day trying to quit smoking with Red's mother hanging around, she walked into the basement asking for a cigarette from the gang. When Eric played dumb she stated that as a nurse she knew statistically that at ''least'' one of them smoked and they'd best hand one over when she closed her eyes.
* HypercompetentSidekick: As a nurse, she has saved the life of at least one patient - from a doctor who wished to prescribe penicillin to someone allergic to it.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** A sympathetic example; she detests the idea of Eric smoking cigarettes even though she smokes herself (and admits that as a nurse she knows all about the adverse effects of it). Rather than laying into her, Eric accepts his Mom just has trouble quitting the habit, as seen when he's sympathetic to her failed attempts to give it up.
** Despite giving Hyde a party for his 18th birthday and being ''very'' upset when Red and Eric forget her own birthday, she didn't even bother doing anything for Eric (a.k.a. her favorite child) turning 18. She cared more about resuming her sex life with Red. Although it's probably {{justified}} since Eric hates when his mom does stuff for his birthday. [[note]] Kitty got Eric a ''very'' tiny horse to sit on when he turned 16.[[/note]]
* IWasQuiteTheLooker: While by no means ugly (she's even refered to as a hot mom by Fez and Kelso, especially after Midge left), she's no longer in her prime, being middle aged and menopausal with two children. In her youth, she was homecoming queen and considered one of the prettiest girls in town.
* LadyDrunk: Kitty is revealed to have a somewhat dependent relationship with alcohol, mostly after she hits menopause.
* MoralityPet: She's this to Red and Hyde, bringing out the best in them much to their frustration.
* MyBelovedSmother: Certainly has her moments to Eric and sometimes Hyde. And also to Fez.
* NiceGirl: She is the nicest person on the show despite some justified slips in the latter season for being unappreciated or succumbing to menopause moods.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: She's known as "Kitty".
* ParentsAsPeople: She loves her kids and tries to be a good parent, but she is deeply traumatized by a rough childhood and her job as a nurse, and often drinks to cope. As a result of this, she sometimes ends up neglecting (Laurie) or smothering her children (Eric) and her surrogate children and being a little too controlling.
* ParentalFavoritism: For Eric since, unlike Red, she has no illusions about Laurie.
* ParentalSubstitute: Kitty mothers the teenagers as if they were her own children, and tries to help them with their problems, even going so far as to adopt Hyde after his mother abandons him. Red also ends up getting involved on more than one occasion, much to his displeasure.
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Kitty and Red are the grown-up versions of this.
* ShipperOnDeck: She encourages Eric and Donna to be together during the early stages of their relationship. This takes a hit when she learns Eric and Donna have had sex, but comes back in full force at the end of Season 4 when Eric rejects Donna and convinces him to get back together with Donna.
* StepfordSmiler: Very, very heavily implied to be one. When she takes Eric to the hospital for career day, he sees her handle corpses, talk to dying people, and treat the already dead like numbers. When he asks her how she copes with it all, combined with the added stress of [[DysfunctionJunction her family]], she turns the radio up to maximum volume and starts singing over him.
* SupremeChef: Several characters note that she's a good cook. This apparently has her showing emotions through cooking, such as when her hated mother-in-law died, and Kitty, full of grief and having no idea how to express it, spent days cooking instead.
* TeamMom: She mothers everyone in the gang, to Red's constant irritation.
* TookALevelInJerkass: When she hits menopause in Season 5 onward, Kitty becomes a lot more of a neurotic, dramatic and erratic ControlFreak. Remember when Kitty was just a regular housewife and occasional StraightMan to the others, instead of an alcoholic nag who was obsessed with her son to a creepy degree?
* WhereDidWeGoWrong: With Laurie.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Bob Pinciotti]]
[[quoteright:183:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/images34_3707.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:183:''"Sparkler dogs! God bless America!"'']]
->'''Played By''': {{Creator/Don Stark}}

Donna's father. Works at an electronics store.
----
* AbusiveParents: Though he never was outwardly malicious to Donna and in fact loves her deeply, his tendency to experiment with drugs and throw nudist parties at their house often frustrated Donna, much to Bob's ignorance or apathy towards how it made his daughter feel. Not to mention he decided to date Jackie's mother, despite how unpleasant it was for his daughter and Jackie who were close friends.
* BerserkButton: When he finds out Donna and Eric have had sex.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: Despite his bumbling and odd antics, he has even shown Red that he can be pretty intimidating, notably after he finds out that Donna has been taking birth control pills.
* BumblingDad: Bob tries his best, but is simply unsuited for the role of fatherhood, possibly as a result of having Donna so early in life.
* ButtMonkey: Oh, Bob. First, he ends up going out of business due to Price Mart coming in. Then his wife leaves him and his daughter to go to California which puts him in a deep depression. And then another girlfriend he really got along well with leaves him so upset that he wouldn't even leave his bed.
* CatchPhrase:
** His usual greeting: "Hey, there! Hi, there! Ho, there!"
** When something goes bad: "Aw/oh, geez..."
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Bob has a strange obsession with the banjo. He once advised Eric to deal with a rival for Donna's affections by hitting him with a banjo, and also advised Red to get Kitty a banjo to cheer her up when she was upset about her menopause.
-->'''Red''':...A banjo, Bob?
-->'''Bob''': I can't hold a banjo and not smile.
-->'''Red''': You can't hold a ''potato chip'' and not smile.
* TheDogBitesBack: When it came to dating Pam, Donna and Jackie were very much against this. Bob, however, finally stands up for himself and says that he doesn't need his daughter telling him how he should be happy. Also in the final episodes, Bob has had enough of Red's insults and curses him out. Though, he quickly apologizes for it.
* ExtremeDoormat: Especially after his wife leaves. Even to his own daughter.
* HiddenDepths: 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, [[SillySimian which was for his own amusement]].)
* HonestJohnsDealership: It is eventually driven out of business by Price Mart, leaving Bob destitute until he invents a car accessory that brings him plenty of patent royalties.
* JerkassToOne: As the show goes on, he becomes increasingly hostile to Eric and constantly badmouths him to the Formans whenever he gets into trouble.
* MinnesotaNice: Has the thickest midwestern accent of the main cast, and is the most consistently nice adult on the show.
* KavorkaMan: Though visibly muscular, Bob has a real bulldog face, a hilariously ridiculous white guy afro, and insists on rather clashing clothing, even for the 70s. He still manages to hook up with hotties like Midge and Jackie's mom.
* NiceGuy: 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. As old-fashioned as Bob can be, he has put his family ahead of himself so many times that a lot of the bad things that happen to him feel almost undeserved.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: On rare occasions, he will put his foot down and assert his authority. Sending Donna to Catholic school for running away and rebuking attempts to break up him and Pam are two such examples.
* OverprotectiveDad: Can be like this at times with Donna as it relates to Eric. He actually thought their relationship was adorable at the start of the show, but reacted ''very'' badly when they started having sex.
* UglyGuyHotWife: With Midge. He later dates Pam, Jackie's mom (played by Brooke Shields).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Midge Pinciotti]]
[[quoteright:177:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/images258_559.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/TanyaRoberts

Donna's mother. Is amazingly hot.
----
* AbusiveParents: To Donna. She had no problem up and leaving Donna without a warning to her family of where she would go because she often felt unhappy and stole Bob's car. She also had no problem doing sexual acts with Bob around Donna much to her disgust and often belittled Donna's more feminist beliefs while using them as an excuse to be neglectful. This appears to be out of ignorance and honest stupidity, as it's made clear on several occassions she does care about her daughter.
* BrainlessBeauty: She is seen as the sexy neighborhood mom, but she's also dimwitted.
* BuxomIsBetter: So much that once she leaves the show the boys imagine a montage for her "sweet uptown rack".
%%* TheDitz
* DumbBlonde: At one point, she locks herself in a bathroom. Two separate characters tell her the lock is on the doorknob. The first time, she responds that she's staying locked in on purpose, but "I see it now, thanks."
* {{Main/Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler:Bob and Midge were shown experiencing (rather hilarious) marriage difficulties in multiple episodes before their divorce in season 4. In fact, her very last line before leaving was "I'm unhappy, Bob."]]
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:She leaves Bob in season 4 and moves to California. A distraught Donna runs off there as well at the end of the season (with Kelso in tow), returning at the beginning of season 5. She leaves again in season 7.]]
* StacysMom: The boys have fantasized and made lewd comments about her, and even spied on her. Fez and Kelso fell prostrate and worshipped Eric when they mistakenly believed he'd shagged her. The fanboys also love her because of her looks.
* StrawFeminist: PlayedForLaughs, Midge has no actual understanding of feminism and was just swept up in the early feminism fad of the 70s.
* SweaterGirl: When Midge left Bob, [[BuxomIsBetter the boys lament over losing "her sweet uptown rack"]].
-->'''Fez''': Oh, good God, man, what a marvelous set of kittens. Remember that sweater?\\
'''Kelso''': Oh. Remember the other sweater?\\
'''Eric''': Yeah. Remember that time she ran up to us in a sweater?\\
'''Hyde''': Remember the week she took up jump rope? In a sweater?
* UglyGuyHotWife: Until she [[spoiler: leaves Bob]].
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Her abrupt departure in Season 4 causes Donna a world of emotional turmoil that culminates in dating Casey Kelso. Eric reasons that it's why Donna couldn't see what others could.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:William Barnett]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/TimReid

A self-made African-American businessman and Hyde's biological father.
----
* BadBoss: PlayedForLaughs, but he dumps most of his sales work on Dennis, a depressed guy who works for his company. He's also happy for Hyde to get away with slacking off on the job.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He accepts Hyde as his son after a few early bumps, tolerates Jackie's antics and is generally affable. On the other hand, he can be noticeably bigoted and arrogant.
* LikeFatherLikeSon: Hairstyle aside, Hyde immediately comes to like William as they share a dislike for cops and love for conspiracy theorist. They also both love weed.
* SelfMadeMan: A rich record store owner who started from virtually nothing.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Edna Hyde]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/KateySagal

The cafeteria lunch lady of Point Place High School, and Hyde's mother. She runs off with a trucker in season 1, abandoning her son.
----
* AbusiveParents: She's emotionally abusive to Hyde, with 90% of her dialogue towards him filled with contempt and blaming him for ruining her chances at being successful. Then she abandons him twice.
* EmbarrassingNickname: According to Jackie, her nickname at school is "Gross Edna".
* ImpossiblyTackyClothes: In Jackie's opinion anyway, to the point that she'd rather wear only a towel than put on any of Edna's clothes after the nude swimming snafu in "Hyde Moves In". Judging by the godawful neglige Donna wears, she has a point.
* LethalChef: She doesn't exactly take pride in her job.
* ParentalAbandonment: Coldly abandons her son and leaves town during the first season. Then she returns offscreen and abandons him a second time.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: Only appears in person once in "Career Day", and is otherwise only mentioned by the other characters, but her shitty parenting is the catalyst for Hyde's CharacterDevelopment.
* YankTheDogsChain: Is mentioned to have returned to the town later in the series and reunited with Bud, Hyde's presumed father, only for ''both'' of them to abandon Hyde again, disappearing for good.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Bud Hyde]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/RobertHays

The man who Hyde thought was his father for most of his life.
----
* TheAlcoholic: Was a notorious town drunk before he got clean, not that he really became a better person for it.
* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: While Edna knew Bud wasn't Hyde's real father, since William Barnett's name is on Hyde's birth certificate, it's unknown if Bud knew or even suspected.
* ParentalAbandonment: Abandoned Hyde for years and didn't return until Edna had also left him and he had been taken in by the Foremans. He and Edna eventually abandon Hyde ''again'' and run off together.
* YankTheDogsChain: For all his talk of reconnecting with his son and mending fences, he soon reverts to form and leaves again.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pamela Burkhart]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/BrookeShields

Jackie's mother, a partying gold digger who spends most of the series travelling abroad and doesn't even bother coming home when her husband is imprisoned and leaves her daughter alone. She appears unexpectedly in season 6, and begins dating Bob, much to the horror of Jackie and Donna.
----
* ActingYourIntellectualAge: Despite being middle-aged, she still acts like a teenager. Hell, her ''daughter'' is more mature than her by the time she reappears.
* LadyDrunk: Despite her drinking habits, she's still refined and beautiful.
* ParentalAbandonment: Couldn't be bothered to break off her Mexico tequila festival visit to come home and, you know, make sure her daughter is okay.
* UglyGuyHotWife: Begins dating Bob, and even moves in with him.
* UnseenNoMore: Is mentioned several times but never actually appears until season 6.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Leo Chingkwake]]
->'''Played By''': {{Creator/Tommy Chong}}

A hippie that maintains a very easy-going attitude with everything he does. Also the owner of a local photography store where Hyde works in once in a while.
----
* AscendedExtra: Was originally just Hyde's goofy boss at the Photo Hut.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Justified by the fact that he smokes weed and very likely other harder drugs that couldn't be shown on network TV.
* CoolOldGuy: Significantly, the only adult universally allowed into the basement circle.
* TheDitz: See {{Cloudcuckoolander}} above.
* {{Expy}}: Of Chong's main character from Creator/CheechAndChong.
* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: In his first appearance, he mentions having a big brother that's always hitting him up for money. Hyde is surprised that Leo is the responsible brother.
-->'''Leo:''' It's a curse, man.
* HiddenDepths: He was revealed to be a WWII vet and has rescued his platoon. This gives Red a newfound respect for Leo.
%%* KavorkaMan
* MysteriousPast: "There are a lot of things about me you don't know about. For instance... I'm a veteran."
* ParentalSubstitute: To Hyde, the son he never had.
* PointyHairedBoss: He once threatened to fire Hyde if he helped a customer.
* PutOnABus: 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. TheBusCameBack towards the end of Season 7, though, mainly to fulfill the "idiot" role originally held by Kelso before Ashton Kutcher's departure.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: His departure from the show only happened because Chong, being in prison, was no longer available to play the role.
* ShellShockedVeteran: It's implied that one reason Leo does so many drugs is to cope with the mental trauma of his military service. When Red tells Leo the story of the shrapnel scars he suffered in World War II, Leo replies by telling Red about his mental scars.
* StonersAreFunny: 90% of his scenes are about how he's every stereotype about stoners PlayedForLaughs.
* VerbalTic: He ends most of his sentences with the word "man", man.
* WhatTheHellHero: He rips the group minus Eric a new one for tying up Pastor Dave in Christmas Lights in the church.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Bernice "Grandma" Forman]]
->'''Played By''':Creator/MarionRoss

Red's mother, a former dancer and currently a nagging, spiteful shrew of a woman who shows open contempt for her daughter-in-law. Dies of old age in season 1, but returns in a few flashbacks later in the series.
----
* DotingParent: For all her flaws, she was a deeply loving and affectionate mother to Red, especially considering [[AbusiveParents how horrible Red's dad was]].
* ObnoxiousInLaws: You'd think Kitty was guilty of killing Red rather than marrying him, considering how poorly Bernice treats her. According to Kitty, it's because Red was originally dating a girl Bernice approved of, and never forgave Kitty when Red fell in love with her instead.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Milks this trope for all it's worth.
* PetTheDog: Genuinely does love Red and her grandkids, and Red talks fondly about how she used to make a special blueberry pie for him as a child.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Bea & Burt Sigurdson]]
-->'''Played By''': Creator/BettyWhite & Creator/TomPoston

Kitty's mother and father.
----
* AbusiveParents: Kitty's parents are quite a doozy...
-->'''Hyde''': What's wrong with Mrs. Forman's parents?\\
'''Kitty''': Nothing. They're just...they're very complicated people who can't be summed up in a couple of words.\\
'''Eric''': Grandma yells, Grandpa drinks.\\
'''Red''': That pretty much summed it up.\\
'''Kitty''': Now, that is not true. My father is a wonderful man who just...gets a little sleepy. And my mother, well...fine, is a little remote. Which I have learned through many helpful books makes it impossible for her to say "I love you." Even if it's the only thing in the world a sad little girl needs to hear.
* TheAlcoholic: Burt spends the majority of his scenes drinking alcohol,
* AwfulWeddedLife: Bea screams at Burt regularly and Burt drinks to cope or fakes being asleep. Right before he dies, Burt fakes going out for a smoke just for a break from Bea.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Bea pretends to be a sweet woman, but in reality she's an extremely rude person to everyone.
* ObnoxiousInLaws: They are horrible guests and Red despises when they come to visit.
* StepfordSmiler: After Burt dies, Bea pretends that she's ok and handling things, but when she's alone and Kitty walks in on her, she is clearly distraught.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: After Burt dies, Bea hangs around for an episode and then disappears for the rest of the series with no explaination.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Roy Keene]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/JimGaffigan

A manager at a hotel where Hyde, Kelso, and Eric work for a time during seasons five and six. He appeared on the show while Tommy Chong was in prison.
----
* TheEeyore: He's got really low self esteem and is extremely depressed.
* ParentalSubstitute: Met Hyde through the Big Brother program after Bud abandoned him.
* RecklessGunUsage: He was once a police cadet, but he got kicked out of the academy after shooting a police horse.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Although not a stoner like Chong's character, he's still very laid back.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Casey Kelso]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/LukeWilson

Michael Kelso's other brother and Donna's love interest in Season 4.
----
* BigBrotherBully: He regularly bullies Michael and makes his life hell by locking him in closets and beating him up.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: He pretends to be a charming nice guy and fools Donna and Kitty, but in reality he's a manipulative sleeze.
* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: At his core he's a bully who uses people and then tosses them aside.
* KarmaHoudini: He faces no real comeuppance for bullying Michael, treating Donna like crap and encouraging her to skip school and day drink. The worst he gets is Eric calling Casey Smellso.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: The second that he faces some resistance to dating Donna, he immediately dumps her and leaves.
* ToxicFriendInfluence: He brings out the worst in Donna and encourages a lot of bad habits like skipping school and day drinking.

[[/folder]]

The character sheet for ''Series/That70sShow''.

* SiblingRivalry: She initially had one with Hyde.

[[folder:Leo Chingkwake]]
->'''Played By''': {{Creator/Tommy Chong}}

A hippie that maintains a very easy-going attitude with everything he does. Also the owner of a local photography store where Hyde works in once in a while.

* AscendedExtra: Was originally just Hyde's goofy boss at the Photo Hut.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Justified by the fact that he smokes weed and very likely other harder drugs that couldn't be shown on network TV.
* CoolOldGuy: Significantly, the only adult universally allowed into the basement circle.
* TheDitz: See {{Cloudcuckoolander}} above.
* {{Expy}}: Of Chong's main character from Creator/CheechAndChong.
* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: In his first appearance, he mentions having a big brother that's always hitting him up for money. Hyde is surprised that Leo is the responsible brother.
-->'''Leo:''' It's a curse, man.
* HiddenDepths: He was revealed to be a WWII vet and has rescued his platoon. This gives Red a newfound respect for Leo.
%%* KavorkaMan
* MysteriousPast: "There are a lot of things about me you don't know about. For instance... I'm a veteran."
* ParentalSubstitute: To Hyde, the son he never had.
* PointyHairedBoss: He once threatened to fire Hyde if he helped a customer.
* PutOnABus: 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. TheBusCameBack towards the end of Season 7, though, mainly to fulfill the "idiot" role originally held by Kelso before Ashton Kutcher's departure.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: His departure from the show only happened because Chong, being in prison, was no longer available to play the role.
* ShellShockedVeteran: It's implied that one reason Leo does so many drugs is to cope with the mental trauma of his military service. When Red tells Leo the story of the shrapnel scars he suffered in World War II, Leo replies by telling Red about his mental scars.
* StonersAreFunny: 90% of his scenes are about how he's every stereotype about stoners PlayedForLaughs.
* VerbalTic: He ends most of his sentences with the word "man", man.
* WhatTheHellHero: He rips the group minus Eric a new one for tying up Pastor Dave in Christmas Lights in the church.

[[folder:Roy Keene]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/JimGaffigan

A manager at a hotel where Hyde, Kelso, and Eric work for a time during seasons five and six. He appeared on the show while Tommy Chong was in prison.

* ParentalSubstitute: Met Hyde through the Big Brother program after Bud abandoned him.
* RecklessGunUsage: He was once a police cadet, but he got kicked out of the academy after shooting a police horse.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Although not a stoner like Chong's character, he's still very laid back.

[[folder:Pamela Burkhart]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/BrookeShields

Jackie's mother, a partying gold digger who spends most of the series travelling abroad and doesn't even bother coming home when her husband is imprisoned and leaves her daughter alone. She appears unexpectedly in season 6, and begins dating Bob, much to the horror of Jackie and Donna.

* ActingYourIntellectualAge: Despite being middle-aged, she still acts like a teenager. Hell, her ''daughter'' is more mature than her by the time she reappears.
* LadyDrunk: Despite her drinking habits, she's still refined and beautiful.
* ParentalAbandonment: Couldn't be bothered to break off her Mexico tequila festival visit to come home and, you know, make sure her daughter is okay.
* UglyGuyHotWife: Begins dating Bob, and even moves in with him.
* UnseenNoMore: Is mentioned several times but never actually appears until season 6.

[[folder:William Barnett]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/TimReid

A self-made African-American businessman and Hyde's biological father.

* JerkWithAHeartofGold: He accepts Hyde as his son after a few early bumps and is generally affable. On the other hand, he can be noticeably bigoted and arrogant.
* LikeFatherLikeSon: Hairstyle aside, Hyde immediately comes to like William as they share a dislike for cops and love for conspiracy theorist. They also both love weed.
* SelfMadeMan: A rich record store owner who started from virtually nothing.

[[folder: Edna Hyde]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/KateySagal

The cafeteria lunch lady of Point Place High School, and Hyde's mother. She runs off with a trucker in season 1, abandoning her son.

* AbusiveParents: She's emotionally abusive to Hyde, with 90% of her dialogue towards him filled with contempt and blaming him for ruining her chances at being successful. Then she abandons him twice.
* EmbarrassingNickname: According to Jackie, her nickname at school is "Gross Edna".
* ImpossiblyTackyClothes: In Jackie's opinion anyway, to the point that she'd rather wear only a towel than put on any of Edna's clothes after the nude swimming snafu in "Hyde Moves In". Judging by the godawful neglige Donna wears, she has a point.
* LethalChef: She doesn't exactly take pride in her job.
* ParentalAbandonment: Coldly abandons her son and leaves town during the first season. Then she returns offscreen and abandons him a second time.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: Only appears in person once in "Career Day", and is otherwise only mentioned by the other characters, but her shitty parenting is pretty much the catalyst for Hyde's CharacterDevelopment.
* YankTheDogsChain: Is mentioned to have returned to the town later in the series and reunited with Bud, Hyde's presumed father, only for ''both'' of them to abandon Hyde again, disappearing for good.

[[folder: Bud Hyde]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/RobertHays

The man who Hyde thought was his father for most of his life.

* TheAlcoholic: Was a notorious town drunk before he got clean, not that he really became a better person for it.
* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: While Edna knew Bud wasn't Hyde's real father, since William Barnett's name is on Hyde's birth certificate, it's unknown if Bud knew or even suspected.
* ParentalAbandonment: Abandoned Hyde for years and didn't return until Edna had also left him and he had been taken in by the Foremans. He and Edna eventually abandon Hyde ''again'' and run off together.
* YankTheDogsChain: For all his talk of reconnecting with his son and mending fences, he soon reverts to form and leaves again.

--> '''Eric''': Wait, what are you doing here? Oh my god, who are YOU with?

--> '''Eric''' (Fooling around with Donna in a hotel room, whereupon Red found out): Wait, who are YOU with?
--> '''Red''': Your mother, dumbass!

* PutOnABus: After she and Fez break up for good, she never appears again and Fez never goes back to work at the [=DMV=].

[[/folder:]]

[[spoiler: Bea & Burt Sigurdson]]

* ParentalSubstitute: Met Hyde through the Big Brother program.

* LikeFatherLikeSon: Hairstyle aside, Hyde immediately comes to like William as they share a dislike for cops and love for conspiracy theorist.

[[folder: Bud Hyde]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/RobertHays

The man who Hyde thought was his father for most of his life.

* TheAlcoholic: Was a notorious town drunk before he got clean, not that he really became a better person for it.
* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: While Edna knew Bud wasn't Hyde's real father, since William Barnett's name is on Hyde's birth certificate, it's unknown if Bud knew or even suspected.
* ParentalAbandonment: Abandoned Hyde for years and didn't return until Edna had also left him and he had been taken in by the Foremans. He and Edna eventually abandon Hyde ''again'' and run off together.
* YankTheDogsChain: For all his talk of reconnecting with his son and mending fences, he soon reverts to form and leaves again.

[[folder: Casey Kelso]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/LukeWilson

Michael Kelso's other brother and Donna's love interest in Season 4.

* JerkassHasAPoint: While sometimes he can go a bit too far with his hard-ass parenting antics, Eric and his friends really are as irresponsible and immature as he thinks they are. One particular point of note took more than an entire season to materialize - He obstructed Eric and Donna's engagement in the 2nd half of Season 5, sensibly pointing out they are too young to be thinking of marriage. While Red backed off, his earlier concerns were eventually vindicated in the Season 6 ending, when both Eric and Donna agreed they are not ready for marriage.

* JerkassHasAPoint: While sometimes he can go a bit too far with his hard-ass parenting antics, Eric and his friends really are as irresponsible and immature as he thinks they are.

* SitcomArchNemesis: To Eric, in a very light and comedic variation of ArchnemesisDad. Most of the other kids also generally try to steer clear of him when planning their activities, viewing him as an antagonistic killjoy. Most notably, in the 2nd half of Season 5, he and even Kitty herself took a more proactive role in obstructing and derailing Eric and Donna's engagement plans, to the point that the previous SitcomArchNemesis Laurie offered her own advice to the two.

* SitcomArchNemesis: To the entire group barring Kelso.

* CanNotSpitItOut: He really, realy hates expressing his feelings, especially to other men. He usually only openly praises Eric or tells him he loves him when he's drunk or high on novocaine. When he's not, Red only says things in a really roundabout way, such as ordering Eric to go out and mow the lawn before adding that "the...lawn" thanks him for staying home to help the family after Red suffered a heart attack and Kitty was depressed over her menopause.

* InformedAttribute: Everyone treats him like a strict hardass, but he's really rather lenient, ''especially'' for the time the show is set. This is likely because from what little we hear, Red's own father was borderline abusive. Red does go too far sometimes but is generally [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure tough but fair]]. However part of this reputation seems to stem from his zero tolerance for stupidity and the frequency he seems to encounter idiotic behaviour. Anyone who has seen him vent his anger at a dumbass, which isn't rare, would probably believe that he's always a hardass.

* KarmicButtMonkey: Probably the biggest and most satisfying one in the show. Courtesy of Hyde mostly and occasionally from his other friends too. Hyde frequently attacks him (The recurring gags of either "ow my eye" or punching his arm) and deliberately gets him into trouble quite a few times. Almost all his comical mishaps are well-deserved be it either his own idiocy or his own irresponsibility.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: The writers for the show initially had plans for a Hyde-Donna-Eric love triangle, and that dynamic was very clearly present in Season 1. However, plans changed to have Hyde's character revolve around his familial bonds, and hence in future seasons he didn't treat her any different that he did with the guys.

* EveryoneHasStandards: During the period Kelso was cheating on Jackie with Laurie, Hyde repeatedly needled him and set up traps to expose or embarrass him. That amused him, but he absolutely refused to tell Jackie himself, as he sincerely believes friends shouldn't rat on each other. For this particular example, Hyde also chides Donna for giving Eric a hard time for not telling her about any of this and says the guy deserves a break in return for all the things he does for her.

* RealMenHateAffection: He denies even having feelings.

* VitriolicBestBuds: With everyone.

* CharacterDevelopment: Matures signifigantly during the final two seasons, though he never becomes unrecognizable. Becoming a father motivates him to get his life together and become a (somewhat) functional adult.

* NiceGuy: While he's easily the biggest overzealous pervert of the group, he's still manages to be a genuinely friendly, sensitive and sweet-natured gentleman, possibly even more so than Eric himself. In one episode, when he notices how hostile Caroline was being towards his friends, he confronts her and then breaks up with her.
* NoNameGiven: Fez is short for "foreign exchange student".

* StalkerWithACrush: At some point, he tells Jackie, "You're a super cute high school girl that I've been spying on through a window for three and a half years".

* ParentalAbandonment: Coldly abandons her son and leaves town during the first season.