Since its debut in 1998, That 70s Show has become an iconic television series. The show is set in the 1970s and follows the lives of six teenagers living in Point Place, Wisconsin. Fans of the show have come to love Eric Forman, Donna Pinciotti, Steven Hyde, and the rest of their friends over the years. One character that fans are curious about is Steven Hyde, who has been a part of That 70s Show since day one.
Why is Hyde not in That 90’s Show?
Danny Masterson will not return to his role as Steven Hyde on the new Netflix series after he was charged in 2020 with the sexual assaults of three women that occurred between 2001 and 2003.
The actor was tried on all three charges in 2022 after entering a not-guilty plea in 2021. According to Deadline and the Associated Press, the rape trial against Masterson was declared a mistrial in December 2022 after the jury stated they could not reach a judgment on any of the three criminal accusations.
The new series, announced in October 2021, is set in the summer of 1995, exactly twenty years after the previous series ended.
Topher Grace (as Eric Forman), Mila Kunis (as Jackie Burkhart), Ashton Kutcher (as Michael Kelso), Laura Prepon (as Donna Pinciotti), and Wilmer Valderrama (as Fez) all make cameo appearances on the sitcom, which focuses in the children of the original characters.
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Is Danny Masterson’s Absence Addressed In Any Way On That ’90s Show?
Masterson‘s character Steven Hyde was integral to That ’70s Show, but his departure isn’t mentioned in the reboot. Indeed, Hyde is never mentioned in the show. The show doesn’t address his disappearance but does fill in the rest of the characters’ lives since the end of That ’70s Show.
Eric Formam and Donna Pinciotti started the series by moving back into the house in Point Place, Wisconsin, where Eric had spent his childhood. They brought their only child, Leia (Callie Haverda), to see Eric’s parents for the Fourth of July weekend, but Leia ended up talking her parents into letting her remain for the whole summer.
At the end of the first season premiere, we meet Michael Kelso and Jackie Burkhart. We learn that Kelso married his on-again, off-again high school girlfriend Jackie and that their son Jay (Mace Coronel) is Leia’s new friend. They returned to pick up their son at the Forman house and said they were getting “remarried.”
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Has There Been a Netflix Statement Regarding Danny Masterson’s Absence from That ’90s Show?
Netflix has also declined to comment on Masterson’s departure from the series. However, in 2017, they issued a statement explaining why he was let go from The Ranch.
“After discussing with the producers, we’ve decided to write Danny Masterson off of The Ranch. Yesterday was his last day of work, and we’ll make new episodes in 2018 without him,” the streamer wrote on Twitter.
After his dismissal was made public, Masterson released a statement expressing his “very disappointed in Netflix’s choice to write [his] character off of The Ranch.”
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Masterson said in a statement via his rep obtained by PEOPLE,
“From day one, I have denied the outrageous allegations against me. Law enforcement investigated these claims more than 15 years ago and determined them to be without merit.”
He continued,
“I have never been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one. In this country, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. However, in the current climate, you are presumed guilty the moment you are accused. I understand and look forward to clearing my name once and for all. In the meantime, I want to express my gratitude to the cast and crew with whom I’ve worked so closely over the past three seasons. I wish them nothing but success. I am also so thankful to the fans that have supported me and continue to do so.”