The wonderful thing about television and the shows that appear on it is that once in a while, you’ll find a show that you can relate to.
Occasionally, it’ll be just one character, one scene, one episode, or the entire show itself, and you can take joy in knowing you saw yourself on television, in a way.
For me, I’ve always found relatability in “That 70’s Show,” which was broadcast from 1998-2006.
While I was too young to watch it in its prime, with the show having been on other networks in the years since, as well as Netflix, it’s given me the opportunity to watch a show that I find quirky, funny and nostalgic.
I wasn’t alive during the 1970s, but I still see my old friends, as well as myself, in the main characters, Eric, Donna, Hyde, Jackie, Kelso and Fez.
The great thing about the show is it’s not specific; what I mean by that is each of us are in each character. Some of us are quirky and a smart-mouth like Eric, confident and outgoing like Donna, quiet and chill like Hyde, goofy and reckless like Kelso, spoiled and preppy like Jackie and tad-bit weird and funny, like Fez.
I even see a bit of my parents in the show; my Mom being Kitty Forman, Eric’s mother, and my Dad being Bob Pinciotti, Donna’s father.
I see that “gang” doing the same stuff my friends and I did in high school: going to concerts, spending time at the local hangout spots, chilling at a friend’s basement, going on road trips to wherever, and so much more.
Aside from that, a lot of the story arcs are reflective of experiences we had in high school: struggling with school, relationships, tough parents and rules, and generally trying to adapt to a changing world, as well as adapting to the situation of becoming older and drifting away, something I touched on in a column earlier this school year.
And it’s not just me that has noticed a show can be a sort of biopic on your life.
You talk to just about anyone, they’ll tell you that they have watched and come to love a show at some point simply because they believe it represented them or told their story.
I’ve had people tell me the sitcom “Friends” has portrayed what their friend group was or is like in almost total accuracy.
Shows like “Seinfeld,” “The Office,” “Cheers” and “The Big Bang Theory” have all left a mark on our culture, but also in the hearts of many who can relate to these shows based on similar life experiences and friendships they’ve had.
Maybe that hasn’t happened for everyone, and that’s OK.
The next time you’re scrolling through the channels and see a sitcom that maybe you’re not as familiar with, take a few minutes just to watch and enjoy. Maybe in doing so, you’ll find yourself on the screen.