A while ago I found a good deal on some That '70s Show scripts, and I impulsively bought them! See below for a detailed breakdown of what is different between the table read script and what actually aired.
Next up: S2xE22 "Jackie Moves On" (note that it is episode 221 on the script 👀... production order vs airing order). There were a lot of changes/re-writes in this episode! See below for details.
The Production Schedule for the week:
(Just thought this ^ was fascinating!)
First difference: the entire cold open! I wonder why it was re-written. 🧐
In the episode that aired, the cold open starts with Eric and Donna entering the basement together, and the rest of the gang (except Jackie) is already there. They jump into the same conversation about how Jackie isn't doing well, but with different dialogue.
The scenes are extremely similar and end up in the same place - with Fez's ninja warrior fantasy. The Eric/Donna fan in me loves the little moment between them that's written here & wishes it stayed, though! Eric loves the way Donna smells after a bath, *lol*. (This is a continued characterization! He made similar comments to her in That Disco Episode in season 1...)
The next scene, in the Forman kitchen, is slightly different too. Eric and Laurie's banter is different:
And the kids discuss what they will do for dinner that night while Red and Kitty are at Frenchie's. Red's mom's necklace isn't brought up at all in this scene (unlike in the actual episode)! He just mentions breaking out the nice jewelry.
Red & Kitty's next scene, when they head out to dinner, is different. I like Red's little fantasy at the beginning, where he seems to be talking to himself in the mirror and imagining how their evening out will go. 🤣
Hyde and Laurie's next scene is slightly different, too. It's not pictured here, I'm just going to summarize it. Hyde remarks that his dinner of frank and beans was good and hearty, but that Laurie only ate a few bites of toast and some water. They exchange slightly different burns, but it leads to the same moment: Eric coming in and Hyde and Laurie teaming up to burn him.
Next up is Fez's scene in the restaurant with Jackie (also different!). Here are the changed parts:
The next scene (not pictured), with the 4 guys in the basement, is slightly different as well but wasn't noteworthy enough to screenshot. The scene ended up in the same place - Eric inadvertently reveals his childhood summer camp nickname (Dr. Pee Pee) and when Kelso burns him, he reveals Kelso's (Big Chief Brown Bottom). 😆
Red and Kitty's next scene (not pictured) is pretty similar: they're back from dinner but Kitty is upset Red keeps bringing up his mother's necklace (they call it a turtle pendant in this draft of the script). She eventually reveals she pawned it, and she doesn't feel bad because she used it for groceries. Red exits and she immediately tells Eric she actually feels very bad. Eric asks if she had a lot of wine at dinner and she says more than she should've, *lol*.
Jackie and Donna's scene on the front porch is almost identical - including Jackie's fantasy about turning into the blueberry girl from Charlie And The Chocolate Factory - until this part:
The next scene is with the guys & Laurie in the basement - again, very similar, but some slight changes. I laughed out loud at a few of these cut lines!
Red & Kitty's last scene (not pictured) is very similar to the final version. Kitty apologizes to him, Red forgives her, and they both discuss how they did what they had to do to make ends meet as a family but that thankfully things are much better now. The scene ends with them deciding to go back to the pawn shop and reclaim their stuff *lol*
The final scene with the gang on the driveway is again different! Jackie shows up and she's back to her normal self, but she doesn't pull Fez aside for their little chat. There's also another cut Eric/Donna moment 😭 And a little Jackie/Hyde/(Kelso) one, methinks 👀
The credits are the same - Eric is napping on the couch and Laurie puts his hand in warm water and says "Sweet dreams, Dr. Pee Pee."
So, in conclusion - almost every scene in this table read draft script was different from what actually aired in the episode. The general spirit of the scene was always the same, but a lot of lines were changed from this script to what ultimately aired. I wonder why that was! And I wonder how that worked, logistically. It appears they did the Table Read on Monday and shot the episode on Friday (some scenes earlier, actually, because of pre-shoots). That's not a lot of time for the cast to re-learn all of their lines! Show biz, baby.
Stay tuned for more That '70s Show original script reviews with me, your host, @thatseventiesbitch 😀
Other Scripts I've Posted:
S2xE20 "Kiss of Death" S2xE26 "Moon Over Point Place" S5xE21 "Trampled Under Foot" S7xE8 "Angie"