Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for That ’90s Show Part 3.
Netflix’s That ‘90s Show has made a tradition of bringing back familiar faces and ghosts from its predecessor’s past, but this time the series has brought back a character that viewers didn’t originally get to spend much time with. Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis‘ surprise cameo in the pilot episode of That ’90s Show shocked and delighted viewers, who were tuning in to the That ’70s Show reboot partially to get a glimpse of their old favorites, but the reveal that Jay (Mace Coronel) — Leia Forman’s (Callie Haverda) insta-crush — was Michael Kelso (Kutcher) and Jackie Burqhart’s (Kunis) son was the cherry on top. If that weren’t enough, wait for the kicker, because Part 3 just reintroduced Betsy Kelso (Kira Kosarin), former baby and catalyst for Kelso’s Season 8 move to Chicago. Gear up, because Betsy has returned to Point Place with a vengeance, back to terrorize her half-brother Jay (and his friends) and drop more than a little juicy gossip about the state of Kelso and Jackie’s relationship.
Kelso’s Daughter Was First Introduced in ‘That ’70s Show’
In the sixth season of That ’70s Show, viewers were surprised to find that Point Place’s resident man-child, Michael Kelso, was about to be a father. After a drunken hook-up at a Molly Hatchet concert, Kelso’s former classmate Brooke Rockwell (Shannon Elizabeth) reveals that she’s pregnant, and plans on keeping the baby. Kelso spends most of the sixth and seventh seasons gearing up for (and freaking out about) becoming a father, but eventually steps up to the plate and commits to parenting his daughter, even revealing in the series finale that he taught Betsy to use his catchphrase — “Burn!”
Born toward the beginning of That ’70s Show‘s seventh season, Betsy Kelso made her first appearance in the season’s eighteenth episode, “Oh, Baby (We Got a Good Thing Goin’),” as a newborn. Brooke trusts Kelso to take care of Betsy for a full day, to only semi-disastrous results, and Kelso ends up bonding with his daughter for the first time. Viewers don’t see much of Betsy outside of Kelso’s brief babysitting stint but, at the end of the series’ eighth season, Kelso decides to move to Chicago to be closer to Betsy and Brooke.
Besty Kelso Returns to Point Place in ‘That ’90s Show’
After over a decade, Betsy Kelso returns to Point Place swinging. Back from a study abroad program in Salamanca, Spain, Betsy meets Nate (Maxwell Acee Donovan) on a particularly vulnerable night out (for Nate) and the two form a semi-toxic relationship, to Jay Kelso’s horror. Betsy digs her hooks into Nate and refuses to let go — literally. She refuses to allow Nate to break up with her and only ends the relationship when Nate embarrasses her by admitting to a room full of people that he’s still in love with Nikki (Sam Morelos).
Much like on That ’70s Show, Betsy doesn’t stick around for long. The eldest Kelso sibling mainly exists within Part 3 of That ’90s Show to order Nate around and antagonize Jay, often at the same time. In a surprise easter egg for viewers, Betsy taunts Jay with the fact that there was once trouble in paradise for the reunited Michael Kelso and Jackie Burkhart, revealing that they briefly separated for three years, implying that Kelso left Jackie to try and make things work with Betsy’s mother, Brooke. After all this time, Betsy has grown up into a Kelso-esque version of Eric Forman’s (Topher Grace) older sister, Laurie (Lisa Robin Kelly), and her character provides a great temporary antagonist for the season.
Who Else Will Return in ‘That ’90s Show’ Part 4?
With Part 4 still unconfirmed, viewers are left to speculate on whether Betsy will return — and whether any other That ’70s Show alums might join her. Given the fact that Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) has brought her up more than once, a great addition to the series guest cast would be Laurie, originally played by Lisa Robin Kelly and later by Christina Moore following Kelly’s tragic death. There’s still a whole host of characters that can be brought back, and with any luck, That ’90s Show will continue its tradition of re-introducing iconic members of the original cast.
That ’90s Show is available to stream on Netflix.
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