That ‘90s Show, the Netflix spinoff of That ‘70s Show is bringing back tons of familiar faces including one character who often had problems remembering who he was, the beloved Leo Chingkwake, played by 84-year-old actor Tommy Chong.
By now it’s been confirmed most of the original cast will be making guest appearances throughout That ‘90s Show first 10 episodes as Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, and Wilmer Valderrama join Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty Forman (Debra Jo Rupp), who will star in the series while acting as executive producers. That ‘90s Show's main focus will be Eric Forman’s teenage daughter, Leia, who will visit her grandparents in Point Place, Wisconsin during the summer of 1995.
According to Chong’s own Twitter account, it seems then that Leia will probably run into Leo too, one of the series' most puzzling characters, who first left Point Place after casually noticing he had spent 8 years in the small town before returning for the show’s last two seasons. Leo was a character loosely inspired by the Chong’s most famous comedy act Cheech & Chong, alongside fellow actor Cheech Marin, with the two playing a pair of lovable hippies and bonafide cannabis enthusiasts, much like Leo was in That ‘70s Show where his antics and overall aloofness made him the backup comedy relief when Kutcher’s Kelso wasn’t around.
Chong played Leo in a total of 65 That ‘70s Show episodes out of the series’ 200, regardless of his absence for seasons 5 and 6, when the actor was serving time in prison due to the distribution of drug paraphernalia like the very bongs his co-stars used in the show. The actor is a well-known cannabis activist who constantly voices his support for the legalization and decriminalization of marijuana, as well as a cancer survivor and star of his own documentary a/k/a Tommy Chong which chronicles the events that led to his arrest.
One thing to keep in mind is that Leo will be missing his former employee and the person that made him fit in with the rest of the cast, Hyde, since That ‘90s Show’s producer confirmed Danny Masterson will be the only cast member left out of the picture. In 2017, Masterson was accused of sexual assault by up to five different women triggering a wave of legal procedures for which he still faces criminal charges with a trial date now set for this August 22.
While Masterson's exclusion is a no-brainer, That 90’s Show’s biggest challenge will be succeeding or finding an audience willing to embrace its multi-cam format, still the norm when the original series aired but that nowadays is seen as antiquated in recent comedy reboots like How I Met Your Father.
Source: Variety