That '90s Show Parents Marvel at the 'Unbelievable Human Beings' Their Young '70s Show Costars Grew to Be

Kurtwood Smith, Debra Jo Rupp
Kurtwood Smith, Debra Jo Rupp
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Patrick Wymore/Netflix

Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith could not be more proud of their former That '70s Show costars.

During the premiere of Netflix's That '70s Show spinoff, That '90s Show, Rupp and Smith — who will reprise their roles as Kitty and Red Forman in the upcoming series — couldn't help but marvel at how successful Ashton KutcherMila KunisLaura Prepon  Wilmer Valdarrama, and Topher Grace have turned out to be.

"They're unbelievable human beings," Rupp, 71, told PEOPLE at the event last Thursday. "They really are."

"They've all done so well," Smith, 79, chimed in. "The quality of the work that they have done is so good. It's not just that they've been successful. They do good work."

"And so I think we feel especially proud of that because we were with them when they were just starting out, so we like to think we have a little influence on them," he added.

THAT '70S SHOW - Top row L-R: Wilmer Valderrama, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Topher Grace, Laura Prepon. Center L-R: Don Stark, Tanya Roberts, Mila Kunis, Lisa Robin Kelly, Debra Jo Rupp, Kurtwood Smith. (Photo by FOX Image Collection via Getty Images)
THAT '70S SHOW - Top row L-R: Wilmer Valderrama, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Topher Grace, Laura Prepon. Center L-R: Don Stark, Tanya Roberts, Mila Kunis, Lisa Robin Kelly, Debra Jo Rupp, Kurtwood Smith. (Photo by FOX Image Collection via Getty Images)

FOX/Getty

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Netflix first announced its plans to develop the sequel series in October 2021. Its arrival comes years after That '70s Show concluded its eight-season run in 2006, which was followed by a short-lived That '80s Show spin-off starring Glenn Howerton.

In December, the network dropped a new trailer for the series, featuring Kitty and Red's teenage granddaughter, Leia (Callie Haverda), who comes to visit Wisconsin during the summer of 1995, and finds a group of misfits who welcome her with open arms.

The trailer also featured a glimpse at series OGs Kutcher, Kunis, Valdarrama, Grace, Prepon and Tommy Chong returning to Point Place home as a whole new generation stepped into the very same basement for their coming of age.

In a behind-the-scenes interview shared by Netflix that same month, Rupp got emotional while explaining what it's been like to return to the same set that launched the beloved sitcom.

"Seeing all the kids come back, it was almost like no time passed," she said. "It was like a mini reunion every week. It's just been amazing."

Rupp echoed those sentiments while speaking to PEOPLE about returning to Point Place at Thursday's premiere. "It's kind of great," she said. "This is familiar... [but] it's different. It's 10 episodes as opposed to 20-something."

"And the fact that it's a summer, it fits with a shorter time period," she added. "It's kind of perfect."

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That '90s Show will premiere Thursday on Netflix.