‘That ’70s Show’s Best TV Series Guest Stars

That ’90s Show original cast were trumped the guests, but what about the guest stars that they had during their time on That ’70s Show? It’s an eclectic mix of (then) newcomers, 1970s icons, and legends of the entertainment industry. Without further ado, here’s who came to hang out down the street:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Buddy (“Eric’s Buddy,” Season 1, Episode 11)

Eric is paired with Buddy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) as lab partners at school. Buddy is rich, popular, and has a wicked car that wins Eric over. The two become friends, and spend a lot of time together, with Eric often talking about the complications in his relationship with Donna. This leads Buddy to think that Eric may be gay, just like he is. Having developed a crush on Eric, Buddy makes his move and plants a kiss on Eric. The scene is a touchstone moment in the history of LGBTQ+ representation on television, the first kiss between two guys to air on primetime. Reportedly, Buddy was to have a recurring role in the show, but the mixed reception from viewers led to Gordon-Levitt’s Buddy being a one-off character.

Amy Adams as Kat Peterson (“Burning Down the House,” Season 2, Episode 15)

Kat Peterson (Amy Adams) comes from a wealthy family, and she secretly begins going out with Hyde. But the rich, snobby cheerleader denies hooking up with the rebellious stoner when she’s around her upper-class friends. The cameo was only Adams’ third professional acting job, and first television appearance.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson as Rocky Johnson (“That Wrestling Show,” Season 1, Episode 15)

Red Forman (Kurtwood Smith) and Eric (Topher Grace) go backstage after a wrestling event to get an autograph from WWF star Rocky Johnson, as played by his own son, in one of his first TV appearances outside the ring, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Johnson rocks the afro, and conversation confesses that he dreams that his son will one day become “the most electrifying man in sports entertainment.” That meta moment is not lost on the wrestling fan!

Katey Sagal as Hyde’s Mom, Edna (1st Appearance: “Career Day,” Season 1, Episode 18)

Katey Sagal is one of those actresses that seems to show up at least once in multiple TV series, and here she plays Steven Hyde’s (Danny Masterson) mom Edna, aka “Gross Edna”, the one-time lunch server at Point Place High School. Their relationship is strained, with Edna incessantly putting Hyde down and comparing him to his absentee father. She does love him, but eventually abandons Hyde off-screen, leading to Hyde moving into the Forman home.

Shirley Jones as Herself (“Red Sees Red,” Season 3, Episode 2)

Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) has a frightful dream: she’s starring in a show called “The Forman Bunch Variety Hour.” That’s not the bad part. The bad part is when her kids run away to join the Partridge Family. Even worse? Shirley Jones herself, Mama Partridge, accuses Kitty of being a (gasp) “bad mother”! Fun fact: the episode also has the “cuchi-cuchi” girl herself, Charo, who almost literally was in every 1970s show: The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, and more..

French Stewart as Daniel (“Hyde Gets the Girl,” Season 4, Episode 4)

Donna’s radio station is running a contest: whoever can keep their hand on a van the longest wins the van. Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) is determined to win, but he’s got serious competition in Daniel (French Stewart). Daniel is fully prepared and a little nasty, tricking people into dropping out by working on their emotions. Or, in Kelso’s case, how much he probably needs to take a leak.

Billy Dee Williams as Pastor Dan (“Baby Don’t You Do It,” Season 6, Episode 14)

The pre-marital couple that is Eric and Donna are talked into going to see a marriage counselor. It’s an idea that appeals to Donna, but not so much with Eric. Nevertheless, they meet with Pastor Dan (Billy Dee Williams). Within moments, Eric is enthralled: Pastor Dan uses Star Wars analogies, and considers Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope to be one of the all-time greatest movies ever made. Of course his opinion matters — the man is Lando Calrissian, for crying out loud.

Justin Long as Andrew (“Love of My Life,” Season 8, Episode 21)Image via Entertainment Weekly

Andrew Davis (Justin Long) is Fez’s (Wilmer Valderrama) friend from his home country, who tries to convince Fez to come back to their home country with him after being rejected by Jackie (Mila Kunis). Same country? The accent is different. The skin tone is different. Ah, but all is explained: they live on two different sides of the island. So obvious.

Dylan and Cole Sprouse as Billy and Bobby Anderson (“Eric’s Depression,” Season 4, Episode 2)

Kelso gets lost at the local amusement park, which is bad enough without being made a fool of by twins Billy and Bobby Anderson (Dylan and Cole Sprouse). They follow him around, copy everything he says, spit on his ice cream cone, and generally make Kelso miserable. So miserable he gives up and takes a 12-mile hike back home, at night and on foot.

Betty White as Bea Sigurdson (1st Appearance: “Heartbreaker,” Season 5, Episode 4)

The legendary Betty White plays Beatrice “Bea” Sigurdson, Kitty’s mother. Bea appears to be a friendly old lady, but in actuality she’s loud, rude, and perpetually nagging her husband, Burt (Tom Poston). Other times, she sugarcoats her rudeness to Kitty by speaking in a sunny tone. She is shown to have a heart, though, weeping in a bedroom over the loss of Burt. So to sum it up, she played a character she had always excelled at.

Kevin McDonald as Pastor Dave (1st Appearance: “Holy Crap!”, Season 2, Episode 23)

The Kids In The Hall alum Kevin McDonald appeared in six episodes overall as Pastor Dave, the youth pastor at the Formans’ local church. Friendly (yes), hip, and cool (not so much), Pastor Dave is Kitty’s hope in setting her children on a righteous path, which would be easier if they took the pastor seriously at all. In his first appearance, Kitty invites him to family game night at their home, which sets up one of the funniest scenes in the history of the series, Laurie’s (Lisa Robin Kelly) three of a kind in cards: 6-6-6.

Jim Gaffigan as Roy Keene (1st Appearance: “Hey, Hey What Can I Do?,” Season 5, Episode 18)

Comedian Jim Gaffigan appeared across a number of episodes through Seasons 5 and 6 as Roy Keene, manager of the Point Place Hotel. Gaffigan brought his signature affable delivery to Keene’s disastrous tales of meeting women. Keene had a big heart, though, providing support for Hyde’s family after Hyde’s father (or at least who he thought was his father) walked out on them and giving jobs to Kelso, Hyde and Eric when they were looking for work.

Seth Green as Mitch Miller (1st Appearance: “The Battle of Evermore,” Season 5, Episode 17)

Fellow student and rival of Eric’s Mitch Miller proved to be a pain in the arse for the group, right up actor Seth Green‘s alley. First, Mitch and his father Charlie (Fred Willard) competed against Eric and Red at the Point Place Paul Bunyan games (with Mitch discovering his father likes wearing chaps adding to the insult of losing to the Formans). He then posted a picture of Fez and Kelso kissing each other in the school newspaper after Fez refused to give Mitch his driver’s license. Mitch got everyone else in the group to like him, and later used a girl to break up Donna and Eric. And as his last hurrah, Mitch declares that Donna is his fiancée at a wedding, leading to Eric and Mitch getting into a fight at 5:15 the next day, a fight Mitch weaseled out of by offering Eric “G.I. Jacques,” a French-made G.I. Joe figure.

Mary Tyler Moore as Christine St. George (1st Appearance: “Sweet Lady,” Season 8, Episode 10)

Another TV legend would appear on the show, in one of her final TV appearances before her death in 2017: Mary Tyler Moore. She played Christine St. George, host of What’s Up, Wisconsin?, a local news program, and Jackie’s idol. Jackie loved everything about her: the way she controlled a room, the way she demanded respect, and her beauty, naturally. Off-camera, though, Christine was significantly different, and despite Jackie’s determination to work for her, Christine ended up firing her for not being ruthless enough.

“That ’70s Show” was a critical and commercial success during its eight-year run, and it continues to have a loyal fan base today.