The ’70s

Reviewed by:
Maxim Staff

Mom and Dad sat glued to the tube, watching something called Watergate. Your teachers warned you about “hippies” and “reefer.” And you might have begun wondering what Laurie Partridge would look like out of that velvet jumpsuit. Other than that, your memories of the ’70s are probably a blur.

Don’t let that scare you away from The ’70s, a four-hour miniseries. Opening in the decade’s early days on the Kent State campus, the series follows four friends through personal trials against a backdrop of national crisis. It’s a jolt for the Gen X/Y audience to see these characters in the middle of what probably are half-remembered history lessons, and to hear some of the soundtrack cuts outside of an ironic, “Have a Nice Day!” kitsch context.

Yes, it strains credibility at times to believe that four college friends could find themselves involved in virtually every major event of the decade, from the Kent State shootings to Watergate, the Watts riots, and the Jonestown suicides. But the cast is a strong one—particularly Felicity’s Amy Smart as an aspiring model just slightly too beautiful for her own good. The only downside is the horrifying possibility that, on the strength of The ’70s’ success, somebody at NBC will want to dramatize the ’80s. Eeeewwwww!

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