I have so enjoyed reading this series! I really love the insights and analysis we can glean from earlier drafts of the scripts. This inspired me to dig a few of my old ones out. Thank you for sharing the pilot with us so diligently, @thestupidhelmet!, and your insightful commentary! β€οΈ
After reading it all, I have some #Thoughts
Overall, almost all of the character dynamics from the series were different: Eric and Donna's whole vibe being off, Eric and Hyde's lack of a vibe completely, Kelso rather than Hyde being part of the "core" gang along with Eric and Donna, the gang's acceptance of Jackie at the end of the episode. It's kind of jarring. Even though some of the same elements are there (Donna's feminism, Hyde's conspiracy theories, Eric's healthy fear of his father, etc) and the basic blueprint of the show is still recognizable, the original pilot feels completely disconnected from what I loved most about the show. I'm so glad for the revisions!
And here begin my #Wonderings π
That '70s Show was created by Mark Brazill, and based on his own adolescence in the 1970's. I wonder if the original pilot, basically Brazill's first draft (although I see it was written by the Turners, too), leans more autobiographical in nature than the show itself ended up being. If I recall correctly, he alluded to basing the T70S characters off of friends he had growing up - the girl next door, the pretty-boy friend, the bad-boy friend who was cooler than him. Perhaps some of the dynamics between the characters in the first draft (i.e. Eric's focus on traditional gender roles, his more combative relationship with Donna, Kelso being a closer friend than Hyde, etc) are revealing of Mark Brazill's upbringing and implicit mindsets. It would make sense that as they brought on the actors and a writing team, eventually the characters morphed into the versions we recognize them as.
This leads me into my next wondering, which is: I wonder how much the actors had to do with the script changes. Once they had brought on all of the actors, the way they delivered lines, carried the character, and the chemistry they had with each other undoubtedly influenced some of these changes. To me, the character who is most different in the pilot is definitely Eric. I wonder how bringing Topher on changed the direction for his character. Especially with context Topher has shared in interviews over the years - Bonnie and Terry Turner saw him in a high school play and asked him if they could stay in touch and keep him in mind for future roles. By Topher's telling, they had brought in just about every skinny, nerdy kid in LA to read for the part, but just couldn't find their Eric Forman. Topher, of course, ended up being exactly what they were looking for. He has such an earnest, awkward, genuine teenage disposition, particularly in season 1 when he was still a very new actor. I can't picture Topher pulling off some of Eric's, like, machismo in the earlier draft. The uncertain, dorky-but-well-meaning boy next door that we saw on screen is a much more natural fit for him. If the creators had brought in actor after actor but still didn't feel they'd found their protagonist until they saw Topher, perhaps this is partially why. Eric was written as unlikeable and cocky, when he needed to be insecure and endearing, and I wonder if Topher kind of brought life to that iteration of Eric. I guess we will never know for sure - but it's a hunch I have.
Finally, not a thought or wondering but an addition: I'm reminded somewhat of the original That '90s Show pilot, and the changes that happened in that case, too, from first draft to screen.
I believe they actually filmed the first draft version - or at least parts of it, because there are behind-the-scenes pictures of the cast dressed up for the music video that is referenced in the script. It seems that Laura Prepon came onto the project later, leading to rewrites to include Donna. It was also originally pitched as an hour long show.
Anyway, similarly to T70S, the T90S characters are recognizable as themselves in the alternate pilot, but some of the kinks in their characterization and relationships haven't quite been ironed out yet. Leia has a harder edge and less of the naivety that defines her in the show - she calls Mama a "bitch", for example, and already has her fake nose piercing when she arrives in Wisconsin. Nikki is named Nisha in the earlier draft (perhaps they wanted the character to be of Indian descent, originally?), and we learn right off that bat that she's a National Honor Society student who is specifically dating Nate because it pisses off her strict parents. Jay is portrayed as having an interest in photography, in addition to being a huge flirt - a layer to his character that was never there on screen, but would've made a lot of sense (and I think the opening credits are clearly a remnant of that idea).
