While That '70s Show was a creative take on a period sitcom, its underwhelming title failed to capture the program's themes regarding adolescence while pigeonholing its setting into one decade. According to executive producer Tom Warner, the show originally had 30 working titles, but three of them stood out among the rest: Teenage Wasteland, The Kids Are Alright and Feelin' All Right. These working titles captured That '70s Show's vibe a lot better and would have allowed for more flexibility with its timeframe.
Teenage Wasteland was taken from the legendary refrain of The Who's 1971 classic "Baba O'Riley." The song describes an uncaring society that disregards the aspirations of the youth, which corresponds with a lot of That '70s Show's teenaged angst themes. Most of the characters feel trapped in the "teenaged wasteland" of Point Place, where their parents' attempt to dictate their decisions. The title would have also perfectly wrapped up That '70s Show, as two of its main characters, Kelso and Eric, leave Point Place and finally develop a sense of independence.
The working title, The Kids Are Alright, was also inspired by The Who, taking its name from a track appearing on their 1965 debut album My Generation. While the song is vaguer than "Baba O' Riley," it still discusses the anxiety teenagers have about growing up, which coincides with That '70s Show's teen characters, who are often caught between enjoying their youth and becoming adults.
Feelin' All Right derived its name from Traffic's 1968 single "Feelin' Alright," which was famously covered by Joe Cocker a year later. While this song doesn't directly discuss the themes of the youth, it talks about unrequited love, mirroring the on-again, off-again relationships of many of That '70s Show's main characters.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Warner revealed Teenage Wasteland as the main working title for the series, but Fox had trouble securing the rights from The Who. The Kids Are Alright was also shot down by The Who's Pete Townsend, leading the showrunners to go with Feelin' All Right. However, Fox ultimately decided that Feelin' All Right was not memorable enough, prompting the show's co-creator Bonnie Taylor to come up with That '70s Show. Taylor reasoned the title was more memorable for the audience, allowing them to recall the show's 1970s setting above all else.
"You know, why don't we just call it That '70s Show? Because that's what everyone is going to end up calling it anyway," Taylor was quoted as saying by Warner. "No matter what we come up with, they'll say, 'Did you see that '70s show?'"
Although That '70s Show lacked a strong title, its characters, themes and humor allowed it to win over different generations throughout its run. Nonetheless, it's still a shame none of the working titles were used. They may have changed That '70s Show humorous concept, but they had the potential to reflect the deeper themes in the series.