It was 1998. That '70s Show was still finding its footing, leaning heavily into the "grooviness" of the decade before it became the character-driven powerhouse we remember. In the eleventh episode of the first season, titled "Eric's Buddy," a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt walked onto the set. He played Buddy Morgan, a wealthy, cool, and surprisingly charming classmate of Eric Forman.
He had a Trans Am. He had better clothes than anyone in Point Place. And, in a moment that was genuinely groundbreaking for a network sitcom in the late nineties, he was gay.
Most people forget that Buddy was actually supposed to be a recurring character. He wasn't meant to be a one-hit wonder. But if you look at the history of the show, he disappears immediately after that one episode. Why? Honestly, it’s a mix of 1990s audience discomfort and a creative pivot that changed the trajectory of the series forever.
The Episode That Almost Changed Eric Forman
The chemistry between Topher Grace and Joseph Gordon-Levitt was immediate. It was sharp. Unlike the rest of the gang, who mostly spent their time roasting Eric, Buddy actually seemed to like him. He laughed at his jokes. He treated him like a peer rather than a punchline. For a few minutes, it felt like Eric might finally have a friend who didn't make him feel like a loser.
Then came "The Kiss."
While sitting in Buddy's car, Buddy misreads the signals and leans in to kiss Eric. Eric’s reaction is pure Eric—shock, stuttering, and a desperate need to go home. It was played for laughs, sure, but it wasn't mean-spirited. In an era where gay characters were often portrayed as caricatures, Buddy was just... a guy. A rich, popular guy who happened to like men.
The writers, including creators Bonnie and Terry Turner, were testing the waters. They wanted to see if the audience was ready for a gay character in the core rotation of a teen-centric show. Remember, this was years before Modern Family or Glee. This was even before Will & Grace had fully cemented itself as a cultural juggernaut.
🔗 Read more: Judith The Walking Dead: Why This Grimes Kid Changes Everything
Why the Audience Pushed Back
The 1970s setting was a perfect cover for exploring social changes, but the 1998 audience wasn't quite there yet. When the episode aired, the "Big Three" networks were still incredibly sensitive to "family values" protests.
Reports from the set and later interviews with the cast suggest the live studio audience didn't know how to react. Usually, a sitcom audience is a laugh track with a pulse. But during the kiss scene? Silence. Some reports say there were audible gasps. It wasn't the "progressive win" the producers might have hoped for in the moment.
Basically, the network got cold feet.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt was already a rising star thanks to 3rd Rock from the Sun. He was talented, likable, and could have easily balanced the ensemble. But the chemistry between the main six—Eric, Donna, Hyde, Kelso, Jackie, and Fez—was becoming so airtight that adding a wealthy outsider felt like it might disrupt the "basement" vibe.
Buddy vs. The Group Dynamic
If you've ever rewatched the first season, you'll notice how different it feels from the rest of the show. It’s more experimental. There are weird dream sequences that don't quite land and subplots that lead nowhere. That 70s Show Buddy was a victim of the show finding its true identity.
The show wasn't really about the 70s; it was about the claustrophobia of being a teenager in a small town.
Buddy didn't fit that. He had money. He had a car that actually worked. He had a life outside of Point Place. If Eric had stayed friends with Buddy, the dynamic of the "basement gang" would have shifted. Hyde's cynicism wouldn't have worked as well if Eric had a wealthy mentor. Kelso’s vanity would have been overshadowed by Buddy’s genuine status.
So, Buddy was scrubbed. No mention of him ever again. No "Hey, remember that guy with the Trans Am?" Nothing.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Take
Years later, Gordon-Levitt has looked back on the role with a sort of fond detachment. He was a working actor. He did the job. He did it well. Interestingly, he was one of the first actors to play an openly gay teenager on a major sitcom, a fact that is often overlooked because his stint was so short.
He didn't need the show, obviously. He went on to become an A-list movie star. But his one-episode arc remains a fascinating "what if" in TV history. If the audience had cheered instead of gasped, would we have seen Buddy and Eric navigating the complexities of 70s social life together? Probably.
What This Taught the Industry
Television in the late 90s was a battlefield of representation. That '70s Show took a risk and then immediately retreated. But even that brief moment mattered. It showed that you could have a gay character who wasn't defined solely by his trauma or his "fabulousness." Buddy was just a cool kid.
It’s easy to look back now and criticize the show for dropping the character. But you’ve got to consider the context. Fox was a younger, edgier network, but it still answered to advertisers. The "Buddy experiment" failed in the ratings and the feedback loops of the time, leading the writers to double down on the core romance of Eric and Donna.
Key Takeaways for Fans
If you're revisiting the series on streaming or through physical media, "Eric's Buddy" is a mandatory watch. It’s a time capsule within a time capsule.
- Watch the chemistry: Notice how Gordon-Levitt effortlessly out-acts almost everyone else on screen. His timing is impeccable.
- The Trans Am symbol: The car represented everything the other characters didn't have—freedom and mobility.
- The reaction: Look at Eric’s face. It’s not disgust; it’s genuine confusion. It’s one of Topher Grace’s best moments of physical comedy.
When people talk about the "lost" episodes or the "missing" characters of the show—like Donna’s sister Tina who disappeared after one episode—Buddy usually tops the list. But unlike Tina, Buddy left an actual mark on the fan base.
Actionable Steps for TV History Buffs
To truly understand the impact of this guest spot, compare the character of Buddy Morgan to other 90s portrayals of gay teens. Look at Dawson's Creek (Jack McPhee) which premiered around the same time. You'll see that That '70s Show was actually ahead of the curve in terms of making the character "one of the guys" before the network got nervous.
If you want to dive deeper into the production history of the show, seek out the Season 1 commentary tracks. The creators are surprisingly candid about the "Buddy" situation and the struggle to define the show's tone during those first 20 episodes. You'll find that the decision to cut Buddy wasn't personal—it was a business move to protect a show that wasn't yet a hit.
The best way to appreciate the character now is to recognize Buddy not as a failed experiment, but as a brief glimpse into a version of the show that could have been much more socially progressive, much earlier. Instead, we got eight seasons of the basement. And honestly? We’re mostly okay with that.
✨ Don't miss: Why Keith Urban's The Fighter Still Matters: The Story Behind the Vows
The next time you see Joseph Gordon-Levitt in a Christopher Nolan movie, just remember: he started out trying to kiss Eric Forman in a 1978 Trans Am.