That '90s Show Returns To Point Place, But Can You Go There IRL?

In 1999, That ‘70s Show introduced audiences to Point Place, Wisconsin, home of the Forman family, and where son Eric came of age with his friends hanging out in his basement in the late 1970s. In That ‘90s Show, the sequel returns to Point Place, where Red and Kitty still live in the old house, with the same 1970s-era car in their unchanged garage. But for those wondering if Point Place is real, I have sad news, as viewers can no more visit it as they can time-travel to 1995.

Netflix viewers discovering That ‘90s Show and Point Place for the first time in 2023 can take at least some comfort in knowing that back in the 1990s, fans of That ‘70s Show had the same question. Like That ‘90s Show, the original series had plenty of references to Wisconsin culture, be it a love of the Green Bay Packers, President Gerald Ford’s visit, or the license plate at the end of the credit’s intro. But even though Nikki’s family might be famous because she’s related to someone who worked on Brett Farve’s bathroom, there is no Point Place on the map in Packers territory.

Point Place is an entirely fictional suburb, but the series did define where it should exist over the eight seasons of That ‘70s Show. It’s a suburb of Kenosha, which is in the southeastern corner of the state. (This technically completely invalidates the idea Nikki’s family worked on Farve’s house, as Kenosha is hours from Green Bay, but never mind that.) The show took liberties to suggest the town was closer to the football capital when the need arose, like the episode when the family goes to a Packers game or Kelso referencing “the greater Oshkosh area” as being nearby. (Oshkosh is less than an hour outside Green Bay.)

Other theories believe the show’s “Point Place” is based on an actual area. Reddit commenter Kropke81 argued in a post that the location was likely supposed to be Racine, Wisconsin. It’s a nice area, right next to Lake Michigan and about 60 miles from Chicago. This tracks with Donna’s ability to drop everything in the middle of the day and drive to Kitty and Red’s house to deliver her daughter contraceptives.

Even if Point Place doesn’t exist in real life, it sure is a nice place to visit whenever the Formans are there. All seasons of That ‘70s Show are streaming on Peacock, while Season 1 of That ‘90s Show is on Netflix.