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Eric Forman (born August 30, 1959) is a fictional character and the male lead on the Fox Network's That '70s Show between seasons one through seven. Portrayed by Topher Grace, Eric is based on the adolescence of show creator Mark Brazill.^[1] Most of the show takes place at the Formans' home, particularly in the basement, where he and his five friends hang out. He has a doting mother with impending separation anxiety and menopause (Kitty Forman), a crabby, strict, Korean War military veteran father (Red Forman), a promiscuous older sister (Laurie Forman), and his best friend who later becomes his foster brother (Steven Hyde). He was the program's main protagonist until he was written out due to Grace's departure from the series. However, despite Eric's absence, he is mentioned in every episode of Season 8. He makes a brief cameo appearance in the final episode titled "That '70s Finale".

Personality[link]

A nice guy at heart, Eric is generally geeky, physically weak, and somewhat clumsy. He is nonathletic and shows little interest in sports. He is a smart-aleck teenager with a lightning-fast wit and a sarcastic and deadpan sense of humor. He also lights "incenses" with his friends in his basement. Eric is also known to "screw" things up a lot, which is parodized throughout the series.

Eric is often picked on for his slight stature, and other characters have likened him to "Opie" (for the character Opie Taylor, from The Andy Griffith Show), and Archie Andrews. Other unfortunate nicknames include "Foreplay" (by Casey Kelso), "Foreskin" (by Donna), "Zitty Stardust" (in reference to him being unable to take a pimple-free yearbook photo), "Scrawny Little Neighbor Boy" (by Hyde), and "Dumbass" (by Red).

His girlfriend Donna is physically stronger, smarter, and larger than he, a fact which is cause for many jokes by all who know them. Donna is seen beating everyone individually on more than one occasion.

Though physically weak, Eric can show a surprising amount of courage and even physical power when necessary. When incensed enough he will stand up to anyone, even his father, and during these moments he can be surprisingly eloquent. He stood up to Red when he was troubled about Kitty's apparent pregnancy and told him to be a man for her. He also stood up to both of his parents in his insistence on marrying Donna, despite their repeated attempts to stop him. He threatened Casey Kelso with serious injury if he hurt Donna, and even defended his father by punching another teenager (David Milbank) who had informed him that Red will eventually lose his job at the auto parts plant. He also beat a Green Bay Packers fan up during a game, after the fan (along with Red) repeatedly insulted Eric for wearing a Chicago Bears jersey; however, Eric turned to violence only when the fan insulted Red for telling him to stop arguing once the game had finished, as Red only saw the argument as being appropriate banter between opposing fans during the game. This made Red proud enough to remark that his son had the "Forman Rage".

Eric's best friend is rebel Steven Hyde. When Hyde's mother left town at the end of the first season, Eric tried to persuade his parents to do something about his best friend's living conditions and thus Hyde was invited to live with the Formans, which he does for most of the series. And when Red was quick to throw Hyde out after an arrest for possession of drugs, Eric attempts to rescue him by proving Red's hypocrisy.

Of his group of friends, Eric seems to dislike Jackie the most. In an early episode, Red tells Eric that Jackie is his favorite out of his friends because she can fix cars (which is surprising, because Jackie is very petite and narcissistic), Eric replies that she's not one of his friends. Eric finds Jackie boring, shallow, obnoxious, long-winded and utterly useless. Conversely, Eric only seems to find Jackie attractive when not hearing her voice in any way, stating at one point: "Good God, she is hot!" (after picturing her in a bikini and, at the advice of Hyde, silent). She believes she gets a free pass into the circle because she happens to be dating someone in the group. Jackie is generally demeaning towards Eric due to his effeminate qualities, dorkiness and physical weakness, and believes him to be unworthy of Donna (although she doesn't think much of Donna, either), which causes Eric to dislike her even more.

However, as the series progresses, it is shown that they develop a tolerance for each other and eventually a friendship. As early as season two, after Jackie breaks up with Michael Kelso, Eric stands up to comfort her. When Kelso begins to date Eric's sister Laurie, Eric realizes that he wants Jackie to continue to hang out in the basement, simply because it makes Laurie uncomfortable. Eric is the first person Jackie told when she suspected she was pregnant in the first season and they have been known to occasionally help each other out. In the episode "Jackie's Cheese Squeeze," Eric admits that they are "friends", as long as they don't refer to each other as such in public, and in the season seven finale, Jackie calls Eric from Chicago and admits that she's always cared for him and considers him a good friend.

Eric is a well-known fan of science fiction, such as Star Trek and especially Star Wars, in which he compares himself to Luke Skywalker. This is cause for much ridicule at the hands of his exasperated family and friends. He is known to keep a collection of Star Wars models and figurines. He is also known to have a large, beloved collection of G.I. Joe. He listens to artists such as Led Zeppelin, KISS, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Queen, Styx and Rush. He is also a Beatles fan and has been known to liken his group of friends to them, accusing Jackie of "breaking up the band" with her romantic entanglements with Kelso and Hyde (calling her Yoko, in reference to Yoko Ono). It is also hinted that he is both a Batman and Spider-Man fan, having Spider-Man bedsheets and a considerable number of comic books, most of them bearing the Marvel Comics logo with the titular character on the covers. When he fought a fan at the Packers game, he tells Red that he learned his moves from Spider-Man; coincidentally, Topher Grace starred as Eddie Brock, a character who obtains powers very similar to Spider-Man, thus transforming him into the monstrous Venom in Spider-Man 3 in 2007.

Eric has had many typical teenage jobs over the series. He has worked at Fatso Burger, Price Mart, a dog food factory, and as a waiter at the Holiday Hotel (all of the business names were fictitious). At the beginning of the series, Red vehemently opposed Eric's attempts to get a job during the second season citing that it would interfere with his school work and make it harder for him to get into a good college located far away. Kitty supported Red by designating Eric's job as being her "precious little baby boy". When Eric announced his marriage proposal to Red and Kitty, Red fired him from his job at Price Mart so he couldn't make the money to get married. Kitty cost him a potential job at a bank for the same reason. Red and Kitty even went so far as to revoke their offer to pay for Eric's college tuition in a final act of desperation to put a stop to the wedding but were unsuccessful. In season seven Eric was much ridiculed by his father when he took a year off from school and work to contemplate his future and enjoy being lazy. Eric took pleasure in the contempt Red had for this decision.

Eric is usually very supportive of his friends, even though it is very rarely reciprocal. On several occasions, when the gang found themselves in a predicament as the result of a prank gone awry or some other unforeseen circumstance, the rest of the group would take off, leaving Eric to absorb the brunt of the trouble, after which the gang (mainly Hyde) would hassle and tease Eric for getting into trouble (as in Stolen Car, Eric Gets Suspended, Eric's Hot Cousin and Rip This Joint). This has much to do with Eric's trusting nature and indicates that what he lacks in physical strength and courage, he more than makes up for in strength of character. Eric however, has been known to get his revenge on his backstabbing friends from time to time, such as when Kelso took the gang on a "dine-and-dash" without telling them and the group eventually abandoned Donna and Eric at the restaurant. Eric and Donna exacted their revenge by serving a batch of brownies which they referred to as "Special Brownies". However, in this case, the "special" ingredient that Eric and Donna had included was Ex-Lax. This was a particular problem for Fez, whose girlfriend had arrived to make amends with him, just as he was running for the bathroom. At times, however, Eric's friends will come to his aid when he's truly at the end of his rope. His less morally inclined friends are quick to take advantage of him and sometimes take his willingness to help them for granted. However, Eric is also quick to stand up for himself whenever he feels he has been wronged by his friends' actions. Although in later episodes he seemed to become more selfish, babied by his mother, and lazy.

Eric is also quite stubborn, which has on several occasions brought bad luck to himself. For example, when Donna calls from California and when Kitty tries to tell him, Eric refuses to even listen to his mother and (when he finds out the call) later scolds her for not telling him. Also, when Hyde was about to get kicked out of the Forman's house for his drug use, Eric tells Red that he also does drugs (despite Donna telling him not to), only to find out that Hyde gets to stay.

Relationship with family[link]

Eric's relationship with his parents centers around his attempts to prove to them that he is mature and independent. Eric's father, Red, is a notorious authoritarian and often refers to Eric as "dumbass" and "boy". He frequently threatens "to put his foot in Eric's ass". Red finds Eric lacking the qualities which he feels a grown man should possess, including physical strength, sportsmanship, and interest in manly pursuits, like hunting and fishing. Despite the fact that Red's strict parenting often prevents intimate father-son moments, Red truly cares for his son. On rare occasions, Red displays genuine fatherly love such as in "That Wresting Show" and "Street Fighting Man", as well as when he learns that Eric is a good hunter and chose not to shoot a deer because he didn't want to. Oddly, Eric is, in many ways, a younger version of his father. Both display a dry sense of humor and tend to be the sanest people in their circle of friends.

Eric's mother, Kitty, typically supports Eric against the wishes of her husband and she often scolds Red for being too hard on him. However, she also does not consider Eric to be a man and often refers to him as her "precious little baby boy". Eric appreciates his mom's support but her overblown displays of affection often leave him feeling embarrassed. At times, Kitty's love for Eric borders on Hitchcockian. His mother is often insecure about being replaced by Donna as the woman in Eric's life. Their rivalry is played up in many episodes (often comically, but sometimes to the point of it being problematic). In theory, she's okay with a sexual relationship between Donna and Eric (even pressing the two to discuss it with her); however, in reality, she goes into a depression after learning that Eric and Donna had sex and considers Donna a harlot who has stolen her baby boy away from her. Eric reassured Kitty that he would always need her because, "[Red]'s going to be riding [his] ass for the rest of [his] life". When Eric tells his parents about his plan to spend a year teaching in Africa, his mother is less than thrilled. This is most notably and comically presented when, the morning after his announcement, Kitty fixes everyone at the breakfast table a smiley-face breakfast with eggs and bacon and then hands Eric a plain pancake and says, "nothing smiling up at you, nothing." Even with a couple of days before his departure, Kitty reveals that she hid mailed notifications that Eric must receive certain vaccinations before he can leave. Eric protests his mom's actions but she still tries to dissuade him, stating that the needles used for the vaccinations are "as big as sausages" and "will hurt a lot".

In the episode "Eric's Birthday", the gang is acutely aware that Kitty has planned a surprise party for Eric, despite her claims to the contrary. This annoys Eric because he believes that surprise parties are for kids, which indicates that Kitty won't accept the fact that he is becoming a man. However, throughout the episode "Magic Bus", Eric expects Kitty to throw him a surprise party even though she and the gang constantly tell him that there is no surprise party. He becomes upset when he realizes that his mother is telling the truth. After Eric disobeys his parents' orders not to go forward with his plans to marry Donna, Red finally deems Eric a man and offers his blessing while a devastated Kitty turns on Red for allowing her "precious baby boy" to get married. Though Eric and Donna call off the wedding, they decide to move, which causes Kitty even more grief. She's even less pleased when she learns that Red is fine with it.

Eric's relationship with his older sister, Laurie, is based on mutual ridicule and contempt. Eric repeatedly mocks Laurie for being a whore while she chides him for being weak and less favored by their father. On several occasions, Eric and Laurie have tolerated each other and have even shown a brother-sister bond. When Eric saw his parents having sex, Laurie tried to comfort him, which included hugging him and stroking his hand. In the middle of a fight between the two, Hyde tried to break it up, and the two teamed up on him, complimenting each others insults. Eric once even defended Laurie from Red. After discovering that Laurie moved out and was living with a man, Red, having been forced to face reality about his daughter's behavior and reputation, attempted to alienate her. Sympathizing with her, Eric attempted to defend Laurie, saying that Red was being too hard on her. Laurie once told Eric and Donna to move away after they got married and even cried during her apology. Eric tasted the tear and, having deemed it legitimate, replied "I have a sister!" and hugged her. Laurie appeared to have turned a new leaf but soon regressed back to her old habits of mean-spirited and lacivious behavior.

Relationship with Donna[link]

Eric's first love is Donna Pinciotti (Laura Prepon), the girl next door. Their relationship had been one of the show's main storylines and had endured many ups and downs. They have been friends since they were children and, in the first season, their friendship evolves into a romantic relationship. In early episodes, a jealous Hyde tries to steal Donna from Eric. This plotline was discarded until the It's a Wonderful Life episode, when it is revealed that Hyde was waiting for Donna after the Todd Rundgren concert that the gang had gone to in the pilot. This episode suggests that, had Eric and Donna not kissed, Donna would have ended up with Hyde and Eric with Big Rhonda. Eric would have spent the rest of his childhood trying to win his father's approval, even going so far as to kowtow to him. It is revealed that, had this scenario played out, the entire group would have experienced drastically different (and worse) lives. The exception is Fez, who seems more or less at ease with his situation.

In "That 70's Pilot", Donna kisses Eric on the hood of the Vista Cruiser. The next few episodes deal with the aftermath of the kiss. Apparently, Eric and Donna are not dating. Eric and Donna almost kiss after a fight in "Battle of the Sexists". In "The Keg", they kiss again, in the same location. Two episodes later, in "Drive In", they make out in the same place and officially begin dating.

After many failed attempts, Eric and Donna lose their virginity to each other in the season two episode "The First Time" where Donna's parents are renewing their vows.

In "The Promise Ring", Donna is put off by Eric's gift of a promise ring, feeling trapped in the relationship. She confesses to Eric that she was unsure that their relationship would last forever, sometimes seeing herself alone. Eric, distraught and angry, realizes how different he and Donna are from each other and breaks up with her.

After this, Eric does his best to get over Donna, with little success. He tries to start new relationships but often fails. Meanwhile, Donna begins dating Casey Kelso, Michael Kelso's older brother. He has a "bad boy" persona and, although unreliable and occasionally immature, Casey manages to impress Donna and Eric's family. Later on, however, Donna ends up skipping school to get drunk with Casey. Eric and Kitty witness this and decide to intervene. In a group discussion in the Formans' living room, Casey dumps Donna, deciding she isn't worth the trouble. Donna realizes that Eric was right for her all along but Eric rejects her, stating that he "can't be her second choice".

Unable to handle Eric's (and Casey's) rejections, Donna runs away to California with Kelso, who was running away from Jackie (Jackie wrongly believes that Michael has agreed to marry her). Donna decides that she does love Eric and tries to call him. However, she can't get in touch with him because he is "busy". When Eric finally finds out about her calls, he tries to call her back but can't work up the courage. Hyde solves Eric's dilemma by stealing some of his money, buying him a plane ticket to California, and sending him on his way. Eric arrives in California and, finding Donna at a beach, reunites and reconciles with her. They then return to Point Place.

In the fifth season, Eric and Donna become engaged, despite widespread discouragement (and anger, in the case of Kitty, Red and Bob). However, they refuse to call off the engagement and remain engaged until the end of the sixth season. Eventually, they both begin to experience pre-wedding jitters (cold feet) and Eric, acting upon these feelings, abandons his wedding rehearsal. He then returns in the next episode and Donna forgives him.

In the season seven finale, Eric leaves Point Place to teach in Africa, in order to earn a scholarship for his college education (behind the scenes, Topher Grace left the show in order to appear in Spider-Man 3). Eric breaks up with Donna, off-screen, during the eighth season.

In the show's finale, Eric returns from Africa on New Year's Eve to find Donna sitting on the hood of the Vista Cruiser. Eric confesses that he thought about her every day while he was gone and that he was a "dumbass" for leaving. Donna, in tears, kisses Eric. They renew their relationship shortly before the transition into the next decade.

Season eight[link]

The eighth season opens with a recap of the events from the season seven finale. Eric is now away in Africa and his family and friends have continued on with their lives. Offscreen, he has broken up with Donna (prior to this, he was ignoring and avoiding her phone calls and even told her he had to "go teach" in order to get off the phone). Donna soon found new love in Randy, Hyde's co-worker at Grooves. Despite Eric's absence from the show, he was mentioned in every episode of the season. Also, that same year, Kelso had left Point Place but, being in Africa at the time, Eric never knew that Kelso had left. Near the end of the season, Red remodeled Eric's bedroom to make a sewing room for Kitty.

Return[link]

Eric made a brief appearance in the (series finale), titled That '70s Finale, which aired on Thursday May 18, 2006. In the final episode, Eric arrives shortly before midnight on New Year's Eve. He apologizes to Donna for leaving and Donna tells him that "things are a lot different now", at which point they kiss. Before going inside, Eric, nervous about reuniting with his friends, mentions how he needs to find a way to take off the edge. He solves his problem their favorite way: one last round in The Circle together with Kelso, Hyde, and Fez. He then gives Kelso a plastic rhino horn toy for his daughter and delivers the final line of the series: "Hey guys, last one upstairs... has to call Red a dumbass!".^{[citation needed]}

References[link]