Reruns of That ’70s Show remain available even after one of its stars was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for rape.
The sitcom, which ran from 1998-2006, streams on NBCUniversal’s Peacock and airs on Laff, a digital network owned by Scripps’ Katz Broadcasting that reaches about half of TV homes in the United States. Episodes are also available for purchase on Amazon.
Danny Masterson, a regular on That ’70s Show throughout its eight-season run, was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on Thursday for the rapes of two women in 2003. He was charged in June 2020 after a three-year investigation and convicted in May after a retrial; the jury deadlocked in the initial trial.
Peacock declined to comment; a request for comment from Laff wasn’t answered by publication time.
That ’70s Show aired on Fox during its first run and was produced by 20th Century Fox TV, now owned by Disney. Peacock picked up the series in September 2022 after it previously streamed on Netflix.
Masterson later reteamed with his That ’70s Show co-star Ashton Kutcher on Netflix’s sitcom The Ranch but was fired in December 2017 as the investigation into rape charges against Masterson was ongoing. He was not involved in Netflix’s That ’90s Show, a sequel to That ’70s Show that features most of the original’s core cast in regular or guest roles.
Masterson’s attorney Shawn Holley said Thursday that the actor will appeal the conviction, claiming a “number of significant evidentiary and constitutional issues” in the trial.
Reinhold Mueller, who led the prosecution in Los Angeles, said Masterson’s accusers were “committed to justice.” He added, “Today, we got it.”
Source: Hollywood
