Why Hyde Was a Creep
Danny Masterson, who played the character of Hyde in the popular sitcom That ’70s Show, is facing the possibility of up to 30 years in prison. Many people have speculated that Masterson gave off an unsettling vibe, and his role on the show seems to support this perception. While it is difficult to say whether his character was as creepy when the show first aired, in light of Masterson’s current legal troubles, his character now seems to send shivers down the spine.
That ’70s Show was a beloved sitcom that aired for eight seasons from 1998 to 2006. The show followed the lives of six teenage friends living in Point Place, Wisconsin, in the late 1970s, as they navigated their way through adolescence, rebellion, and a lot of weed smoking. The show’s aesthetic and setting make it a visually pleasing trip down memory lane, showcasing a bygone era.
The group of friends included Eric, the dorky yet witty protagonist, Donna, the girl next door, Kelso, the lovable idiot, Jackie, the pretty rich girl, Fez, the foreign exchange student, and Hyde, the mysterious rebel. While all the characters have their moments of comedy and heartbreak, Hyde stands out as a particularly creepy character.
Hyde’s personality is slimy and manipulative, setting him apart from the other boys in the group. Kelso and Fez are misguided and immature, but Hyde seems to be aware of his actions and their consequences. He relentlessly pursues Donna, despite her being with Eric, and even succeeds in stealing Jackie away from Kelso. Their on-and-off relationship ends in a final breakup when Jackie wants Hyde to propose, and he hesitates.
Hyde also enjoys watching his friends get hurt and giving them bad advice that he knows will lead to trouble. His conspiracy theories make him seem even more unhinged, as he believes that the government is out to get him. Fans of the show have theorized that Hyde’s absence in the spin-off That ’90s Show is due to him hiding out in a bunker to evade government agents.
Overall, Hyde is a bad friend and a creepy character. While Masterson’s legal troubles have tainted his legacy, it is clear that his character did not age well. That ’70s Show remains a beloved sitcom, but viewers should approach it with caution and awareness of the troubling behavior of some of its characters.
Former That ’70s Show star, Danny Masterson, is facing up to 30 years in prison. Some speculate that he always gave them a bad vibe, and his role on That ’70s Show supports that narrative. It’s hard to say if he was as obviously creepy in the show watching it the first time, but in light of his current situation, his character makes your skin crawl. Just like in real life, his character on That ’70s ShowHyde, was a creep.
That ’70s Show ran for eight seasons between 1998 and 2006. The show was about six teenage friends living in Point Place, Wisconsin in the late ’70s, getting into trouble and smoking a lot of weed. This sitcom shows what these teenagers went through in pursuit of independence and cheap booze with the aesthetically pleasing backdrop of the 1970s. That ’70s Show quickly became a fan favorite and has had a couple of remakes including the UK remake Days Like These, That ’80s Show, and most recently That ’90s Show.
What’s the Show About?
The group of friends included the witty dork Eric, the girl next door Donna, the idiot Kelso, the pretty rich girl Jackie, the girl-crazed foreign exchange student Fez, and the rebel Hyde. All of these characters have laugh-out-loud funny moments and ones that break the audience’s heart, but Hyde is a character that, after watching the show again, gives the creepiest vibes.
His personality is sleazy in a way that differs from the other boys in the group. The other boys are just horny teenagers with misguided intentions. Kelso isn’t smart enough to be malicious and Fez struggles to assimilate to American culture without overstepping his boundaries, but Hyde’s creepiness feels manipulative and self-aware from the beginning.
Hyde’s Interactions with Donna
Donna and Eric were clearly always going to end up together, but Hyde’s character was set on getting between them. Hyde and Donna had a small fling, but she broke things off with him because he was moving too fast. For example, kissing her unexpectedly. After that, and despite Eric’s family taking him in, he was always making very blatant moves on Donna knowing Eric and Donna were together. That would be gross behavior from anyone to go after someone with a boyfriend, but a whole different level of creepiness when said boyfriend is supposed to be your best friend. He eventually backs off of Donna when she makes it clear for the millionth time that she’s with Eric.
Stealing Jackie From Kelso
That’s far from the end of his homewrecking, friend-group-ruining behaviors. After a failed attempt at stealing Donna away, he succeeds in stealing Jackie away from Kelso. Jackie and Kelso had a serious relationship in the show, and in a vulnerable moment, Hyde swooped in and started dating Jackie. They begin an on and off again relationshipbreaking up a total of four times throughout the show.
At one point, Jackie is torn between Kelso and Hyde, so instead of discussing things or giving her space to figure out her feelings, he starts dating someone else. They break up once because he assumed Jackie was cheating on him, so to exact revenge, he cheats on her instead, except Jackie wasn’t cheating. Their final breakup followed Jackie wanting Hyde to propose, a topic he is consistently wishy-washy about, so she almost gets with Kelso, resulting in Hyde and her breaking up and him marrying an exotic dancer.
Hyde May Be a Sadist
If it wasn’t obvious from how he tries to steal his friend’s girlfriends, Hyde is also not a very good friend. He enjoys watching his friends get physically injured and talks them into situations that won’t end well for them for his own enjoyment. Throughout the series, he gives advice to Kelso and Fez, who aren’t as smart as he is, that any friend knows is bad advice and will get them hurt or in trouble. He gives his malicious advice with a smile and then watches joyously as they blindly follow him.
The most glaring example of Hyde coaxing his friends into situations that will get them hurt happened early on in the series, setting the tone for his character. The crew was tagging the water tower in Point Place when he convinced Kelso that his graffiti needed some final touches, making Kelso inch further away to find the error Hyde allegedly saw until Kelso fell off the very tall water tower. This cruel prank landed Kelso in a cast with a broken arm.
Hyde Is a Conspiracy Theorist
His conspiracy theories don’t really make him more of a creep necessarily, but they definitely help to build the trope of a nutty creep. Hyde was a very anti-establishment character, but he always took it a few steps further by believing and crafting elaborate conspiracy theories. The theory of the week varied for him throughout the show, but they all circled back to one idea: the government was out to get him.
He has nonsensical ideas that he, a burnout teenager in Wisconsin, was the target of the government’s malice. This was such a deeply rooted part of his character that it’s part of the main fan conspiracy theory of why he was missing from That 90s Show. Of course, Danny Masterson couldn’t be in the show amidst his court dates for sexual assault, but in the realm of the show, fans theorized that Hyde would be missing from Donna and Eric’s adult lives because he was hiding out in a weird bunker in another country to outsmart the government.
Overall, Hyde was a bad friend and a creep. He consistently rooted for his friends’ downfalls, tried to take their girlfriends, and was a creep to smaller characters in the show too. Whenever other characters made mistakes or did gross things, they would right their wrongs or at least feel justified in some way, but time after time, Hyde was unredeemable and unsavory. This character seems like it has a lot of parallels in his real life considering the legal and criminal trouble his actions have landed him in.
While That ’70s Show is a great sitcom and can be found on Peacock, watch at your own risk because his character did not age well.
