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But the series falters with the unevenness of its new characters, and a mesh of both ’90s and 2000s overtones contribute to the overall off-balance feel.

The most delightful parts of this new series are when we focus on Kitty and Red Forman (Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith) or have a quick cameo from one of the other original cast members, such as Topher Grace, Laura Prepon (who also directs two episodes), Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Wilmer Valderrama, Tommy Chong and Don Stark. Those little nods to the original never feel forced in the off-beat world the show has created.

Where it falls very, very flat is with the new basement crew. Featuring the progeny of Eric and Donna (Grace and Prepon) in Leia (Callie Haverda) and Jackie and Kelso (Kunis and Kutcher) in Jay (Mace Coronel).

Leia is a 14-going-on-15, awkward as a baby giraffe on roller skates teen who, after the sweet taste of ’90s teenage freedom on the 4th of July, decides to stay for the rest of the summer with her grandparents in Point Place, hanging out with her newfound friends.

Among them are the weirdo next-door neighbor, Gwen (Ashley Aufderheide)’ her dumb-but-sweet-jock half-brother, Nate (Maxwell Acee Donovan); his girlfriend Nikki (Sam Morelos); snarky gay kid Ozzie (Reyn Doi); and the ladies’ man, Jay.

Again, we have a group of vastly different kids just being kids, but they feel way less sincere and far more cringe than their previous show’s counterparts (yes, cringe was definitely a big part of being a teen in the early oughts, but this series takes place in ’95). After the pilot, many character traits are abandoned, such as Jay’s cleverness in favor of jocky bro-type — though he is clearly way smarter than his father.

Leia’s sole personality is that she’s awkward and has been a little sheltered in her life. And Nikki doesn’t even get a strong trait until halfway through the season and that is only when she and Nate aren’t sucking each other’s faces.

There are also moments when references to ’90s life feel like more of an afterthought than a real experience, plus some references feel too late for the 1995 time period the show is set.

However, it’s easy to get caught up in the nostalgia of the original series and forget that it, too, was pretty silly, at times one-dimensional and had annoying teenagers as its lead characters. But then there were moments when everything just worked and we got to see those kids grow. And there are instances in “That ’90s Show� where you can see those sparks again.

The show is by no means unwatchable and there are fun moments along the way. In a sense, it feels like a show that aired during the decade would have, except that we got 22 episodes for shows back then. The way things air now in this age of binge-watching we just get 10 in which to hang out down the street with this motley crew of misfits in their smoke-filled basement (because of course they find Eric’s stash, which somehow is still OK to puff-puff-pass around after 20 years), which means the show is forced to fling itself wherever it needs to very quickly — and not always in the right direction.

I hope that the series gets at least one more season to iron out the pacing, the kinks in the story and acting from the young cast. Besides, it’s worth it for the Red Formanisms that come along as fast and deliciously as they did 20 years ago.

On screens this week: Neon and director Brandon Cronenberg horror film “Infinity Pool� splashes into theaters; Richard Gere, Diane Keaton, William H. Macy and Susan Sarandon star in the comedy “Maybe I Do�; Bill Nighy stars in “Living,� the English language remake of Kurosawa’s “Ikiru,� and octogenarian comedy “80 for Brady� begins sporadic early special screenings. On Amazon Prime, Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel star in action-rom-com “Shotgun Wedding,� Eddie Murphy and Jonah Hill star in “You People� on Netflix, and on Paramount+ catch Tyler Posey as he reprises his hit CW drama role of Scott McCall in “Teen Wolf: The Movie.�