7 Reasons Why Kitty And Red From "That '70s Show" Have One Of The Healthiest Relationships In Sitcom History

Everyone's second mom and dad.

1. They are relatable

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Red and Kitty are a relatable and practical couple when it comes to TV couples. By no means are they a perfect couple, but they face and tackle issues that most couples, especially those with kids, face. From financial struggles, like when Red got laid off, to dealing with their children's antics, to dealing with health issues. None of these scenarios are particularly unique to Red and Kitty, as these are issues that anyone can face.

2. They are super into each other (physically)

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There are a lot of instances I can talk about when I say that Red and Kitty are super into each other. Several times throughout the show, we see scenes where Red and Kitty are alone and one of them might say, "you know, the kids aren't here," or some other form of hint and then we see them excitedly running off to the bedroom. When I say they are into each other physically, yes, I do mean they probably frequently have sex. But you can also feel that chemistry in scenes when they are just around each other. This was evident when the Formans had to cut back on expenses, due to Red being laid off, and Kitty says that she'll just have to put Red on a "sugar diet," and proceeds to kiss Red. Another example was the episode where they accidentally ended up at a spouse-swapping party due to a miscommunication with an old friend, Bull. While annoyed that they ended up at this party, something had been insinuated that Bull didn't want to sleep with Kitty, and Red angrily asked, "well, what the hell is wrong with my wife?" — showing his strong attraction to his wife.

3. They support each other

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Red and Kitty are a great example of a couple who support each other. This is seen a lot throughout the show, starting at the very beginning. In the first season, one of the story lines is that Red got cut down to part-time at work, leading to his eventual lay-off. During this time, Kitty steps up and picks up extra hours at the hospital where she works to help financially support the family, being the "breadwinner" for a while, which given the time period it is set in, is still a pretty big deal. When Red becomes a supervisor at Price-Mart, and after Eric fesses up to smoking, Kitty decides to stay home full-time to keep an eye on them, and to keep Red's anger at bay. Eventually, things go back to normal in the household and Kitty is met with a need to fill her time. During a particular episode, Red tries different things to try and help her, but she eventually told him that she wanted to go back to work. Red was happy to oblige — he didn't try to stop her, didn't even question it; he just wanted her happy.

4. They took "in sickness and in health" quite literally

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Throughout the series, the couple faces a few health issues — two of them being Red's heart attack and Kitty's emergence of menopause. Kitty sees to it that Red starts taking care of himself and tries to encourage him to have a healthier diet. Of course, Kitty is a nurse and this isn't very out of character for her, but it is also very different when it is someone in your family and someone that you love who is sick. I wouldn't say that Red handles Kitty going through menopause perfectly, as he is often terrible with words and says the wrong thing, BUT he tries. Menopause hits Kitty HARD and she is often emotional, including anger and great sadness. It's new territory for them, but he's there to navigate the waters with her, and eventually gifts her Schatzi, her dog, which ends up helping her tremendously because she wanted something to take care of.

5. They are best friends

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When That '70s Show is introduced to us, Red and Kitty had already been married/together for at least 20 years. This doesn't stop them from remaining best friends. Sure, there are times where they forget to "date" each other, but they genuinely enjoy their time together. It is widely known that Red dislikes the general populous, but he often talks about how he wants to just enjoy his time with Kitty, often acknowledging his likeness to her. Of course, Kitty is more social than her other half, however, the person she often relates to is Red.

6. They way they handle conflict

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This goes back to relatability. Are Red and Kitty master communicators? No. But the majority of us aren't, even those who are "good" at communicating. Unlike their neighbors, Bob and Midge often have weird, outrageous conflicts — between deciding they are swingers, to nudists, to getting re-married, to ending up getting divorced. Objectively speaking, Kitty and Red often have "normal" conflicts. These conflicts can range from either of them saying something that offends, hurts, or angers the other person to disagreeing on how to handle Eric and Laurie. It could be argued that it is slightly annoying how conflict is always resolved by the end of the episode between the two and how that is unrealistic (such as most TV shows do), but that is a byproduct of 30-minute sitcoms. They give the audience the resolve we want for the couple, but perhaps not always in the timeframe we want. 

With that in mind, Red and Kitty's conflicts may not resolve for several days, as the show's setting is often two days per single episode. How they resolve their conflicts varies, depending on their conflict, which shows the want to change for the greater good. Conflict resolution between the two included going on dates, compromising on disciplinary actions, honesty (whether it is telling the person "like it is" or owning up to their own mistake), and TALKING (amazing, right?).

7. And their relationship is egalitarian/very equal

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Okay, hear me out on this one. Are there some patriarchal ideologies (like Red not being able to cook or show emotion, Bob not wanting Midge to take night classes, and Kitty being too busy taking care of the house to be a "feminist") in the show? Sure. But again, given the time that the show was set in, it is not all that surprising. Though there are these ideas in the show, Red and Kitty are, for the most part, on the same page about what their relationship looks like and what their roles in the family are. They might disagree on some things, mostly discipline with Eric, but they don't necessarily shut the other person down for their ideas. They also share ideas with each other, which is a huge thing in itself. Red doesn't keep Kitty from work or wanting to work. Kitty, though often when she is angry, reminds Red that he is more than capable of feeding himself. Red also shuts down some of Bob's sexist talk, usually calling him "dumb", but ya know, that's Red for ya. Mostly, there is mutual respect for each other. They don't try to change each other and they know each other's patterns, good and bad. Given the timeframe, I would go as far to say that they might even be progressive.

A nod to the actors:

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Of course, what made this chemistry between Red and Kitty is due to the acting skills of Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp. They make the Forman's relationship believable, natural, and organic.

The writers of the show also deserve a nod for creating such a beautiful, healthy relationship.

Again, are they the perfect couple? No. However, they do have one of the most healthy TV relationships portrayed in a sitcom. We can't wait to see how their relationship and chemistry grows in Netflix's upcoming series, That '90s Show.