Red's Most Iconic Scene From That '70s Show

In the early days of sitcoms, the dad would often be a source of wisdom. He'd be there to show the kids the right way to solve a problem while telling a joke along the way. Starting around the 1990s, things changed. Sitcom dads went from fountains of wisdom to cantankerous adversaries to the children's shenanigans, and nowhere is that better exemplified than with Red Forman (Kurtwood Smith) from "That '70s Show."

Across the show's eight seasons, Red managed to amass quite the catalog of insults. Of course, when you have a son who's as much of a smart aleck as Erick (Topher Grace), and he has a friend as dimwitted as Kelso (Ashton Kutcher), you don't exactly have to go out of your way to find a reason to become annoyed. From telling them where he's going to stick his foot to proclaiming how badly he wanted to be buried face-down, Red had some creative ways of getting his point across. However, all of those moments barely hold a candle to what's arguably the greatest Red insult of all time, one that cements his status as one of the best sitcom dads ever made.

When you're in the same room as Red Forman, you should expect to be called a "dumbass" at some point. There are numerous examples across all 200 episodes of "That '70s Show" of Red using his favorite word, but few have as much impact as a classic line from the Season 1 episode "Thanksgiving." Eric ends up upsetting Donna (Laura Prepon) after getting the hots for one of his sister's friends. This puts a damper on their will they/won't they relationship, and Eric attempts to find solace in his father. It's at this time Red offers the following gem: "Son, you don't have bad luck. The reason that bad things happen to you is because you're a dumbass. Now fix it."

What makes this particular scene so iconic is all in Kurtwood Smith's delivery. A lot of the time, Red operates on one level: Pure anger. When he's calling someone a dumbass, he's practically shouting it. In this line, he's merely declaring it as a statement of fact. It's almost inspiring when he follows it up with "Now fix it." He doesn't just accept that his son does stupid things; he actively wants him to do better because he knows he belongs with Donna. 

Red loved Eric even though he had a funny way of showing it. Maybe he thought if he were tough on Eric, he would straighten out a bit. By the end of the series, that's precisely what happened. Eric fixed it.