That Queen from the ’70s Show

Media Moment: That ’70s Show
Queen Related: Episode Title: Sheer Heart Attack

I had heard rumblings that That ’70s Show had used a few Queen song titles as episode titles, but I didn't realize the extent to which they embraced them until I looked up this episode on That ’70s Central, Episode Guide. It turns out that the entire line-up of Season Eight episodes is based on Queen songs. Here’s the rundown:

Episode / Air Date / Episode Title
#801 / November 2, 2005 / Bohemian Rhapsody
#802 / November 2, 2005 / Somebody to Love
#804 / November 9, 2005 / You’re My Best Friend
#805 / November 16, 2005 / Misfire
#803 / November 30, 2005 / Stone Cold Crazy
#806 / December 7, 2005 / Long Away
#807 / December 14, 2005 / Fun It
#808 / January 12, 2006 / Good Company
#811 / January 19, 2006 / Who Needs You
#809 / January 26, 2006 / Sweet Lady
#810 / February 2, 2006 / Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy
#812 / February 9, 2006 / Killer Queen
#813 / March 16, 2006 / Spread Your Wings
#817 / March 23, 2006 / Son and Daughter
#814 / April 13, 2006 / Keep Yourself Alive
#815 / April 27, 2006 / My Fairy King
#816 / April 27, 2006 / Crazy Little Thing Called Love
#818 / May 4, 2006 / We Will Rock You
#820 / May 4, 2006 / Sheer Heart Attack
#819 / May 11, 2006 / Leaving Home Ain’t Easy
[Special #4 / May 11, 2006 / That '70s Show: The Final Goodbye]
#821 / May 18, 2006 / Love of My Life
#822 / May 18, 2006 / That ’70s Finale

Of course, Queen aren’t the only classic rockers represented on the show . . . Seasons Five, Six, and Seven are based on Zeppelin, Who, and Stones songs respectively (what, no Floyd?). I find it curious that for a show based in Wisconsin, they are showcasing British bands of the ’70s instead of American ones. What does this say about the show’s writers’ musical preferences? Or is it merely based on historical significance?

Speaking of the writers, I’m inclined to ask whether the main storyline for the Season Eight—or any of the band-based seasons, for that matter—episodes were written ahead of time and they matched a Queen song to each; or did they scan the entire Queen song title list and get inspired to write an episode around a song title?

Whatever the case, having Queen wrap up the series is a feather in their cap, and I wonder if this was an arbitrary decision on the part of the producers, or whether they wanted the series to go out with a royal punch.