The Saved by the Bell reboot on Peacock will see several actors from the original series reprising their characters. Saved by the Bell aired from 1989 to 1993 and chronicled the wholesome hijinks of a group of friends as they attended California’s Bayside High School. The show spawned two spin-offs, Saved by the Bell: The College Years (1993-1994) and Saved by the Bell: The New Class (1993-2000) along with two made for TV movies: Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style (1992) and Saved by the Bell: Wedding In Las Vegas (1994).
The original series starred Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Tiffani Thiessen (formerly Tiffany Amber Thiessen), Mario Lopez, Dustin Diamond, Elizabeth Berkley Lauren (neé Berkley), and Lark Voorhies. The sitcom touched on some serious issues such as drug use, drinking and driving, homelessness, and gender equality but generally steered clear of anything too controversial. The character of Zack served as a narrator, breaking the fourth wall to address viewers directly. The series ended with the gang graduating and heading their separate ways.
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Peacock’s reimagining stars John Michael Higgins, Haskiri Velazquez, Alycia Pascual-Pena, Belmont Cameli, Dexter Darden, Mitchell Hoog, and Josie Totah. Tracey Wigfield and Franco Bario (Great News), who was a producer on the original series, serve as executive producers. According to Deadline, during Peacock’s CTAM 2020 presentation, Wigfield promised “a mix of old school Saved By The Bell episodic stories and season-long stories.” In addition to what promises to be a show full of Easter eggs, the new Saved by the Bell features a number of actors from the original returning to their roles.
Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar)
The character of Zack Morris was the mastermind behind a variety of cons and schemes mostly to make a quick buck, take academic shortcuts, or to win the heart of his dream girl, Kelly Kapoowski. In Peacock’s Saved by the Bell, Zack Morris is now the governor of California who” gets into hot water for closing too many low-income high schools and proposes they send the affected students to the highest-performing schools in the state, including Bayside High.” Gosselaar is slated to appear in three episodes and also serves as an executive producer on the streaming service’s show. Zack and Kelly’s son, Mac (Mitchell Hoog), is a series regular.
Jessie Spano (Elizabeth Berkley Lauren)
Berkley’s Jessie Spano was the brains and feminist of the group. One standout episode of the original series focuses on Jessie’s addiction to caffeine pills. The reboot pays homage to the storyline, which is revealed in Peacock’s teaser trailer for Saved by the Bell. Not much else is revealed about Jessie, although she is a main character. Like Zack, Jessie has a child attending Bayside, her son Jamie (Belmont Cameli), who is the captain of the football team.
A.C. Slater (Mario Lopez)
During Saved by the Bell‘s original run, Lopez played jock and military brat, A.C. Slater. In earlier episodes, Slater was constantly competing with Zack for Kelly’s affections, and he went on to briefly date Jessie. The former high school lovebirds reminisce about the good ole days in the trailer for Peacock’s highly-anticipated reimagining. Slater is now Bayside’s gym teacher and also a series regular.
Max (Ed Alonzo)
Just like their predecessors, the new Saved by the Bell kids will be kicking back with burgers and shakes at The Max. Alonzo, who played the diner’s owner, will be back serving fries and likely performing magic tricks for a whole new generation. Fans of the original show remember The Max as the setting for many Bayside events such as pep rallies. Alonzo will have a recurring role.
Kelly Kapowski (Tiffani Thiessen)
Thiessen played Kelly Kapowski, the prettiest girl at Bayside High, and the object of Zack Morris’ affections. In a February interview with TVLine, Gosselaar said, “As far as I know, she will be in an episode or two with me.” The actor also clarified that he and Thiessen’s limited appearances had nothing to do with their desire to be involved but rather because of their busy schedules. Thiessen’s character is married to her high school sweetheart and mom to Mac. Neither she nor Gosselaar appears in the Saved by the Bell trailer.
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