Saved by the Bell is returning this winter because of course it is, since, as we have been over many times before, anything that was once even considered moderately-enjoyable will be repackaged because our thirst for nostalgia is unquenchable. Don’t even pretend to be shocked in a few months when we get news that Seth Rogen is doing the voice of Alf in a big-budget summer movie.
A new trailer for the reboot — which hits NBC’s new streaming service The Peacock (or ‘cock for short) on November 25th — came out this week. You can check it out below if you missed it.
Is it weird I think this show looks…actually not that bad?* I mean, granted my expectations weren’t too high. Wait, actually, that would imply I had any expectations at all. It looks like they are following the playbook of the Karate Kid spinoff Cobra Kai. A mix of cheese, self-knowing winks, and a combination of the characters we loved growing up with a new younger cast as well.
*I hope they use that as a blurb on some promotional ads. “Dana Wessel of WesselMania says it is “actually not that bad!”
Here are a few other thoughts:
- Just like a lot of you I loved Saved by the Bell growing up. Reruns on TBS after school were a staple for years. Anybody born around the same time as me likely developed their first crush on a character from that show. All this being said, I don’t want to see any comments about how this reboot could “tarnish the legacy” of the original. What legacy?! There was once an episode where Zack photographed the female swim team without their knowledge and then sold the photos in a calendar without their consent. The original wasn’t exactly high art. It is fine to have fond memories of the original but lets not pretend this was anything more than it was.
- Speaking of Zack Morris, only in the Saved by the Bell universe would that sociopath end up as the mayor of California. So delightfully ridiculous. The rest of the returning characters all make a lot of sense, too. Slater as a gym teacher that wants to hang out with high school kids? Check. Jesse Spano as an administrator who wants to help kids? Check.
- It really is no shock that Screech (Dustin Diamond) was nowhere to be seen. He hasn’t been part of any of the various reunions (the best of which happened on Jimmy Falon) after writing a tell-all book. I hope they address his character’s absence in some throwaway line like, “Remember when Screech died when he got hit by that bus a few years back? Anyway, what should we do for dinner?”
- Plenty of callbacks to the orig’ throughout the two minute trailer, as expected. Calling timeout, a ‘Zack Attack’ reunion on stage, the Hawaiian house party dance sequence, Harvest Dance, and Zack’s comically large 90s cell phone were just a few I caught.
- Shoutout to all the Saved by the Bell lifers who popped when they spotted Mr. Dewey in the trailer.
The new Saved by the Bell – much like the old Saved by the Bell – looks cheesy and dumb. I will absolutely watch it if for no other reason that it will be nice to have the first love of my life Kelly Kapowski back in my life. Plus, we all need something to help pass the time until the Seth Rogen Alf reboot hits theaters.
Dana Wessel 