Saved By The Bell Revival Series - What We Know So Far
Classes are back in session at Bayside High.
After years of speculation and rumor, the hit '90s teen TV dramedy Saved by the Bell is officially returning, just in time for the launch of NBC's brand-new streaming service (via Deadline).
Originally airing between 1989 and 1993, Saved by the Bell was a lighthearted and at times socially relevant series that followed a group of teenage friends and their principal as they navigated the ups-and-downs of academics, relationships, and other high school demands. A reworking of the Disney Channel series Good Morning, Miss Bliss, the sitcom starred Mark-Paul Gosselaar as the charming and incorrigible Zack Morris. His friend group consisted of Mario Lopez as the hot jock A.C. Slater, Elizabeth Berkley as pretty overachiever Jessie Spano, Tiffani Thiessen as the popular cheerleader Kelly Kapowski, Lark Voorhies as the wealthy fashionista Lisa Turtle, and Dustin Diamond as the eccentric nerd Samuel "Screech" Power. Dennis Haskins also starred as the uptight and hawk-eyed Principal Belding.
The classic coming-of-age comedy delivered quite a few laughs, but it also delved into several timely and topical issues for young adults. Running for four seasons, Saved by the Bell launched the careers of several of its young stars' as well as the spin-offs and movies The College Years, The New Class, Hawaiian Style, and Wedding in Las Vegas. In the decades after it ended, the show would be celebrated by critics before its behind-the-scenes dramas would become the focus of a 2014 Lifetime movie, The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story.
News of the revival was first announced back in September 2019, with several of its original stars already attached. Now, more details have emerged about the project, which will follow the lives of a handful of new students at Bayside High School. Here's everything we know about the upcoming Saved by the Bell revival.
Where and when you can watch the new Saved by the Bell series
During its four-year run, Saved by the Bell aired on NBC (as did its later '90s follow-ups The College Years and The New Class) so it only makes sense that the property would return to its colorful, five-feathered home. However, while some revivals and reboots like CBS's Magnum P.I., The CW's Charmed, and fellow '90s teen nostalgia series BH90210 earned primetime slots on their broadcast network's traditional TV schedules, the same can't be said for the Bayside High crew.
The announcement of the Saved by the Bell revival came on the heels of the original series' 30th anniversary and the news that NBC was planning reboots and revivals of several of its other popular properties, including Battlestar Galactica and Punky Brewster. Like those series, the revival will accompany a whopping 15,000 hours of programming that will be available to subscribers of the network's new streaming service, Peacock, when it launches in April 2020.
Unfortunately, the Saved by the Bell revival series is without a release date as of January 2020, and it's unlikely that it will arrive when Peacock rolls out in the spring. The series has several of its main cast attached and has already announced some new Bayside High enrollees (more on them in a bit), but it appears to still be in the earlier stages of production. It can take TV series anywhere from a couple of months to half a year to shoot depending on the episode order. Since Mario Lopez confirmed that the Saved by the Bell revival will have 10 episodes, it's safe to assume the show will air at the earliest sometime later this year.
What's the plot of the Saved by the Bell revival?
The Saved by the Bell revival is a sequel, but with an approach that mixes the angles of The College Years and The New Class. There will be some exploration into the adult lives of Bayside High's former students, as well as the experiences of a new circle of classmates, on the series. Among the original characters who will exist in some form is Zack Morris, who's now the governor of California. TV Guide reports that Governor Morris is beloved — save for a not-so-small political crisis over his decision to close "too many low-income high schools."
Not to rag on the charmer, but it seems like yet another classic Morris dilemma he's whipped up himself. How does he plan to fix it? By taking students from several of those closed institutions and sending them to the highest-performing schools in the state, Bayside High included. So, when it comes to the current class at Bayside, viewers should expect a mix of the breezy and sunny-smiled teens of the fictional town of Palisades, California they know as well as a fresh set of personalities from those who reside beyond its city limits. Anyone familiar with wrong-side-of-the-tracks teen dramas will know this is a recipe for more than a few clashes, but according to TV Guide, the revival is promising that what Bayside's newest students have to offer its more privileged ones is a "much-needed and hilarious reality check."
Saved by the Bell stars who will appear on the revival show
Fans of on-again-off-again lovebirds Jessie Spano and A.C. Slater might have been upset that the two didn't end up together at the end of the 1994 movie Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas, but they'll be happy to know both will be coming back for the revival. In fact, their appearances were among the first to be confirmed.
Following reports of Elizabeth Berkley's involvement with the revival, the actress took her Instagram to celebrate the news, writing, "I'M SO EXCITED.... here we gooooo!!! @mariolopez.... are you ready for grownup Jessie?!"
Berkley, who played fans' favorite feminist and brainiac, appeared throughout most of the original Saved by the Bell– but after the ending of the series, she decided to leave before returning to make an appearance in the 1994 wrap-up film. Jessie's character arc and Berkley's relatable take on the high-achiever makes her an exciting addition to the revival. What's just as fun is that fans will get to meet Jessie's son on the show. His name is Jamie Spano, the captain of the football team at Bayside, played by Belmont Cameli.
In addition to starring on the Saved by the Bell revival, Berkley will also produce alongside fellow co-star Mario Lopez, who played Army brat and dimpled-jock Slater. Since leaving the original Saved by the Bell, Lopez has become a well-known host and TV personality, with several gigs at Access Hollywood and an upcoming Netflix series. In an interview on The Ellen Show, Lopez told the daytime host that the revival series will be a single-camera take, but wouldn't reveal much about his character, including whether he'll return with his famous mullet.
Yes, Mark-Paul Gosselaar will be on the Saved by the Bell revival
As with the original series, the Saved by the Bell revival will revolve around a single decision made by Zack Morris. And yes, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, the actor who played the blonde-haired charmer, will reprise his role.
However, his attachment to the series was anything but solid until January 2020. Speaking to Variety in September 2019, Gosselaar said he was unaware of NBC's plans to reboot the series and had yet to be contacted by anyone involved: "I read it in the trades just like everybody else this morning. Honestly, I was never approached. I woke up to the news this morning with a kind of 'huh' response." In a later interview with ET Canada, Gosselaar said he'd be up for reprising his role, but that would only be possible if his current contract with ABC allowed it in some capacity.
Members of the Bayside crew whose appearances haven't yet been announced include Lark Voorhies and Dustin Diamond, who's the only cast member to appear in every iteration of the show, from its TV spin-offs to its films.
The actress behind Bayside's favorite head cheerleader is in talks to return
Bayside High was chock-full of as many teenage antics as teenage romances. Look no further than Zack and Kelly's relationship, as well as Jessie and Slater's multiple get-togethers and break-ups. Zack and Kelly do ultimately marry in the end, eloping in Vegas during The College Years' two-hour TV-movie finale. But the same can't be said for Bayside's favorite jock and brainiac who go their separate ways in Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas.
But all is not lost. We already know that Elizabeth Berkley and Mario Lopez have both been cast on the Saved by the Bell revival, and if you were a Kelly and Zack shipper, there's good news for you, too. Tiffani Thiessen, the actress behind Bayside's most popular girl, is in negotiations to appear on the series alongside several of her former castmates — though to what extent remains uncertain (via TVLine).
It's a particularly interesting turn of events considering that Thiessen has seemed reluctant to do a reboot for several years, telling Entertainment Tonight in 2016 that she didn't think the cast would be on board. In an interview with Parade following the Saved by the Bell reboot announcement, the cookbook author and Cooking Channel star even questioned the entire trend of modernizing TV classics. "It seems like every show's being rebooted for some reason," she said. "Can we just come up with original content? Is that a lost cause?"
With news of a possible appearance, it seems Thiessen might have changed her tune, to the joy of Saved by the Bell fans everywhere.
Fresh faces on the Saved by the Bell revival series cast
The Saved by the Bell revival will remain focused on Bayside High while introducing new characters, so it needs a few fresh faces to fill out its ranks — a couple of which have already been confirmed.
The first was Principal Toddman, who will be played by John Michael Higgins. The Pitch Perfect and Happily Divorced actor has previously worked with revival executive producer and helmer Tracey Wigfield on Great News. Much like his predecessor Principal Belding, Princpial Toddman will be the butt of his students' jokes with the bonus of being their parents' verbal punching bag. That treatment will change and his chance to make a difference will expand, however, after Bayside receives an influx of new students per Governor Morris' decree.
Meanwhile, Champions star Josie Totah was announced as the revival's first official student. Totah will play Lexi, "a beautiful, sharp-tongued cheerleader and the most popular girl at Bayside High who is both admired and feared by her fellow students," per The Hollywood Reporter. While a relative newcomer, Totah's past roles include appearances on Glee, New Girl, The Other Two, and 2 Broke Girls.
Considering the size of the original and spin-off casts, there are still many roles that need to be filled for this modern Saved by the Bell sequel, but it's clear that the return to Bayside High is well on its way.
Zack's son and Jessie's son are both enrolling at Bayside
Bayside High's new class is stepping into some big shoes, but it looks like NBC has found the right actors to fill them. Entertainment Weekly reported that two major Bayside legacies were cast, and they may or may not be the spitting images of their parents.
Mitchell Hoog (Richard Jewel, Harriet) officially signed on to the revival as Mac Morris. Yes, Hoog will be playing the one and only son of Mark-Paul Gosselaar's blonde-haired charmer, Zack. Mac will share those features with his father — as well as a little extra privilege, being the son of the governor and all.
Additionally, Jesse's son has also been cast, with actor Belmont Cameli set to take on the role of Jamie Spano. Unlike his mother, Jamie is slightly sportier, serving as the captain of the Bayside High football team. He's also described as a "sensitive man-child," a characteristic that can be interpreted a couple of ways.
Deadline also reported that two more students have officially enrolled. Young actress Haskiri Velazquez (The Birch, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit) will play the smart and ambitious sophomore Daisy, a teen eager to attend Bayside High after Governor Morris' school closures shut her local school down. The other is relative newcomer Alycia Pascual-Pena (Chase, The Plug). The young star will play Daisy's fun-loving but ultra-competitive best friend Aisha, another sports-friendly character who causes a stir when she decides to play football at Bayside.
While there may be more castings to come, this latest news helps round out a significant chunk of the revival's cast.