If you're in need of a desperate hit of late 80s, early 90s nostalgia (let's admit, that's all of us right now), it's time to indulge in the modern reimagining of of an all-time classic, with the Saved by the Bell reboot. The iconic coming-of-age show isn't the first to be getting the adaptation treatment, and from what we have seen so far, the new series will not shy away from touching on many prevalent issues faced by teenagers today – all under the guise of the classic sit-com banner.
Produced by streaming platform Peacock, the Saved by the Bell reboot might feature some of the original cast members, but it's clear from the get-to that it will be noticeably more adventurous, and realistic for that matter, in the way that it approaches real issues including systemic racism, economic inequality and gender identity. Following on from the original Bayside High gang, Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), Kelly Kapowski (Tiffani Thiessen), A.C Slater (Mario Lopez) and Jessie Spano (Elizabeth Berkley Lauren) reappear several years later as adults still connected to their high school days in some way.
Watch the trailer for the Saved by the Bell reboot below.
Zack, who is married to Kelly, has become California's governor, while Slater and Jessie both work at Bayside High – Slater as the 'cool' gym teacher and Jessie working as a guidance councillor. After Zack makes the decision to close too many underfunded public high schools, he suggests that these newly displaced students take up residency at Bayside High – the school his son Mac, also attends. What ensues is a world of cultural and financial clashes, serving the privileged Bayside kids with a much needed dose of reality.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, the show's screenwriter, Tracey Wigfield shared that she wanted to achieve a balance between comedy and social awareness through the Saved by the Bell reboot, explaining;
“In terms of dealing with issues, it’s a comedy show, and in everything I’ve ever written, the most important thing is that it’s funny, number one... But it was important to me to assemble a really diverse group of writers, who also come from a bunch of different backgrounds and went to a bunch of different kinds of high schools and grew up in a bunch of different places. And, I feel like that was really helpful in being able to tell subtler stories that do touch on things like class, privilege, and race.”
Saved by the Bell is available to stream on Peacock now. If you're wanting to take a look back on the classic, the streaming platform has also created a new Saved by the Bell channel where you can watch over 100 episodes from the original series.
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