One of the most generation-defining TV shows of the last 40 years, Saved by the bell brought a lot of laughter and general hilarity to the lives of Gen X and Gen Y viewers during its original 1989-1992 and subsequent seasons Saved by the bell restart. The unmistakable 90s fashion, the very groovy music and the copious amounts of hairspray on display make this classic teen show a huge nostalgic attraction for audiences to this day. A groundbreaking series at the time, it put a group of precocious teenagers at the forefront and spoke directly to its target audience.
Zack (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), Screech (Dustin Diamond), Lisa (Lark Voorhies) and Mr. Belding (Dennis Haskins) were introduced to the public in Good morning, Miss Happinesswhich was reformulated and later became the Saved by the bell viewers know and love. With the addition of Kelly (Tiffani Amber Thiessen), Jessie (Elizabeth Berkley) and Slater (Mario Lopez), Saved by the bellThe group of actors was complete and a phenomenon was created. A success in its time slot, it put its young cast in the spotlight. It is worth remembering, however, that certain elements Saved by the bell they aged poorly. It's largely a product of its time, and what was common practice then looks a little different now.
10
The episode “Rent-a-Pop”
From season 2
Saved by the bell was set in the 1990s and there are a few different reasons why certain stories wouldn't work today. Some have to do with a more progressive stance on many social issues, and some simply have to do with security and technological advancement. The episode's premise is pretty simple: Zack is failing and isn't allowed to go to the school carnival, so he hires an actor to play his father. Navigating the layers of improbability, trying to accomplish something like this in this day and age is unimaginable.
Firstly, whenever a child is enrolled in school, all parties involved must undergo strenuous background checks. A list of adults who are allowed to pick up students from school must be approved before anyone can pick them up off campus, and even if people haven't met in person before, photo IDs are constantly used. The rules may have been a little looser in high school, but there's no way a random actor would be able to impersonate a student's parent or guardian these days. Additionally, there should probably be more stringent safety precautions when it comes to children hiring adults for any job.
9
The “Jessie song” episode
From season 2
As one of the most memorable and iconic episodes of the entire show, 'Jessie's Song' finds Bayside's favorite outspoken academic receiving pharmaceutical help to study for her exams and keep up with her singing group. When Jessie finds she has too much to do, she turns to drugs to help her stay awake and study. Since this was a '90s network show that aired on Saturday mornings, there was a limit to what these drugs could be. The writers opted for caffeine pills and showed Jessie acting in all sorts of erratic ways, sleeping too much and having withdrawal symptoms, as if she was a long-term addict.
While the sentiment of this story is understandable, America was in the midst of the “Just Say No” campaign and the message itself was not the problem. The main problem was that the plot was supposed to center on amphetamines rather than caffeine pills, which would make the overacting and worry much more plausible. The entire episode feels creepy, especially the completely serious portrayal of what was actually a teenager drinking one too many Venti lattes. Imagine the same 90s demographic trying to watch an episode of Euphoria seems unfathomable.
8
Screech's obsession with Lisa
From seasons 1-4
This relationship was one of the central ones of the show, but not in the same way as the others. While Zack and Kelly and Jessie and Slater were serious romantic couples considered “endgame,” Lisa and Screech were different. Completely played for comedic effect, it saw the “geek” pining after the “popular girl” who never paid him any attention. What was intended to be a funny and innocent passion often took very sinister, borderline and stalkerish turns. Lisa said no multiple times in each episode, but Screech never stopped pursuing her.
Furthermore, he was often encouraged by his friends not to give up and to persist. Zack helped him with several schemes, and Slater was never seen telling him to stop bothering his friend. Lisa was by no means a flower of life and knew how to take care of herself. In fact, their retorts and criticisms could be considered bullying in and of themselves. These characters never belonged together, and while some episodes of banter could be seen as funny, four seasons of non-stop chasing was definitely too much.
7
Zack telling everyone that Slater was dying
From season 1
This was a very new, albeit unconventional, way of trying to get rid of a love rival. In the show's first season, Slater and Zack competed for Kelly Kapowski's affection. The two would fight and outdo each other, with varying degrees of success. This was before the friendship between the boys solidified and Zack and Kelly became the show's main couple. When AC's family was about to move to Hawaii, Zack decided to spread a rumor that he had an incurable disease and needed to move to Hawaii for treatment.
The logistics seem weak, as does the execution, and ultimately Slater managed to turn the tide in “Preppy,” as always. It's surprising how, even in the 1990s, terminal illness was such an insensitive joke. There was no need for such a dark twist on a generally light-hearted comedy. True, the language used back then was much less PC and positive, but the karmic consequences of such a lie should strike fear into anyone who tried to do so.
6
Kelly dating Jeff
From season 2
While age issues in relationships have always been a theme of many teen dramas, these days there is more discourse surrounding the topic. Jeff was hired as a foil to Zack in his relationship with Kelly in the second season. He was in college and Kelly's boss at The Max, and the two began openly dating. Kelly's age was difficult to quantify at the time, and many TV shows tend to constantly change characters' birthdays, but it was probably around 15/16. The fact that he, an adult college student who also managed the establishment, went out with his underage employee without any secrecy or sneaking around made no sense.
Jeff was clearly intended to be an antagonist in the eyes of the public, and this age difference only added to the reasons to dislike him. However, the fact that no one batted an eye at this was a sign of the times. Any current teen show worth its salt would at least try to hide the relationship and use the secrecy for dramatic purposes. In short, the entire plot would have been handled differently if the show had been set in a different time period.
5
The Lisa letter episode
From season 1
Lisa Turtle was a fashion icon and a self-confessed shopping aficionado, as she often complemented her enviable wardrobe. In one specific episode, she had a large bill on her father's credit card and was afraid of getting into trouble for spending too much. Zack decided to help by raffling off a kiss from Lisa, without any discussion or consent. This wasn't the first, nor the last, time that Lisa or the other girls became the target of one of Zack's schemes, but this seemed particularly pointed. When the raffle doesn't raise enough money, he starts selling her clothes. Again, no prior discussion.
Leaving aside the blatant disregard for boundaries and personal space, this borders on aggression. It also shows a complete lack of respect between people who should be friends. The show tries to explain this by making it seem like Lisa is so shallow that she doesn't know what's good for her, but Lark Voorhies' performance when she says she feels petty has a ring of truth.
4
The Zack Tapes Episode
From season 1
There is a lot to unpack about this episode. Firstly, the way it uses subliminal messages as a magic bullet to get people to do what their heart desires is actually quite ridiculous, but seeing as it's a light-hearted teen show, that can be expected. But using it for such dastardly purposes is far from joyful. Zack tries to manipulate his classmates into dating him using specially created subliminal message tapes. It works at first, but his plan is soon thwarted.
As the female population of Bayside takes revenge on young Mr. Morris, the teacher who introduced them to the whole affair also becomes involved. This is highly inappropriate and should have been seen as such. While manipulating people to get what you want is nothing new, the scale on which it was used in this storyline was highly exaggerated and would probably be shut down nowadays. Or at least it would require seeing some severe repercussions on the perpetrator.
3
The Tori situation
From season 4
In its final season, Saved by the bell filmed all planned episodes with the main cast, but received a request for 10 extras to fill schedules. With Tiffani Thiessen and Elizabeth Berkley unavailable for additional filming, the creators decided to get creative. They introduced the character Tori Scott (Leanna Creel) to replace Jessie and Kelly and joined regularly for extra episodes. She was an interesting character, different from the other Bayside students, with a leather jacket and a 90s feel. She became Zack's new romantic interest and was part of some memorable storylines.
The problem was that there was absolutely no explanation as to where Jessie and Kelly were when Tori arrived. Additionally, following their departure, the originally planned graduation episode aired, with Thiessen and Berkley back. Again, no explanation as to where they were, why they had left, or where Tori had gone now. Scheduling issues like this are inevitable, but in this day and age it's incomprehensible that main cast members disappear and reappear with no explanation. It's still a very strange arc to navigate during a rewatch.
2
The episode “Running Zack”
From season 2
There were many instances of insensitive language and culturally inappropriate references made throughout the show, but none were as bad as this particular hallway. During a family history assignment, Zack discovers he has some Native American heritage. What follows is a mix of cultural appropriation, stereotyping and backwards thinking. The students imitate clichéd depictions of Native Americans, and Zack himself wears a headdress, complete with face paint and “authentic” clothing. This lack of sensitivity and awareness was, unfortunately, rife in the 1990s and, in fact, until recently.
Mark-Paul Gosselaar himself said he was mortified by this storyline and dreaded watching it again for his time. Zack for the future podcast. It's safe to say that the state of television isn't perfect yet, but at least it's gone a bit beyond the representation shown in this episode. There's no way the hero of any modern show would be shown acting this way these days.
1
Bayside Girls Calendar
From season 2
So many wrong things happen in the episode “Model Students”. First, Zack and Screech take candid, unsolicited photos of the girls' swim team. These are completely illegal images of teenagers in swimsuits. They then make a calendar with these photos and sell it to students in the school store. The male population lines up for these “unofficial” calendars and when the girls find out, they are understandably outraged. There are also life-size cardboard cutouts of these teenage girls in swimsuits dotted around the store for everyone to see.
When they go to Mr. Belding, he seems to care more about the fact that the boys used his face superimposed on Jessie's body during one of the months. The girls change their minds when a professional photographer shows interest in featuring them in a teen fashion magazine. There's also an additional subplot of Zack manipulating Kelly into not going to Paris for another shoot, but it pales in comparison to the egregious actions the boys demonstrated earlier. The plethora of problems with this plot include multiple accusations of crime, complete breach of trust, and blatant exploitation. It is without a doubt one of the most shocking Saved by the bell episodes to watch.