FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS
The old SBTB gang gets back together for some new antics at Bayside High
Saved by the Bell Debuts Thursday, W Network
Remixing Saved by the Bell is nothing new. Making the remix slap? That's something else entirely.
The original series encompasses the ultimate high school television universe. And for the '90s tweens, the show was as addictive as a second bowl of sugary cereal.
But that adulation hasn't automatically extended to the SBTB universe's expansion efforts. Saved by the Bell: The College Years? We couldn't transfer quickly enough from that snooze fest. And Saved by the Bell: The New Class never matched the magic of its namesake.
On W Network's new Saved by the Bell reboot, a funnier and more culturally relevant reimagining of Bayside High will make even the most diehard SBTB fans take notice.
Many will probably give the series a try because of well-advertised appearances by the original cast: Mark-paul Gosselaar as Zack Morris; Tiffani Thiessen as Kelly Kapowski, who is Zack's wife; Elizabeth Berkley as Jessie Spano; and Mario Lopez as A.C. Slater are all set to return, with a confirmed cameo appearance later this season from Lark Voorhies as Lisa Turtle.
On the reboot, Zack is now the governor of California who landed the job with a very on-brand scheme. Gov. Z stumbles through fiscal mistake after mistake until he has obliterated the education budget, forcing less-fortunate students across California to transfer to wealthier schools — like Bayside — when their own are shut down.
Even though the show wouldn't be the same without Gosselaar returning, he's not around too much the first few episodes. Part of the shock is how well the show clicks without him. While Zack and Kelly may have always been the draw back in the day, SBTB'S other couple, Jessie and Slater, are the Bellers pulling full-time duty on this show.
They're no longer a thing, but both work at Bayside, Jessie as a counsellor and Slater as a gym teacher. Jessie's own son attends the school and Slater still calls her “mama,” so yes, it is awkward.
What really makes this new Saved by the Bell show next level, though, are its two main protagonists, the Latina dynamic duo of Daisy (Haskiri Velazquez) and Aisha (Alycia Pascual-pena).
Two Latinas of colour — and some much needed Afro-latina representation — in starring roles in a teen comedy stands out against the whitewashing Univision and Telemundo have been broadcasting as Latina representation in their entertainment for decades. Here in this new streaming world, Velazquez and Pascual-pena show us what we've been missing with their outstanding chemistry and comedic chops,
The show has many lighter moments, of course, including the use of curse words (“oooooo,” says the nonexistent studio audience), deep-cut cameos (Mr. Dewey as the math teacher!), and an updated version of the classic theme song (Lil Yachty's got you), so don't worry about history being completely rewritten.
This new class gets a passing grade.