90s babies have many a film or TV show to hang onto from the unique era that it was. It was an interesting decade particularly for sitcoms that even now are beginning to see some reincarnations. For instance, at the end of 89 moving into what would be the last ten years of the century, there was Saved by the Bell. Saved by the Bell has returned to TV in a new capacity, but the original four seasons are to thank for starting it all. Though nowadays almost considered a guilty pleasure, it was just right for its time when it first began syndicating.
Saved by the Bell is about a group of friends stumbling their way through high school together.
Saved by the Bell is about a group of friends stumbling their way through high school together. Zach, Screech, Kelly, Jessie, Lisa, and Screech have their own interests, personalities and place in the social structure of the average high school. One would do better to think of them as the tame version of the ‘breakfast club’, all of them leading a more or less innocent existence with the occasional speed bump along the way as they press on towards graduation. Their four years alongside each other are full of highs and lows, triumphs and failures, and let downs and successes. At the end of the day, they’re always there for one another in some shape or form.
Saved by the Bell is what anyone can expect from a sitcom. It’s shot like one, written like one, and performed like one. Be that as it may there are plenty of positives to take away from it. More than anything it’s the characters that make the show timeless. Just as the characters have their place, the actors are equally in their proper position. Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Zach Morris is everlasting. His charm and wit makes him likeable even though is character is written to cause most of the trouble that happens on the show, much attributed to Gosselaar’s work on the character. Mario Lopez played Slater with the appropriate amount of rivalry to Zach, and with enough poise to stand out on his own as a hunky jock. Dustin Diamond makes Screech the nerd of the century. His line delivery and physical comedy shows his intelligence as an actor even though he played the part at an inexperienced age. Tiffani Thiessen as Kelly was every adolescence’s first crush of the 90s, exemplifying the ‘beautiful cheerleader’ though doing so with a kind presence and an endearing aura. Lark Voorhies and Elizabeth Berkley as Lisa and Jessie were likewise part of the fun with Voorhies playing the best stereotype of a young woman of means and Berkely effortlessly pulling off her role as the brain of the bunch.
In a few years, Saved by the Bell will have had its first episode thirty decades ago. Will that make it a classic?
In a few years, Saved by the Bell will have had its first episode thirty decades ago. Will that make it a classic? Yes. Is it a perfect show? Not by a long shot. It is however filled with memories and nostalgia that young adults of the present can remember and reminisce.
