TMC
08-20-2019, 07:35 PM
https://tv.avclub.com/30-years-on-saved-by-the-bell-s-grotesque-nerds-are-a-1837332684
The NBC Saturday morning high school show, a retooled version of Disney Channel's Good Morning, Miss Bliss, premiered on Aug. 20, 1989. "The thing about Saved by the Bell, says Randall Colburn, is this: "It is the laziest sh*t ever made. That’s, in a way, part of its charm—the cartoon, pastel-caked nature of its California high school is built almost exclusively on the stalest, most absurd stereotypes: preppy, jock, cheerleader, brainiac, and, of course, geek. If Fonzie pointed a finger at the nerd as it exists in pop culture, and Revenge Of The Nerds gave us an enduring visual accompaniment, it was John Hughes who gave it depth in movies like Weird Science and The Breakfast Club. What’s significant about Saved By The Bell is that it overlooks Hughes’ nuance entirely, essentially turning every nerd into a version of Grease’s Eugene Felsnic. With names like Herbert, Melvin, and, my personal favorite, Ronald Geekman, these oodles of effeminate dorks speak in high-pitched squeaks, waddle like penguins, wear tape over their glasses, and speak at length about pocket protectors. They’re rarely portrayed as smart, but strange. Kelly, Lisa, and Jessie recoil every time they’re near; not even Screech cosigns them (unless, of course, it suits the plot). If they were at all overweight, their lines would inevitably be about food and when they can eat that food. Plotwise, they were often presented as an adversarial force for our popular heroes, villains to be conquered. And, y’all, the pocket protectors: In one episode, when the class is tasked with inventing something, the nerds create a 'pocket protector protector,' and the nerds who run the school store are ecstatic when a new shipment of 'fluorescent pocket protectors' arrive. Jokes for days. Now, it’s precisely that utter lack of effort that the writers put into these bits that makes them so funny from a modern perspective. In a way, it also serves as a fun comment on the banality and absurdity of the archetypal bully."
ALSO:
Presenting the 20 most memorable Saved by the Bell moments (https://decider.com/2019/08/20/saved-by-the-bell-30th-anniversary-most-memorable-moments/)
When Mark-Paul Gosselaar remembers the iconic "Jessie's Song" episode, he thinks about the taste of cinnamon (https://tvline.com/2017/01/12/saved-by-the-bell-im-so-excited-scene-pills-candy-video/)
Looking back at Saved by the Bell's best musical moments (https://people.com/tv/saved-by-the-bell-best-musical-moments/)
30 shocking Saved by the Bell secrets revealed (https://www.eonline.com/news/1066397/30-shocking-saved-by-the-bell-secrets-revealed)
You can stay in a Saved by the Bell-themed Airbnb in Dallas (https://thespaces.com/saved-by-the-bell-comes-to-life-at-this-90s-themed-airbnb-in-dallas/)
The NBC Saturday morning high school show, a retooled version of Disney Channel's Good Morning, Miss Bliss, premiered on Aug. 20, 1989. "The thing about Saved by the Bell, says Randall Colburn, is this: "It is the laziest sh*t ever made. That’s, in a way, part of its charm—the cartoon, pastel-caked nature of its California high school is built almost exclusively on the stalest, most absurd stereotypes: preppy, jock, cheerleader, brainiac, and, of course, geek. If Fonzie pointed a finger at the nerd as it exists in pop culture, and Revenge Of The Nerds gave us an enduring visual accompaniment, it was John Hughes who gave it depth in movies like Weird Science and The Breakfast Club. What’s significant about Saved By The Bell is that it overlooks Hughes’ nuance entirely, essentially turning every nerd into a version of Grease’s Eugene Felsnic. With names like Herbert, Melvin, and, my personal favorite, Ronald Geekman, these oodles of effeminate dorks speak in high-pitched squeaks, waddle like penguins, wear tape over their glasses, and speak at length about pocket protectors. They’re rarely portrayed as smart, but strange. Kelly, Lisa, and Jessie recoil every time they’re near; not even Screech cosigns them (unless, of course, it suits the plot). If they were at all overweight, their lines would inevitably be about food and when they can eat that food. Plotwise, they were often presented as an adversarial force for our popular heroes, villains to be conquered. And, y’all, the pocket protectors: In one episode, when the class is tasked with inventing something, the nerds create a 'pocket protector protector,' and the nerds who run the school store are ecstatic when a new shipment of 'fluorescent pocket protectors' arrive. Jokes for days. Now, it’s precisely that utter lack of effort that the writers put into these bits that makes them so funny from a modern perspective. In a way, it also serves as a fun comment on the banality and absurdity of the archetypal bully."
ALSO:
Presenting the 20 most memorable Saved by the Bell moments (https://decider.com/2019/08/20/saved-by-the-bell-30th-anniversary-most-memorable-moments/)
When Mark-Paul Gosselaar remembers the iconic "Jessie's Song" episode, he thinks about the taste of cinnamon (https://tvline.com/2017/01/12/saved-by-the-bell-im-so-excited-scene-pills-candy-video/)
Looking back at Saved by the Bell's best musical moments (https://people.com/tv/saved-by-the-bell-best-musical-moments/)
30 shocking Saved by the Bell secrets revealed (https://www.eonline.com/news/1066397/30-shocking-saved-by-the-bell-secrets-revealed)
You can stay in a Saved by the Bell-themed Airbnb in Dallas (https://thespaces.com/saved-by-the-bell-comes-to-life-at-this-90s-themed-airbnb-in-dallas/)