"Saved by the Bell", "Punky Brewster" Reboots Set for NBCU’s Peacock Streaming Service
by Patrick Hipes
September 17, 2019


NBCUniversal’s newly named Peacock streaming service will feature several original series, the company said Tuesday, including a pair of reboots from the vaults: a newly unveiled "Saved by the Bell" with original castmembers including Elizabeth Berkley and Mario Lopez, and "Punky Brewster", which returns original star Soleil Moon Frye as a grown-up version of her former character.

The titles were unveiled along with several other original offerings set for the April 2020-launching service this morning including a rebooted "Battlestar Galactica" that will be executive produced by Sam Esmail.

https://deadline.com/2019/09/saved-by-the-bell-reboot-nbc-streaming-service-punky-brewster-reboot-peacock-1202736699/

Mario Lopez on Saved by the Bell reboot: "I might be bringing back the mullet" (https://www.accessonline.com/articles/mario-lopez-says-hell-bring-back-the-mullet-in-saved-by-the-bell-reboot-exclusive)

"The deal is being done,” Lopez told Access Hollywood, his new employer, of the sequel series for Peacock that was announced (https://www.primetimer.com/item/Peacocks-Saved-by-the-Bell-reboot-starring-Mario-Lopez-and-Elizabeth-Berkley-will-explore-what-happens-when-Zack-Morris-becomes-California-governor-62SjMa) this morning. “It’s gonna happen. We are going to be rebooting Saved By The Bell for the new NBC streaming platform.”

Peacock's Saved by the Bell reboot, starring Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley, will explore what happens when Zack Morris becomes California governor (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/saved-by-bell-tv-sequel-mario-lopez-elizabeth-berkley-a-go-at-nbcuniversals-streamer-1238991)

Great News creator Tracey Wigfield is behind the Saved by the Bell reboot, with Lopez and Berkley on board as its stars. NBC Universal's Peacock streaming service is in talks with Mark-Paul Gosselaar to potentially reprise his Zack Morris role. "The new straight-to-series comedy explores what happens when California Gov. Zack Morris gets into hot water for closing too many low-income high schools and proposes the affected students be sent to the highest-performing schools in the state — including Bayside High," per The Hollywood Reporter. "The influx of new students gives the over-privileged Bayside kids a much-needed and hilarious dose of reality. Lopez and Berkley will return to play their beloved characters A.C. Slater and Jessie Spano, respectively, in what sources say are new roles as parents."

Mark-Paul Gosselaar: I don't think the rest of the Saved by the Bell cast was approached for the Mario Lopez-Elizabeth Berkley Peacock revival series (https://www.tmz.com/2019/09/18/mark-paul-gosselaar-saved-by-the-bell-sequel-not-contacted/)

"I believe Tiffani (Thiessen) and I and the rest of the cast haven't been approached yet," Gosselaar told TMZ this morning at LAX. "So as of right now we're going to watch it like the rest of the fans, and wish them nothing but the best. I'm a huge fan of (Saved by the Bell revival writer) Tracey Wigfield." Gosselaar also said the revival's storyline of Zack Morris being governor of California "sounds amazing."

Mark-Paul Gosselaar: I learned about the Saved by the Bell revival Tuesday morning "like everybody else" (https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/mark-paul-gosselaar-saved-by-the-bell-tv-sequel-revival-nbc-1203340581/)

“I read it in the trades just like everybody else this morning,” the Mixed-ish star told Variety at the ABC comedy's premiere last night. “Honestly, I was never approached. I woke up to the news this morning with a kind of ‘huh’ response.” Gosselaar's comment is notable since the Peacock streaming service's revival revolves around what happens when California Gov. Zack Morris "gets into hot water for closing too many low-income high schools and proposes the affected students be sent to the highest-performing schools in the state — including Bayside High." The Hollywood Reporter had reported Tuesday morning that NBC Universal was in talks with Gosselaar (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/saved-by-bell-tv-sequel-mario-lopez-elizabeth-berkley-a-go-at-nbcuniversals-streamer-1238991) to return. But Gosselaar says he understands why NBC Universal didn't reach out. “I’m on ABC, so it doesn’t really fit into that considering Disney+, so I understand the business side of things,” he said. “But I had no idea it was that far along.” Asked if he'd be interested in reprising the Zack Morris role, Gosselaar said: “I’ve always been interested, of course."

I hope every character gets to be on the show even if they can't be in every episode.

God bless you and them always!!!

Holly

Tiffani Thiessen confirms she didn't know about the Saved by the Bell reboot before it was announced (https://popculture.com/celebrity/2019/10/02/tiffani-thiessen-saved-by-the-bell-reboot-revival-reveals-whether-returning/)

"I didn't know anything about the reboot," Thiessen tells PopCulture.com when asked about the Peacock reboot. "I heard about it the moment you guys heard about it, and Mark-Paul (Gosselaar) was the same, Mark-Paul didn't know anything about it either." She added: "I guess I'm not shocked because I feel like everybody's doing a reboot, everybody's rebooting every show, every movie, it's all being redone."

It's true, they are rebooting so many shows these days. Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley are the only ones we know of who have signed on. Wonder why the others weren't asked. :confused:

Not when creator Sam Bobrick recently died, you cannot revive without Bobrick, unfortunately, TBH.

Another would be disastrous reboot. Ugh...

Another would be disastrous reboot. Ugh...

What else can we do, Schmoopie? We don’t have a choice but to stick with this only rebooted version.

They recently right now found what completely went wrong with the entire original saved by the bell crew member group:

* Double discrimination incidents on both ableisms and adultisms.
* Horrible work-relation between Peter Engel and Sam Bobrick.

TBH, IMO.

Mario Lopez hints Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Tiffani Thiessen will be part of the Saved by the Bell reboot (https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/mario-lopez-teases-saved-by-the-bell-original-castmates-return/)

“Who says they weren’t included?” Lopez told Us Weekly on Wednesday. “You’ve got to wait and find out.” Both Gosselaar and Thiessen have previously they had no idea a reboot was in the works before Peacock's announcement in September.

It's true, they are rebooting so many shows these days. Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley are the only ones we know of who have signed on. Wonder why the others weren't asked. :confused:

Well, Mark-Paul Gosselaar is pretty busy right now with his own show (Mixed-ish) and I know that Tiffani Thiessen has being working on this Netflix show called Alexa & Katie. I highly doubt that Dustin Diamond or Lark Voorhies would've been asked even if they were readily available. I mean Dustin is pretty much persona non grata among the cast due to that "tell-all book" that he wrote (there's good reason why he wasn't invited to that reunion sketch with Jimmy Fallon or the People magazine photoshoot from several years back). Meanwhile, Lark is seemingly for all intents and purposes, "retired" due to her lingering mental health issues (she suffers from bipolar disorder as well as lupus).

Well since the revival has been confirmed, here are the predictions:

1.) Both actors Mark Paul Gosselaar and Mario Lopez, and their own Zack and Slater characters, and both actresses Tiffani Amber Neilsen and Elizabeth Berkley, and their own Kelly and Jessie characters, will be the only ones returning.

2.) Belding character will return but it will be played by a new actor.

3.) Both Bayside and Valley high school setting areas will be there.

4.) Executive Producer Peter Engel will return.

5.) Since creator Sam Bobrick has died and has been revealed as a multi-discriminative, this new replacement creator will not a discriminative and will get along with Peter Engel, this time, without excuses.

6.) Both actor Dustin Diamond and actress Lark Voorhies, and their Screech and Lisa characters won't be in this revived version anymore.

^^^ To me, no other person can play Mr. Belding compared to Dennis Haskins! No one can laugh like him. :D :D :D

God bless you and Mr. H always!!!

Holly

Lark Voorhies admits feeling "slighted and hurt" when she wasn't asked to join the Saved by the Bell reboot (https://toofab.com/2020/02/18/lark-voorhies-hurt-by-saved-by-the-bell-reboot-snub-talks-mental-health-on-dr-oz/)

Voorhies said on The Dr. Oz Show that her mental health struggles might have played a role in her not being asked to join the Peacock sequel series. "I have to admit I did feel a bit slighted and hurt when I was not invited to be part of the Saved by the Bell reunion as well as other cast members' events, yet of course, I also realized that having this puzzling disorder may have played a major part in that factual decision," she said in reading an excerpt from her diary.

^^^ To me, no other person can play Mr. Belding compared to Dennis Haskins! No one can laugh like him. :D :D :D

God bless you and Mr. H always!!!

Holly

Well, leave that to that new creator, Tracey Wingfield, who just recently replaced Sam Bobrick, who died of a stroke a few months ago, to make that new person laugh like Belding, but there will be no single discrimination incident on that part also, this time.

Lark Voorhies admits feeling "slighted and hurt" when she wasn't asked to join the Saved by the Bell reboot (https://toofab.com/2020/02/18/lark-voorhies-hurt-by-saved-by-the-bell-reboot-snub-talks-mental-health-on-dr-oz/)

Voorhies said on The Dr. Oz Show that her mental health struggles might have played a role in her not being asked to join the Peacock sequel series. "I have to admit I did feel a bit slighted and hurt when I was not invited to be part of the Saved by the Bell reunion as well as other cast members' events, yet of course, I also realized that having this puzzling disorder may have played a major part in that factual decision," she said in reading an excerpt from her diary.

That puzzling disorder may have been caused by more on that entire original crewmember group, which contains too many multiple discrimination incidents, besides by Dustin, in the meantime.

Screech actor Dustin Diamond would like to be part of Peacock's Saved by the Bell revival (https://www.tmz.com/2020/02/24/dustin-diamond-screech-saved-by-the-bell-reboot-included/)

Diamond has been mostly estranged from his fellow castmates for years after speaking out against them while struggling with legal issues.

Curious why people think Belding wouldn't be included? I haven't heard he has issues with them, does he? Anyway I can see him returning, even if a recurring character. For example, he might not be a principal anymore but retired since he's older. I agree, I doubt Dustin Diamond would be included since it seems the rest of the cast hates him.

My prediction is that because it's a teen show the cast will have teenagers. Did Kelly and Zack stay married and did Jesse and Slater get married? Getting back to Belding, if I recall he had a kid while on the show maybe that kid is the new principal?

Curious why people think Belding wouldn't be included? I haven't heard he has issues with them, does he? Anyway I can see him returning, even if a recurring character. For example, he might not be a principal anymore but retired since he's older. I agree, I doubt Dustin Diamond would be included since it seems the rest of the cast hates him.

My prediction is that because it's a teen show the cast will have teenagers. Did Kelly and Zack stay married and did Jesse and Slater get married? Getting back to Belding, if I recall he had a kid while on the show maybe that kid is the new principal?

Belding will be returning, as officially confirmed, but he will be played by a new actor and new creator Tracey Wigfield will take care of that. Previous creator Sam Bobrick has been revealed as both ableist and ageist and he already died of a stroke a few months ago.

That Screech might be optional to return, but as a guest, but Screech should be played by a different actor. Otherwise, in default, that Screech character should be rebooted and put in a different high school are setting, which is neither a Bayside or a Valley type, with a new actor.

Screech actor Dustin Diamond would like to be part of Peacock's Saved by the Bell revival (https://www.tmz.com/2020/02/24/dustin-diamond-screech-saved-by-the-bell-reboot-included/)

Diamond has been mostly estranged from his fellow castmates for years after speaking out against them while struggling with legal issues.

Diamond is the only castmember sided with Engel, while Gosselaar, Lopez, Thiessen, Berkley, Voorhies and Haskins sided with Bobrick, that's why.

Mark-Paul Gosselaar is glad the creator of Zack Morris Is Trash is involved in Peacock's Saved by by the Bell revival (https://tvline.com/2020/03/05/saved-by-the-bell-revival-preview-zack-morris-mark-paul-gosselaar/)

Gosselaar is a fan of the Funny Or Die web series (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8K5jTaQkJ8&list=PLRcB4n4CGcy_r21EedmNUOyVP_puToBfr) that shows how his Zack Morris character has always been "a horrible human being." Funny or Die‘s Dashiell Driscoll (https://slate.com/culture/2019/08/a-very-special-episode-zack-morris-is-trash-dashiell-driscoll-interview.html), who created Zack Morris Is Trash, was brought on board for the Saved by the Bell revival, which depicts Zack Morris as the governor of California who closes low-income schools. “I’m a huge fan of that series,” Gosselaar tells TVLine. “And some of that is in (the revival), which I absolutely love: Zack Morris being a little offensive and sort of not being on the right side of things.”

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Mark-Paul Gosselaar says his and Tiffani Thiessen's involvement in the Saved by the Bell reboot was put on hold due to the coronavirus shutdown (https://www.etonline.com/mark-paul-gosselaar-opens-up-about-becoming-zack-morris-again-for-saved-by-the-bell-reboot)

The former co-stars had just begun prep on the Peacock reboot when the show, which began production in January, was shut down last month. Bug Gosselaar says he was impressed with the trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzom8cQcrPM) Peacock released on Wednesday. "I hadn’t been on set, everything for us has just been prep, but watching the trailer and seeing how it's shot, I think it's very smart," he tells ET. "It looks amazing and the content is great."

Peacock's Saved By the Bell Reboot Is 'Edgier, Hipper,' Says Mario Lopez (https://www.cbr.com/peacock-saved-by-the-bell-reboot-edgier-hipper-mario-lopez/)

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Peacock's Saved By the Bell Reboot Is 'Edgier, Hipper,' Says Mario Lopez (https://www.cbr.com/peacock-saved-by-the-bell-reboot-edgier-hipper-mario-lopez/)

Also 'Non-Discriminative'.

Saved by the Bell revival arrives in time for Thanksgiving (https://www.primetimer.com/item/Saved-by-the-Bell-revival-arrives-in-time-for-Thanksgiving-LaSq6B)

Watch the first teaser for the Peacock reboot, featuring an actual peacock. The Saved by the Bell revival premieres on Thanksgiving Eve, Nov. 25.

They need a new single adult member to replace that Dustin/Screech character, since Bobrick died one year ago, tbh...

A Saved by the Bell channel is set to launch on Peacock ahead of the revival's premiere (https://deadline.com/2020/11/peacock-saved-by-the-bell-channel-revival-1234613888/)

The free channel launching on Nov. 16 will feature more than 100 episodes from the original Saved by the Bell series, Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style, and Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Vegas. The Saved by the Bell revival premieres Nov. 25.

Saved By The Bell's Selena Gomez Controversy Betrays The Original Show (https://screenrant.com/saved-bell-revival-selena-gomez-controversy-betrayal/)

On top of being a tasteless and unnecessary joke, the two scenes reveal a problem within the Saved by the Bell revival: it betrays the heart of the original series. The original Saved by the Bell knew its moral obligation to viewers, exploring important social issues like drug use, trauma, loss, and drunk driving with sensitivity and seriousness. The show managed to regularly delve into some heavy topics while remaining, first and foremost, a comedy. Because the original show set up this precedent of balancing comedy with conscience, the revival’s joke about Selena Gomez is out of place and jarring.

Saved By The Bell's Selena Gomez Controversy Betrays The Original Show (https://screenrant.com/saved-bell-revival-selena-gomez-controversy-betrayal/)

What's the point about bringing up that "Selena Gomez" situation for no reason at all?

^^^ I don't know, but to me, those who got worked up over what was said should just be glad that their favorite was even mentioned at all period. Would they rather she had been ignored completely? Who they obviously are not considering are those out there who would be delighted to be acknowledged no matter how it all were to be done.

God bless you and her always!!!

Holly (a day one fan of the most recently deceased country singer Hal Ketchum)

P.S. If she herself did not like what was said, then she is the only person who is owed an apology since she is the one who was being brought up in the first place.

^^^ I don't know, but to me, those who got worked up over what was said should just be glad that their favorite was even mentioned at all period. Would they rather she had been ignored completely? Who they obviously are not considering are those out there who would be delighted to be acknowledged no matter how it all were to be done.

God bless you and her always!!!

Holly (a day one fan of the most recently deceased country singer Hal Ketchum)

P.S. If she herself did not like what was said, then she is the only person who is owed an apology since she is the one who was being brought up in the first place.

Yeah, let's dropped this Selena Gomez topic out of this sitcom for the rest of the time being...

Peacock's 2-Part '90s Throwback Series Deserved At Least One More Season (https://screenrant.com/saved-by-the-bell-reboot-deserve-third-season/)

Peacock rebooted Saved by the Bell in 2020 for a modern audience and gave viewers two excellent seasons that warranted at least one more.

Was the reboot too late (https://www.reddit.com/r/SavedByTheBell/comments/1t1pghk/comment/ojk6jd6/)

It’s an interesting point, but I don’t think it’s the main problem.

I think the root of why the SBTB 2020 reboot failed was because it seemed to be deeply ashamed of its source material. The reboot seemed to spend most of its time expressing disdain for and mocking the original series. It felt like it was written by people who were embarrassed about the fact that they’d previously enjoyed SBTB. It was as if they wanted to impress their fellow Hollywood writers by being as snarky as possible in tearing it to pieces. (This is part of the reason they should have never involved the 30 Rock writer; their style of comedy and Saved By The Bell’s style just don’t match.)

Compare that to Cobra Kai (the gold standard for “nostalgia done right”) where the showrunners were diehard fans of the original Karate Kid movies and weren’t shy about it. Sure they poked fun at the zanier elements of Karate Kid, but it always seemed to be done in a gentle, affectionate way, and then they’d come up with a surprise twist that justified/explained the odd decisions the characters had made in the old movies….and it WORKED.

Cobra Kai managed to remind the older fans why they loved Karate Kid while making the series inviting for younger fans who were unfamiliar with the franchise, and the result was one of the few modern series that had multigenerational appeal.

The difference between Cobra Kai vs. SBTB 2020 was that it felt like the CK writers were thumbing through an old yearbook reminiscing about and telling fun stories, while the SBTB reboot writers were looking through an old yearbook and mercilessly mocking everyone in it, just to get cred with modern critics.