Mark-Paul Gosselaar to Finally watch "Saved by the Bell" and will Document It on New Podcast
by Rosy Cordero
July 23, 2020


Mark-Paul Gosselaar has never watched an episode of "Saved by the Bell".

Say what? Gosselaar, who famously portrayed Zack Morris on the hit Saturday morning series, has never sat down to watch the comedy that made him a household name...until now.

TIME OUT!





Gosselaar has decided that it's finally time for him to take in every episode of the beloved show and document his reactions as part of a new podcast called "Zack to the Future" from Entercom's Cadence 13. The actor sought out none other than Dashiell Driscoll, of "Zack Morris is Trash" fame, to serve as his co-host on this journey.

“For years I have been asked by the dedicated fans of Saved by the Bell to revisit the show," Gosselaar said in a statement. "I couldn’t wrap my head around an idea that would keep the audience entertained and celebrate the beloved series we created over 30 years ago, mostly because I can't remember a thing about making it, and I am thrilled to say I have found the answer.

As my co-host, Dashiell Driscoll will be my key to unlocking every door at Bayside, a key he assures me Zack Morris would've had. I haven’t watched a single episode in its entirety since I walked off the sets in 1993. It’s time to wheel that big television into class. Go Bayside!”





The first season of "Zack to the Future", premiering on July 29, will breakdown each episode of the show's first season. Before Gosselaar returns to the halls of Bayside High for the first time, he’ll be reintroduced to the show and receive his course work/homework for the season from Driscoll.

Driscoll is an expert on all things "Saved by the Bell", so much so that he was hired as a staff writer on Peacock's upcoming "Saved by the Bell" reboot.

https://ew.com/tv/mark-paul-gosselaar-saved-by-the-bell-podcast/

It seriously amazes me that Mark-Paul Gosselaar never sat down to watch a single episode of his own show.

I might need to give this a listen.

I'll have to give the podcast a listen as well.

It seriously amazes me that Mark-Paul Gosselaar never sat down to watch a single episode of his own show.
Not everyone is comfortable with watching themselves which in my opinion is commendable because it means that people who feel such a way are not full of themselves.

God bless you and him and his ilk always!!!

Holly

It seriously amazes me that Mark-Paul Gosselaar never sat down to watch a single episode of his own show.

I might need to give this a listen.

I honestly do not blame people not wanting to watch episodes of their own show because they are uncomfortable watching themselves or they are just not interested

Special guest: Elizabeth Berkeley.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/zack-to-the-future/id1524292915

Special guest: Elizabeth Berkeley.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/zack-to-the-future/id1524292915

Thanks! The first full episode was interesting!

I honestly do not blame people not wanting to watch episodes of their own show because they are uncomfortable watching themselves or they are just not interested

If I was a producer of my own show, watching it is an absolute must, whether I act on it or not.

Another reason for an actor might be commended for not watching his own show is because the program in which that actor had performed in wasn't well-received by critics. I don't think it's mandatory for an actor to watch his own show, and I'm not sure if it'd be a whole other story if a show had been critically-acclaimed.

What lengths does an actor have to go to avoid watching the show in which he performs?

I think the posters on this thread, including the OP, have missed a key point of his statement.

"...I haven’t watched a single episode in its entirety since I walked off the sets in 1993...."

He apparently watched the show back when he appeared on it but not since then. I can understand that he'd had enough of the show after 4 seasons on NBC as well as at least 1 season on Disney Channel. He did watch the show at least some of the time when he appeared on it. I'll have to listen to a podcast or two to see what he thinks of the show now.

"...I haven’t watched a single episode in its entirety since I walked off the sets in 1993...."



Mark said on the podcast that he never watched an episode while the show was being produced either.

Saved By The Bell star Mark-Paul Gosselaar admits rewatching episodes of the hit sitcom for his new podcast can feel a 'bit torturous every week' (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-8695951/Saved-Bell-star-Mark-Paul-Gosselaar-confesses-rewatching-episodes-feel-bit-torturous.html)

Mark-Paul Gosselaar will always be beloved for playing Zack Morris on the hit sitcom Saved By The Bell (1989-1993) as a young teenager.

But for the actor himself, those classic old episodes can be hard to watch on his new podcast Zack To The Future (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/zack-to-the-future/id1524292915), where he and co-host Dashiell Driscoll critique each show of the original series one-by-one.

'I feel like it's a little bit torturous every week for me to go through this process because I am watching my work — and it doesn't matter that it's 30 years old, it's still something that I feel like I can improve,' Gosselaar confessed in an interview with Variety (https://variety.com/2020/tv/features/mark-paul-gosselaar-saved-by-the-bell-revival-podcast-interview-1234756128/).

The revisiting of his days at Bayside High marks the first time Gosselaar, now 46, is watching the original show in its entirety. Currently his process consists of watching an episode on a Saturday as he takes notes, then go over bullet points with his co-host before rewatching it on Sunday right before taping.

Each particular episode is then shown in the background as the two discuss the storyline and performances, as well as any other memory that may pop up during the conversation.

'There are moments where I'm talking with Dashiell[co-host] and I say, "My timing is off there; if I had just done it this way I bet I would have gotten a bigger laugh,"' he added.

'But that's just the perfectionist in me, which is why I don't like to watch my work: I feel like I should leave it on the set.'

The podcast, which has been covering one episode per week, has only just got off the ground in early August, so the duo are only in the beginning stages of the sitcom that also starred Mario Lopez, Dustin Diamond, Lark Voorhies, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Dennis Haskins, Elizabeth Berkley, Leanna Creel and Ed Alonzo.

It followed the group of high school friends and their principal while primarily focusing on lighthearted comedic situations, although it occasionally touched on serious social issues including drug abuse, driving under the influence, homelessness, death, remarriage, environmental issues and women's rights.

'I learned so much from being on that show. It was a classroom on the set for me of how to conduct myself as an actor. Looking back, I bring up things like character protection. But I think that was one of the things that attracted so many people to the show: It was just the innocence of these characters, as well as the actors portraying them,' Gosselaar said.

'A lot of people forget that we were the same age as the characters, so we were going through the same experiences as them. And there was no ego on the set — there was no negative energy — and when you watch the show you see that bleeding through,' the father of four added.

'So not getting another take now, as an actor I would put my foot down and say I need another one. But I don't know that people were looking that carefully at this show, it was a Saturday morning show.'

Gosselaar will also be revisiting the role of Zack Morris in the upcoming Saved By The Bell reboot on Peacock, where he plays the new governor of California, alongside original castmates like Lopez and Berkley.

'I think that Tracey [Wigfield, showrunner] and the writers have done a very good job of staying true to the characters that we portrayed in the past while also moving them into the future and also coming up with a guideline or a blueprint that still works,' he said of the reboot before adding that the adult Zack is a heightened and fun version of what he was like as a teenager.

Tiffani Thiessen is the special guest this week (https://shows.cadence13.com/podcast/zack-to-the-future/episodes/554597b2-fcbb-4511-9202-5b2449f1a6ed).