EccentricGenius
02-07-2023, 07:01 PM
When Saved By The Bell: The New Class premiered on NBC's TNBC lineup in the autumn of '93, there was six new characters, many (if not all) of which were obviously carbon copies of the original cast...among them was hopeless and hapless geek Barton "Weasel" Wyzell, portrayed by Isaac Lidsky. "Weasel" was obsessed with anything and everything connected to the then-current primetime sitcom Blossom (also airing on NBC at the time) as well as being infatuated with his fellow classmate Megan Jones (Bianca Lawson). He was also longtime pals with Tommy "Tommy D" DeLuca (Jonathan Angel), Lindsey Warner (Natalia Cigliuti), and Vicki Needleman (Bonnie Russavage), and had also befriended recent Valley transfer student Scott Erikson (Robert Sutherland Telfer).
Upon watching the first season of SBTB: The New Class, I couldn't help but quickly notice how similar and practically interchangeable "Weasel" and his Class of '93 "predecessor," hopeless and hapless geek Samuel "Screech" Powers, both were. Much like "Weasel," Screech was obsessed with anything and everything connected to the classic sixties sitcom Gilligan's Island and also lusted for (unsuccessfully) his fellow classmate, Lisa Turtle.
Despite his best efforts, Isaac Lidsky's performance as "Weasel" was not only lackluster, but also completely unmemorable. Not only was Lidsky annoying as "Weasel" (even more so than Screech), he also made the late, great Dustin Diamond look like Dustin Hoffman by comparison. It's painfully easy to see why Lidsky (along with two of his castmates, Robert Sutherland Telfer and Bonnie Russavage) was handed his walking papers by SBTB: The New Class' executive producer, Peter Engel, at the end of SBTB: The New Class' dismal first season.
What is your verdict and opinion pertaining to Isaac Lidsky's performance as Barton "Weasel" Wyzell? Do you believe "Weasel"--as well as Lidsky himself--should've been retained for SBTB: The New Class' sophomore season (thus possibly preventing Screech, and Dustin Diamond, from returning to Bayside)? Or do you think "Weasel" rightly deserved to simply fade into television oblivion alongside the equally forgotten Chuck Cunningham on Happy Days?
Drop me a line...I'd love to hear from all of you! Enjoy your evening, guys and gals!
Upon watching the first season of SBTB: The New Class, I couldn't help but quickly notice how similar and practically interchangeable "Weasel" and his Class of '93 "predecessor," hopeless and hapless geek Samuel "Screech" Powers, both were. Much like "Weasel," Screech was obsessed with anything and everything connected to the classic sixties sitcom Gilligan's Island and also lusted for (unsuccessfully) his fellow classmate, Lisa Turtle.
Despite his best efforts, Isaac Lidsky's performance as "Weasel" was not only lackluster, but also completely unmemorable. Not only was Lidsky annoying as "Weasel" (even more so than Screech), he also made the late, great Dustin Diamond look like Dustin Hoffman by comparison. It's painfully easy to see why Lidsky (along with two of his castmates, Robert Sutherland Telfer and Bonnie Russavage) was handed his walking papers by SBTB: The New Class' executive producer, Peter Engel, at the end of SBTB: The New Class' dismal first season.
What is your verdict and opinion pertaining to Isaac Lidsky's performance as Barton "Weasel" Wyzell? Do you believe "Weasel"--as well as Lidsky himself--should've been retained for SBTB: The New Class' sophomore season (thus possibly preventing Screech, and Dustin Diamond, from returning to Bayside)? Or do you think "Weasel" rightly deserved to simply fade into television oblivion alongside the equally forgotten Chuck Cunningham on Happy Days?
Drop me a line...I'd love to hear from all of you! Enjoy your evening, guys and gals!