The Failure of Saved By the Bell: The New Class

[TMC]

These are several reasons that may direct to the ultimate failure of this show in spite of the fact that it actually ran longer than Saved By the Bell:
-The frequent cast changes throughout the show's run made things very hard from the standpoint of establishing all out familiarity. It's a bit difficult to be interested in seeing the characters grow if we're seriously expecting them to leave pretty soon afterwards. This sort of thing just became a predictable, tiresome, and repetitious process that showed some signs of a certain lack of faith from the producers.

-The absolutely lazy and lame writing seemed to always have a major presence on the show. We often got uninspired and flat punch-lines (the jokes seemed to tend to come too far in-between by the way) and predictable slapstick. This stuff was supplied with little else than the artificial laugh track behind it.

-The characters from the original Saved By the Bell that were on Saved By the Bell: The New Class seemed to be reduced to being essentially charactures of themselves. In the process, they were just placed in a bunch of absolutely meaningless and almost pointless subplots.

-The ever growing belief from certain viewers that there have been episodes that came off like virtual carbon-copies of episodes from the original Saved By the Bell.

-The repeated talking down (in an almost shallow and/or unrelatable manner) that surrounded episodes as the wrapped themselves up. The episodes would toss in a ton of contrived, corny, and artificial moral and ethicial aspects. It simply felt like episodes tended to grow uneven and/or lack in a strong sense of flow and momentum.

[ThomasE]

The "New Class" was Ok for a while, but there were so many cast changes, I got tired of it by 1998. Every season for the first few years, 3 cast members were dropped and then 3 new people were brought in. It is lame how they tried to make it look like they all knew each other since the 4th grade.

[ThomasE]

And another thing, I absolutely hate how Screech's voice changes in the 4th season of the new class. That was truly aggravating.

[TMC]

Originally posted by ThomasE:
And another thing, I absolutely hate how Screech's voice changes in the 4th season of the new class. That was truly aggravating.

That's absolutely true when it comes to the voice change. It simply felt extremely pathetic and brutal to be relagated to seeing Dustin Diamond be reduced to some highly one-note cartoon character. You can clearly sense that the show was running low on ideas so they simply opted to force the comedy instead.

[The Gooch]

Zack, Kelly, Jesse, Slater, and Lisa all looked mature for their ages even though they were teenagers. So watching SBTB was like watching an actual adult sitcom. "The New Class" looked younger and smaller than the original cast, even though they were teens as well, alebit five years later. Watching them made it feel like you were watching a show for little kids, not one that could be enjoyed by kids and adults alike. It's interesting to note though that Screech was closer in age to many of the "New Class" members than he was to the original group.

[irehtman]

I think the New Class is considered reasonable but the setting should never be in both Bayside and Valley areas. Bayside and Valley are both considered ableist and ageist public co-ed high schools permanently.

There should be a new public co-ed high school which is neither ableist nor ageist and is not like either Bayside or Valley types for the entire new class series to be in for all new class students to learn and also Screech to work in. Belding would not a correct choice to work for this new public co-ed high school, along the way.

[JO Sweet Heart]

Originally Posted by The Gooch

Zack, Kelly, Jesse, Slater, and Lisa all looked mature for their ages even though they were teenagers.

I second this. To me, Slater looked way older when he said during the drivers ed episode that he was going to hit 16 the following week.

God bless you always!!!

Holly

[irehtman]

Originally Posted by The Gooch

Zack, Kelly, Jesse, Slater, and Lisa all looked mature for their ages even though they were teenagers. So watching SBTB was like watching an actual adult sitcom. "The New Class" looked younger and smaller than the original cast, even though they were teens as well, alebit five years later. Watching them made it feel like you were watching a show for little kids, not one that could be enjoyed by kids and adults alike. It's interesting to note though that Screech was closer in age to many of the "New Class" members than he was to the original group.

Don't forget about Belding, he also looked mature for their ages, even though he was an adult. I think Screech and "The New Class" should be in a different public co-ed high school rather than both Bayside and Valley because this type of different public co-ed high school should be neither ableist nor ageist and without absolute power. Not only that, both Bayside and Valley are considered both ableist and ageist types of public co-ed high schools with too much absolute power for both Screech and "The new class", IMO.

[EccentricGenius]

I think "The New Class" would've worked had it not been for the frequent cast changes. Having Dustin Diamond reprise his role as the bumbling (and hopelessly inept) Samuel "Screech" Powers beginning in the second season until its cancellation five years later always seemed like a desperate ploy (not to mention a cop out) by the producers--and NBC--to hang on to their ever-aging tween and teen audience.

To this day, I'm still boggled by the fact that "The New Class" aired for seven interminable seasons; hell, the original "SBTB" lasted four years and there were no cast changes throughout its run (with the exception of Leanna Creel as the leather-clad, Harley-riding iconoclast Tori Scott in season four).

I think the producers of "The New Class" should've stuck with only one cast from its debut; that way, the characters would've had a chance to mature from precocious teens into responsible adults. In my opinion, the season two (1994-95) cast--Christian Oliver, Sarah Lancaster, Spankee Rodgers, Jonathan Angel, Bianca Lawson, and Natalia Cigliuti--was the best "New Class" cast. Had the cast lineup of Oliver, Lancaster, Rodgers, Angel, Lawson, and Cigliuti remained intact for the next four years, "The New Class" might've had a chance to stand on its own as a genuine continuation of the original "SBTB" and not a full-blown carbon copy of it (reminiscent of "The New Class'" infamous first season).

Enjoy your evening, everyone!

[irehtman]

Originally Posted by EccentricGenius

I think "The New Class" would've worked had it not been for the frequent cast changes. Having Dustin Diamond reprise his role as the bumbling (and hopelessly inept) Samuel "Screech" Powers beginning in the second season until its cancellation five years later always seemed like a desperate ploy (not to mention a cop out) by the producers--and NBC--to hang on to their ever-aging tween and teen audience.

To this day, I'm still boggled by the fact that "The New Class" aired for seven interminable seasons; hell, the original "SBTB" lasted four years and there were no cast changes throughout its run (with the exception of Leanna Creel as the leather-clad, Harley-riding iconoclast Tori Scott in season four).

I think the producers of "The New Class" should've stuck with only one cast from its debut; that way, the characters would've had a chance to mature from precocious teens into responsible adults. In my opinion, the season two (1994-95) cast--Christian Oliver, Sarah Lancaster, Spankee Rodgers, Jonathan Angel, Bianca Lawson, and Natalia Cigliuti--was the best "New Class" cast. Had the cast lineup of Oliver, Lancaster, Rodgers, Angel, Lawson, and Cigliuti remained intact for the next four years, "The New Class" might've had a chance to stand on its own as a genuine continuation of the original "SBTB" and not a full-blown carbon copy of it (reminiscent of "The New Class'" infamous first season).

Enjoy your evening, everyone!

No matter how good or bad Dustin/Screech was in the New Class 2nd season, he got along with Oliver, Lancaster, Rodgers, Angel, Lawson and Cigliuti well and these six didn't find him that quite annoying at all. Also, even if he annoyed Dennis/Belding along the way, that I'm not concerned at all. But on the bottom line, both Bayside and Valley are not the best fits for both Dustin/Screech and these six because it has been revealed both public high schools are considered both ableists and ageists, even Dennis/Belding is also considered both ableist and ageist along the way, TBH, IMO.

If they reboot the original class without having problematic incidents on both ableisms and ageisms revealed, then there's no need to reboot nor bring up the new class ever again, IMO.

[irehtman]

Originally Posted by TMC

-The absolutely lazy and lame writing seemed to always have a major presence on the show. We often got uninspired and flat punch-lines (the jokes seemed to tend to come too far in-between by the way) and predictable slapstick. This stuff was supplied with little else than the artificial laugh track behind it.

It's probably fault of the entire Saved By The Bell New Class crewmember group who caused absolutely lazy and lame writing in the New Class. Although, I might be concerned that the entire Saved By The Bell New Class crewmember might be badly drugged too, even if they didn't know about it at all, TBH, IMO.

[robyrob]

if you are beating your head against the wall trying to come up with reasons why SBTB: The New Class failed, then you probably don't have very good grasp of spatial reasoning and could never have graduated from Bayside High to begin with.

[irehtman]

Originally Posted by robyrob

if you are beating your head against the wall trying to come up with reasons why SBTB: The New Class failed, then you probably don't have very good grasp of spatial reasoning and could never have graduated from Bayside High to begin with.

Hold it right there, robyrob, I'm not completely beating my head yet, but I do have a really very good grasp of spatial reasoning and there's no time to mention about "Bayside High to begin with".

The New Class should never be in both Bayside and Valley High Schools at all because they're both considered permanent ableist and ageist types of public high schools, plain and simple.

[TMC]

I was reading the Saved by the Bell subreddit since the reboot is now out, and the subject came about why The New Class changed its cast so frequently. According to Dennis Haskins, the main reason was the lack of chemistry and acting ability with a lot of the kids. Recycling scripts in Season One didn't help them get off to a great start either. He also said that out of all the kids he worked with in seven seasons of The New Class, the only one he kept in contact with was Jonathan Angel (Tommy D).

[irehtman]

Originally Posted by TMC

I was reading the Saved by the Bell subreddit since the reboot is now out, and the subject came about why The New Class changed its cast so frequently. According to Dennis Haskins, the main reason was the lack of chemistry and acting ability with a lot of the kids. Recycling scripts in Season One didn't help them get off to a great start either. He also said that out of all the kids he worked with in seven seasons of The New Class, the only one he kept in contact with was Jonathan Angel (Tommy D).

Yeah, even if the New Class should never have been created or should have been alternatively, then the New Class should have a different public high school setting that should have never have been taking place in either Bayside type or Valley type or similar at all, TBH, IMO.

If Wigfield cannot let go of both that Screech character and that New Class sitcom situation, then this what should been as proposed:

1.) The New Class should have a new public high school setting, which is never a Bayside nor Valley nor similar types.

2.) The six first-season New Class clones of the first original-run class should be rebooted without problems on continuances each.

3.) The new principal of this new setting type has to be a new clone type from Belding, but no discrimination incident type.

4.) If necessary, the Screech will be rebooted and then added along the way as an non-annoying assistant, but it has to be played by a new actor than Dustin Diamond, TBH, IMO.