'Saved By The Bell' Trailer: This Reboot Is Taking The '21 Jump Street' Approach
I rolled my eyes hard when I first heard the news that 1980s/1990s staple Saved by the Bell was coming back with new episodes on Peacock. Did we really need another nostalgia-driven rehash of a show from another generation?
But after watching this new trailer, I'm surprised to find that I've warmed considerably to the concept. The reason? The trailer seems to indicate that the meta approach seen in the first teaser is not merely a couple of cute, winky jokes sprinkled throughout the series, but an actual exploration of early Saved by the Bell and its characters as seen from a more modern, inclusive perspective. Watch the new Saved by the Bell trailer below.
Saved by the Bell Trailer
The thing this Saved by the Bell trailer reminded me of the most is not the original Saved by the Bell, but Phil Lord and Chris Miller's 21 Jump Street, a movie which interrogated the premise of its decades-old source material through a contemporary lens.
Writer/executive producer Tracey Wigfield (30 Rock) makes the smart decision to keep some of the original series cast members around, while putting the focus on a whole new batch of kids. Interestingly, she's also shifting the power into unexpected hands. Remember when Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) used to call "time out" and the entire world would freeze in place? That power now belongs to a Latina girl named Daisy (Haskiri Velazquez). The new series also directly addresses ideas of class and privilege – topics the original series wasn't frequently interested in exploring. And all the while, it is lovingly poking fun at the old show. (I especially appreciated the joke about the Bayside acapella group.)
Here's the official synopsis:
In the new series, when California governor Zack Morris gets into hot water for closing too many underfunded high schools, he proposes they send the affected students to the most well-funded schools in the state – including Bayside High. The influx of new students gives the privileged Bayside kids (who never have a problem that can't be solved in twenty-two minutes) a much-needed dose of reality. Elizabeth Berkley Lauren and Mario Lopez star in the new SAVED BY THE BELL series, reprising their roles as Jessie Spano and A.C. Slater. John Michael Higgins also stars as Principal Toddman alongside the new class featuring Belmont Cameli, Dexter Darden, Mitchell Hoog, Alycia Pascual-Peña, Josie Totah and Haskiri Velazquez.
Saved by the Bell premieres on Peacock on November 25, 2020.