Saved by the Bell has not delivered fresh new episodes since the series left the air in 1993. Sure, we had a season of The College Years and the spin-off series The New Class remained on the air until 2000, but nothing can beat the original. We still get to see much of the cast on TV today (Mario Lopez on Extra, Tiffani Thiessen on White Collar, and Mark-Paul Gosselaar on Franklin & Bash). A lot has changed in culture on television since the show ended. We at TV Overmind wondered what it would be like if some of our favorite episodes of Saved by the Bell aired today. Well, no one has to think any longer. We took four classic episodes of the series and modernized them for today’s youth. Take a look at what we came up with:
Dancing to the Max, original airdate August 20, 1989
Who could forget this classic episode that featured DJ Casey Kasem. There is a dance contest at The Max, but this time it is being hosted by Ryan Seacrest. Seacrest will do anything to be on TV, so it should be no surprise seeing him in a cameo on this teen show. With the contest just days away, the gang is hurriedly trying to find a partner. Zack and Jessie are partners and have decided to go with a dance from the past. They use the iconic Michael Jackson as an example and perform Thriller. Slater and Kelly are partners and also want to use a dance form the past. Not being as clever as Zack and Jessie, they decide to go with the Macarena, which is one of the easiest dances to perform from the 90’s. Lisa ends up going with Screech after she sprains her ankle and her original date bails. With the advancements in modern medicine, Lisa is able to recover before the competition. She and Screech decide to keep it a secret until they enter the stage. With Lisa’s ankle healed, she and Screech are able to Twerk it like Miley Cyrus on stage. The result is a first place win for Lisa and Screech!
Screech’s Woman, original airdate September 16, 1989
Zack is always scheming instead of studying. That is something that has not changed for this updated episode where Zack is trying to get Screech to complete a school project that he wants nothing to do with, but still get an A. Screech is depressed after seeing Lisa out with another man, so Zack starts to “catfish” Screech. He pretends to be a girl named Bambi and begins an online friendship with our favorite young nerd. The online romance continues to escalate and Screech eventually wants to meet Bambi. He even decided to write Max and Nev from MTV’s Catfish an email proclaiming his love for Bambi. The rest of the episode turns into a mockumentary of the popular reality hit with Max and Nev making a guest appearance as themselves. They soon uncover evidence proving Zack was behind it all the time. Not to hurt Screech’s feelings, they go along with a plan to have Zack dress like a woman and pretend to be Bambi. Screech breaks up with her after “Bambi” orders Screech to stop being friends with Zack.
The Friendship Business, original airdate November 4, 1989
Friendship is still very popular today. However, friendship bracelets are a thing of the past. Even super cool Buddy Bands are outdated for the teenagers of the 21st Century. Though, the bracelets that support a cause like Lance’s Armstrong’s yellow ones are still a trend. The gang is given an assignment for their business class where they must create a company. Since Zack is no longer the only student at Bayside High School with a cell phone, the teens decide to sell a product for cell phones. Screech creates a special plastic that will make the phone unbreakable when in the case. The product flies off the shelves, but tempers flare when Zack wants to be the CEO of the company Break No More. Jessie, Slater, and Kelly leave and start their own company. When Zack, Lisa, and Screech cannot keep up for the demand of their product they end up closing. Jessie, Slater, and Kelly feel bad for their friends and come back to the business. The teacher is pleased with their hard work and everyone is awarded an A.
Jessie’s Song, original airdate November 3, 1990
This Saved by the Bell episode is by far my favorite. However, teens have gone to using stronger drugs in order to stay up late and study. Jessie is smart, but not when it comes to Geometry. She receives her latest test score and it is a C! She does not think she will ever get into Stanford with grades like that so she decides to take some medication to help her get through those long study sessions. Jessie’s stepbrother Eric recommends that she begin using his Adderall to stay awake. Jessie agrees and begins popping the pills. Meanwhile, Zack has just scored the girls a meeting with a record producer. But first they must make a music video. Zack has the girls dress in bikinis and film the video at the beach as opposed to wearing workout clothes and pump iron at a gym. Studying and becoming a music superstar has become too much for Jessie. She decided to double the dosage of Adderall and starts to feel the side effects, which include dizziness, headache, nervousness, and restlessness. Due to all the excitement in her life, she ends up collapsing after completing her Geometry test. She is rushed to the hospital and the gang is worried, especially Slater who knew she was taking the pills but did not do anything about it but give her a brief lecture. In the end, Jessie is fine and we all learn the dangers of taking drugs that are not prescribed for you.
Which episode of Saved by the Bell do you think we could change to make it relevant for today? Let us know in the comments sections below.
Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images for Bud Light and Budweiser
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