The 46-year-old actor confirmed that he had never watched a full episode of the beloved series, which has a reboot in the works.
Almost 31 years since the beloved series premiered and made him a teen heartthrob, Mark-Paul Gosselaar is finally watching Saved by the Bell! The 46-year-old actor confirmed that he had never watched a full episode of his popular show before deciding to start binging it for a new podcast, Zack to the Future.
Gosselaar played Zack Morris on the Saturday morning series, which ran from 1989 to 1993 and spawned two spinoffs.
His new podcast will feature him discussing his reactions to watching the show, and will be co-hosted by Dashiell Driscoll, who is known for Funny or Die’s Zack Morris Is Trash, and is a writer on the upcoming Saved by the Bell reboot.
“For years I have been asked by the dedicated fans of Saved by the Bell to revisit the show," Gosselaar said in a statement published by Entertainment Weekly. "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,” the statement continued. “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 podcast premieres on July 31 with the first installment focusing on season 1.
“I thought just getting to make Zack Morris Is Trash was such a cool and fun thing. But getting to write on the reboot with Tracey Wigfield as my fearless leader is an absolute dream come true,” Driscoll told EW. “This is the TV writing I've always wanted to do. So imagine my excitement when the phone rings one day and Mark-Paul Gosselaar is asking me to do a podcast with him!”
“I never could've imagined when I was a kid watching re-runs after school that it would lead to anything productive or fruitful for me,” he added. “But it really led to so many great opportunities years later."
Gosselaar talked to ET in February about stepping back into Zack Morris’ shoes for the revival, sharing that his character had moved up in the world.
"Zack's the governor of California,” said the actor, who previously gave fans a peek at how Zack’s signature blonde preppy was being revived.
In April, the Mixed-ish star noted that production of the reboot had been halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"They had been in production since January, but because of my schedule and because of [co-star] Tiffani Thiessen's schedule, we could not join the production when it started," Gosselaar told ET. "We had about two weeks left of filming -- just Tiffani and my footage -- but it's put on hold. So hopefully we are going to get back to that ... whenever we can."
While the former screen lovebirds can’t reunite for the cameras yet, they have been staying connected via food (and beer) swaps during the pandemic. Thiessen told ET in April that she had left fresh eggs outside her gate for Gosselaar to pick up, while he had previously dropped her off some beer.
See more on the return of Saved by the Bell below.
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