What are Zack, Kelly, Slater, Jessie, Lisa and Screech up to in the year 2020?
Saved by the Bell is back and some of your favorites are returning to Bayside High alongside the new class!
The Peacock reboot is streaming now, and along with a new generation of "preppies," jocks and mischief makers, fans of the original series will get a peek at what their favorite characters have been up to in the years since graduation and Zack and Kelly's Vegas wedding.
Original stars Elizabeth Berkley and Mario Lopez are regulars on the new Saved By the Bell -- which starts with a new group of students being brought in to shake up the Bayside student body -- and appearances from Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Tiffani Thiessen, and Lark Voorhies make it feel like one big class reunion.
"I was a super fan of the original show," producer Tracey Wigfield, who developed the revival series, told ET. "So it was really fun for me to be able to go back, watch every episode and kind of think about, all right, why did I love the show? What elements can we bring back from that and what elements can we kind of poke fun at from the original show?"
Also serving as an EP on the new series is Franco Bario, who produced the original Saved by the Bell. "It was fun to sort of reignite some of what we had made happen back then," he shared. "[Getting] to work with some of the OG cast again, and them enjoying it so much and especially enjoying each other, you know, being back together, playing these characters. They seem very psyched for it."
And so are we! So without further ado, here's a quick guide to all your OG Bayside faves -- and what they're up to all these years later:
Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar)
Where the series left off: After graduating from Bayside, Zack and his friends went on to attend California University in Saved by the Bell: The College Years, where he eventually proposed to Kelly. The couple tied the knot in the Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas special.
What he's up to now: After marrying his high school sweetheart and becoming "a successful trial attorney, who always fought for what was cool" (thanks to Franklin & Bash for that photo), Zack decided to run for governor of California as part of an elaborate scheme to get out of paying a parking ticket. And it worked!
"Gov. Zack," however, finds himself in some hot water when he makes disastrous cuts to the California education system, shutting down some low-income schools. However, thanks to another stroke of genius (read: someone else's idea) he decides to fix it by sending students from low-income areas to the state's well-off high schools, including, of course, Bayside High -- where his own son, Mac Morris, has inherited his father's amazing hair and penchant for pranks.
Kelly Kapowski (Tiffani Thiessen)
Where the series left off: Like Zack, Kelly went from Bayside to Cal U with her friends and, after a fling with college professor Jeremiah Lasky, made things official with her high school sweetheart.
What she's up to now: The first lady of California, Kelly holds down the house while Gov. Zack is off in Sacramento, which he hates ("Why couldn't the Capitol be someplace cool, like Malibu, or The Grove?") and stars in political ads for her husband.
She's also running her own company, which is "more of a wellness brand." It's all about holistic happiness, came to her in a dream and, as her husband reminds her, "your psychic said it was rad." However, despite going goop, Kelly is still the voice of reason for Zack, always showing up to support him and to make sure he does the right thing (even if that means seducing him into it).
Jessie Spano (Elizabeth Berkley)
Where the series left off: Bayside's resident overachiever, Jessie didn't go to Cal U or The College Years with the gang, instead heading to New York City after graduation to attend Columbia University. She later returned for the Wedding in Las Vegas special, to serve as one of Kelly's bridesmaids.
What she's up to now: Now Dr. Jessica Spano, Jessie is working as the Bayside school counselor and has also written over a dozen best-selling books, including I'm So Excited, I'm So Scared... Of Becoming a Parent and Too Tall to Fail -- which Kelly later admits to reading to psych herself up.
She's also a helicopter mom to her son, a Bayside student named Jamie, and in an unhappy marriage with her crunchy author husband, Rene. ("He admitted in our last therapy session that he was having an emotional affair with a character from his novel," Jessie admits to Kelly. "I think she's pregnant now.")
And she's continuing to battle those old demons. Jessie warns students against the dangers of study drugs and reveals to Slater, Zack and Kelly that she'll soon be celebrating 30 years caffeine-free.
A.C. Slater (Mario Lopez)
Where the series left off: Despite receiving a wrestling scholarship to the University of Iowa, Slater attended Cal U with his friends and served as the best man at Zack's wedding to Kelly.
What he's up to now: As the Bayside football coach and director of the lackluster athletics program, Slater spends the new series attempting to return the football team to its former glory and do right by the kids -- especially the new transfers from Douglas.
He's also turned over a new leaf when it comes to his previous toxic masculinity, and is now very much in touch with his feelings. (Read: He still calls Jessie "Mama," only now it's "Dr. Mama," and he has to attend HR meetings about it.)
And as Kelly points out during their Homecoming reunion, he's obviously still in love with his former flame, Jessie -- even pouring his heart out when he reminds her of her passion for doing the right thing: "We all made fun of you, but you were the only one who knew what was really going on. Styrofoam is bad. Drilling for oil on a football field is bad. A school-sponsored bikini contest is bad. I shouldn't have been telling you to calm down, I should have been yelling right there with you."
Lisa Turtle (Lark Voorhies)
Where the series left off: The poshest member of the group by far, Lisa graduated from Bayside High and headed for the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.
What she's up to now: Lisa's fashionista dreams clearly paid off -- when Zack, Kelly, Slater and Jessie FaceTime her from Homecoming weekend, it's revealed that she's now a successful designer living in Paris -- with multiple lovers.
Samuel "Screech" Powers (Dustin Diamond)
Where the series left off: After attending The College Years with his friends, Screech returned to Bayside in Saved by the Bell: The New Class as the administrative assistant and possible eventual successor to Principal Belding.
What he's up to now: While Diamond doesn't actually appear in the series, an aside from Slater in the Homecoming episode lets us know where life has led him: "Screech is so lucky he and Kevin get to live on the International Space Station so he doesn't have to deal with all this," his former classmate notes, also referring, of course, to Screech's robot companion.
As for a future appearance from the character, Wigfield said, "Sure, I'd love to see Screech and I would be open to it if there is another season."
Saved by the Bell is streaming now on Peacock.
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