 |
| Elizabeth Berkley and Woody Allen in “Curse of the Jade Scorpion” |
You know you watched it.
Whether it was on Saturday mornings or weekday afternoon reruns, Saved by the Bell was the show you couldn’t avoid — even if you wanted to. Following six students through four years at Bayside High, the sitcom (a G-rated cousin to Beverly Hills, 90210 if you will) was the ultimate pinnacle of teen cheese, juvenile yuks and puppy love.
Where the cast of characters — jocks, geeks, brains and prom queens — always took the same classes, cheered on the same pep squad, sang in the same band, and instigated student uprisings completely on their own (the rest of the student body, in other words, were just pods).
Originally hatched as a vehicle for Parent Trap star Hayley Mills, Saved by the Bell‘s junior high years were first titled Good Morning, Miss Bliss. Two years later, Miss Bliss retired, but three of the junior-high students — Zack (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), Screech (Dustin Diamond) and Lisa (Lark Voorhies) — and their goofy principal Mr. Belding (Dennis Haskins) graduated to the more successful spin-off. Neurotic brain Jessie (Elizabeth Berkley), stunning Kelly (Tiffani-Amber Thiessen) and Slater (Mario Lopez) were added to the cast.
The show developed such a devoted following that the gang went to Hawaii together in a TV movie (Saved by the Bell Hawaiian Style) and attempted a primetime follow-up together (the short-lived Saved by the Bell: The College Years). Finally, after five years in hot pursuit, Zack finally won his Kelly in the 1994 TV movie Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas.
And then it was over, right? Not quite. If you’ve kept your eyes open lately, you may have noticed a familiar ding-a-ling…that’s Bell students coming out of the woodwork.
While Thiessen (who dropped the Amber last year) has just nabbed a three-episode role (with potential for permanency) as a sex columnist on Just Shoot Me, Gosselaar is about to square off with Dennis Franz as the latest detective on NYPD Blue. Lopez will banter with Dick Clark on The Other Half, an all-male version of The View debuting Sept. 10. Berkley is gushing on talk shows about working with Woody Allen in The Curse of the Jade Scorpion. And even Diamond got to parody himself in this summer’s Made, when he gains entrance to a club and Vince Vaughn does not. (Vaughn’s
response to the bouncer: “Did you just let f—in’ Screech in?”)
Here’s a look at the cast, their post-Bayside recap, and the stars they’re destined to follow. (Note to cast: Hey, if acting doesn’t work out, you could always try to reunite your infamous rock group, The Zack Attack.)
|
| Mark-Paul Gosselaar Photo by Lisa O’Connor / Zuma Press |
Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Zack Morris
Extra-curricular activities: Slacking off, tormenting Principal Belding, scheming to win Kelly
Character high point: Bringing the prom to Kelly when she couldn’t afford to go; managing to kiss Jessie and Lisa during the show’s duration
Character low point: Manipulating the class presidency away from Jessie only because a free trip was involved
After the Bell: Gosselaar, 27, stayed in drama with TV movies such as Dying to Belong (with Hilary Swank) and The Princess and the Marine; starred in a bizarre succession of straight-to-vid flicks. Efforts on the big screen (Dead Man on Campus) and small (Hyperion Bay and D.C.) failed.
Role model: Like Rick Schroder, starring on the gritty NYPD Blue is his ticket to the big leagues – and the chance to leave his kiddie past behind for good.
|
| Tiffani Thiessen |
Tiffani-Amber Thiessen as Kelly Kapowski
Extra-curricular activities: Volleyball, cheerleading
Character high point: During a “role reversal week,” Kelly (as a teacher) requires the entire football team to pass her exam before they can play in the big game
Character low point: Dumping Zack at the junior prom (at which they were named king and queen!) for her new boss Jeff (Patrick Muldoon)
After the Bell: Thiessen, 27, turned her wholesome image on its head as vixen Valerie on Beverly Hills, 90210; starred in TV movies such as She Fought Alone and Buried Secrets and had a small part in The Ladies Man. Dated Suddenly Susan star David Strickland before his suicide death in 2000. Landed stint on Two Guys and a Girl, where she met current beau Richard Ruccolo. Her own sitcom pilot, Something About Tiffani, failed to make the NBC lineup, but Just Shoot Me came calling soon after.
Role model: Like Heather Locklear, utilizing her looks on the small screen and eschewing big-screen efforts to switch between sitcoms and soaps could make for a long career.
[PAGEBREAK]
|
| Elizabeth Berkley |
Elizabeth Berkley as Jessie Spano
Extra-curricular activities: Studying, serving as class president, fighting with on-again, off-again boyfriend Slater
Character high point: Showing off her rap skills as the lead in the school musical, Snow White and the Seven Dorks
Character low point: Getting addicted to sleeping pills because she couldn’t balance homework with the new singing trio she put together with Kelly and Lisa
After the Bell: Well, let’s see. Berkley, 29, followed up her role in the legendary bomb-turned-cult-flick Showgirls with more credible bit parts in The First Wives Club and Any Given Sunday. Granted, they were both of the hooker-bimbo variety, but what can you do?
Role model: Like Jennifer Tilly, Berkley’s painted herself into a corner with the airheaded sexpot schtick. But working with Allen was a big step up (as it was for Tilly, who got an Oscar nod for Bullets Over Broadway).
|
| Mario Lopez |
Mario Lopez as Arnold “A.C.” Slater
Extra-curricular activities: Wrestling, playing drums and dueling with “Preppie” (his nickname for Zack)
Character high point: Squiring a princess when the gang goes to Palm Springs for Jessie’s dad’s wedding
Character low point: Filming a high-cheese commercial with Kelly and Jessie for “buddy bands,” their school marketing project
After the Bell: Lopez, 27, also went the straight-to-cable and TV movie route, eventually starring in a Greg Louganis biopic. He clocked some time as a cop on a bike in the USA syndicated series Pacific Blue. Prior to his Other Half gig, Lopez served as host of Name Your Adventure and Masters of the Maze.
Role model: Like Danny Bonaduce (who ironically is another panelist on Other Half), Lopez may be discovering that he’s more suited to hosting than acting.
[PAGEBREAK]
|
| Dustin Diamond Provided by Celebrity Photo |
Dustin Diamond as Samuel “Screech” Powers
Extra-curricular activities: Working on his robot, pining for Lisa, doing whatever Zack tells him to do
Character high point: Beating Kelly, Jessie and Lisa to win the Miss Bayside contest
Character low point: Starring in Saved by the Bell: The New Class
After the Bell: Credits for Diamond, 24, include an instructional video on chess and an appearance on Wrestlemania
Role model: Like Gary Coleman, Diamond is likely doomed to make cameos as his TV character for years to come.
|
| Lark Voorhies |
Lark Voorhies as Lisa Turtle
Extra-curricular activities: Shopping, doing her nails, talking about shopping, more shopping
Character high point: Trying to be intellectual to please a smart guy, then finding out he “likes her for herself”
Character low point: Any party dress she wore
After the Bell: Voorhies, 26, went soap with stints on Days of Our Lives and The Bold and the Beautiful. She then took a supporting role in the LL Cool J sitcom In the House and the TV movie The Last Don. The 1997 How to be a Player was her last major appearance (save for a Dru Hill music video).
Role model: Like Kim Fields, who hung out with Queen Latifah on Living Single, Voorhies could find continued success in the urban market. Her next film is How High with rappers Redman and Method Man.
