BACKGROUND
Much of the Saved by the Bell series came out before I was even born – and yet, many 90s children grew up watching this programme.
For me, it was all thanks to Nickelodeon re-running the show throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. This channel introduced me to both Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996-2003) and Saved by the Bell (1989-93), as well as Saved by the Bell: The College Years (1993-94), and the movie that wrapped up the entire series, Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas. I remember the movie specifically used to be on during the school summer holidays.
As I liked Saved by the Bell so much, I knew I had to get the complete series on DVD, along with its television movies. I can’t trust any television channel to continue airing any programme I like, especially if it is American, and certainly can’t trust a streaming service to pick it up and include it on their UK platforms.
Sure enough, Saved by the Bell is no longer re-run on Nickelodeon, and only aired for a brief time on another channel. It is not available on any streaming platform in the UK, nor is the revival series. Not that I care; I wasn’t bothered by the new series, because I can just watch the original series over and over and over again. And I have done, many times. I’m one of those people that enjoys watching a film or a series multiple times. Saved by the Bell never gets old.
Zack Morris and Kelly Kapowski were The Teen TV Couple of their time. Probably one of many, but their love story was sweet and innocent, to match the teen sitcom, and viewers spent many an episode wondering if the two would actually get a “happily ever after”. Zack and Kelly proved that “the course of true love never did run smooth”, as the two fought to be together, despite the roaming eyes of both Zack and Kelly.
It certainly seemed when Zack and Kelly went to college, the same one, that they would never end up together. Thank you, Professor Lasky. And yet against all odds, Zack and Kelly’s on-off relationship was once again on, forever this time, as Zack spontaneously proposed to Kelly and they decided they’d run off to get married in Las Vegas.
Weddings in Las Vegas don’t have the best reputation, or the best future. It’s not seen to be the most romantic option to get married over there, and can be considered as a sign that a marriage is already doomed. But not for Zack and Kelly. Their wedding in Vegas was proof that the doubters should never have doubted them, because this really was true love, and they had the picture-perfect wedding. Well, after the usual Saved by the Bell-style antics and misunderstandings!
PLOT
Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas opens in a wooded area, where we see Zack, Slater, and Screech wearing camouflage and holding guns. Weird. But it soon becomes clear that the boys are just playing paintball. After believing they’ve won the game, the guys sit and have a discussion about Zack’s upcoming wedding. Slater thinks Zack and Kelly are too young to get married, but Zack reiterates that Kelly is the only girl for him. As the three have their cosy chat, they find themselves surrounded. The opposing team was not actually wiped out after all. Slater, Zack, and Screech pretend to argue amongst themselves to distract the other paintballers, going so far as to push Screech over. As Screech feigns injury, the guys manage to shoot the remaining members of the team and win the game.
On their way home after their successful paintballing, the boys stop outside Bayside High and reminisce about all the good memories they had there together. Slater then drops Zack off at his parents’ house. During an incredibly awkward dinner, Zack’s father says he will not be at Zack and Kelly’s wedding, believing them to be too young to get married and thinking that Zack is throwing his life away. He cannot understand why they can’t wait until after graduation to get married. To be honest, I think most of the audience are wondering that too, but it’s best to just go with it! Zack storms off to his room, closely followed by his mother. Zack thinks his mother is at least on board with his wedding plans, but it turns out she feels the same way; that they are too young. She also won’t be at the wedding, not wanting to go against Zack’s father. She does, however, gift Zack two vouchers for free rooms at the Stardust Hotel in Vegas, which she won at poker night at church of all places. Zack appreciates the gift, and confirms he has about $1200 to spend on the wedding.
The next day, Slater and Screech return to pick Zack up to drive over to Vegas, and Kelly and Lisa are there too, ready to head off in Lisa’s shiny red BMW. Shortly after leaving, the guys notice that Lisa and Kelly are nowhere near them. They pull over and call Lisa’s car phone. Zack asks where they are. Zack starts to get annoyed, thinking the girls are going to slow them down. Lisa says they should have a bet: the ones who get to Vegas last have to buy dinner. Just as Zack agrees to this, they see Lisa and Kelly pass right by them. The guys jump in the car, not wanting to be the last ones there.
Everything seems to be going well, until we see that Lisa and Kelly have broken down in some small road away from the highway, in the blazing heat, with no phone signal. The girls have no choice but to wait for help. Meanwhile, the boys are lost, having also gone off the highway, but as they try to figure out where they are, thanks to Zack’s little “shortcut”, they are pulled over for speeding. The sheriff asks for licence and registration. Slater doesn’t know where his car registration is though, as he was cleaning out his car the other day and likely threw it out. The sheriff goes away to run the plates and returns a few moments later with some shocking news: the car has come up as stolen! What?! Slater, you stole a car? That’s not what this movie is supposed to be about! The guys are taken to the station.
Luckily, the girls are having a bit more luck, as they finally see someone walking down this tiny road. Lisa doesn’t want to approach him though as he looks like a “hippie”, but Kelly ignores her and asks for his help with the car. Thankfully, this “hippie” – his name is Curt – knows all about cars and fixes it, by using Lisa’s belt in place of a broken fan belt and a bottle of water to cool the radiator. Now, they can get back on the road. Kelly offers Curt a lift to Vegas, much to Lisa’s annoyance.
Back with Slater, Screech, and Zack, they plead for their release, saying how this must be a mistake; Slater would never steal a car. The sheriff later confirms it was actually a mistake, and the car was not stolen. Oh, sorry, Slater, for assuming the worst of you… However, Zack will need to appear in court on Monday for his speeding charge. Zack says they can’t do that as he is getting married this weekend, so the sheriff allows himself to be bribed. Such corruption. Screech stupidly lets it slip that Zack has $1200 on him and, lo and behold, that’s exactly what it’ll cost for this speeding charge to go away! Zack begrudgingly pays the money and they are free to go.
Lisa and Kelly arrive at the Stardust Hotel and are surprised to find they are the first ones there. Lisa is even more surprised to find that Curt is actually a bellboy at this hotel. She just can’t get away from him. Lisa and Kelly take a look around the hotel, where they see the $4 million Considine Diamond on show. Lisa then takes Kelly for spa treatments, with this being an early wedding present. Once they’ve finished, they find that Slater, Zack, and Screech have finally arrived. The boys agree not to tell Kelly that Zack only has $43 left for their wedding, and they plan to work together to raise some more funds quickly.
The next morning, the guys work as caddies for rich businessmen on the golf course. Zack seems to do well with his golfer, as does Slater, although he is finding it annoying that he keeps having to retrieve golf balls from the water… It gets so bad that Slater is told to buy some more balls from the pro shop. At the shop, Slater finds that the manager is the girl he saw in the Stardust lobby last night. He tries to ask her – Carla – out on a date, but she says that wouldn’t be a good idea. Back on the course, Screech, unsurprisingly, is irritating his golfer, and to make things worse, he ends up on a runaway golf cart and Zack has to try and save him, following behind on a different cart. Zack manages to pull Screech to safety, but both carts end up in the water. The guys are promptly fired.
Later that day, Lisa and Kelly meet up with the boys for an afternoon in the pool. Kelly tells Zack that she’s booked a meeting with a wedding co-ordinator for the next morning so they can really make the most of their $1200. Zack knows he needs to get more money and quickly. He talks to Screech about it at the pool bar, where a man overhears their conversation. This man introduces himself as Bert Banner, the owner of a male escort service. Zack says he’s not interested in working as a male escort, but Bert Banner tells them their starting salary would be $200 a day. Zack says he and Screech will do it. Slater, meanwhile, has run into Carla again at the pool. This time, she does agree to a dinner date. It is revealed that Carla is being followed by two men, who look like bodyguards.
The following day, Lisa and Kelly meet with the wedding co-ordinator, but Zack is late. Lisa warns Kelly that Zack might be getting “cold feet”, but she ignores her. Zack is actually training with Screech at Bert Banner’s office for their first dates that evening. Zack is told his date will be waiting for him at the Top of the Strip restaurant at 8pm. Screech, who is being told to go by the name “Sammy”, will be picked up by his date outside his hotel at 6pm. She’ll be riding in a bright pink limo. Zack goes straight from Bert Banner’s to meet with Kelly and apologises for being late. Kelly asks if Zack doesn’t want to get married anymore, and he confirms that he does, but still doesn’t explain the whole money situation. Kelly then tells him she has made a dinner reservation for them for 8pm that night at – you guessed it – the Top of the Strip restaurant. That’ll be interesting!
That night, Screech is pulled into a pink limo by a flirty, older woman named Diana, who makes him tango with her all evening. Lisa sees Curt again, who is now working as a doorman. She tries to refuse his offer of dinner that night, but Curt won’t take no for an answer. She agrees, providing he doesn’t wear sandals. Zack and Kelly arrive at the Top of the Strip for dinner and Zack tries to rush them to order, making Kelly suspicious. Zack then immediately leaves the table, and meets his other date, a Russian woman called Katrina, who doesn’t speak very good English. Zack is overcome by how beautiful this woman is, and mutters under his breath “I’ll kick your butt, Bert Banner”. Katrina overhears and starts repeating the phrase, not knowing what it means. Zack then sees Kelly coming over and tries to hide under the table, but it’s too late; Kelly has seen everything and thinks Zack is cheating on her. He tries to explain but doesn’t get very far. Katrina, who no doubt has no idea what’s going on, thinks this is some sort of game and tells Kelly she’ll “kick her butt”. Kelly is about to start a fight with her, but leaves the restaurant and goes back to her hotel room, packing to leave. Zack goes to the hotel too and tries to get Kelly to talk to him, but she won’t answer the door. Instead, Zack goes to his balcony, since the rooms are next door to each other, and climbs across to their balcony.
But there is yet another imminent disaster coming their way. Slater was also on a date at Top of the Strip, with Carla. Their date was interrupted by Carla’s ex-boyfriend Freddie Silver. As they flee, Silver tells his bodyguards, the two men from the pool the other day, to bring Slater and Carla to him. Slater takes Carla to their hotel room, but the bodyguards try to break into it. They go out to the balcony and find Zack dangling there, almost about to fall to his death. Slater starts climbing over to save him, when Kelly comes to the balcony and is horrified to see Zack there. Zack explains what happened to their wedding money and how he was only on a date to earn some money so he could give Kelly a proper wedding. She is touched by this and helps Slater get Zack to safety. Slater then gets Carla over to Lisa and Kelly’s room. There, Carla explains that her ex-boyfriend, Freddie, is in Vegas to steal the Considine Diamond. Carla overheard Freddie talking about it and broke up with Freddie straight after, but he is following her to make sure she doesn’t tell anyone about his plans. They need to get out of here – and Lisa knows just who to call.
Curt arrives with a luggage trolley and hides Carla and Slater on it. He pretends to be helping Lisa and Kelly check out, and brings their car round to the front. However, Screech then arrives from his date with Diana, looking harassed, and accidently turns the trolley around, revealing Carla and Slater to Freddie’s bodyguards who were looking for them. Zack, Carla, Slater, and Screech jump into Slater’s car and drive away, with the bodyguards chasing them in a taxi. Curt, Lisa, and Kelly follow in Lisa’s car. When Zack gets stuck in traffic, they all jump out and run into the Hollywood Movie Museum. They disguise themselves as figures of actors, which tricks the bodyguards who leave the museum. The gang are then thrown out, but as they leave, they walk right past the men, who chase them again. Lisa, Kelly, and Curt catch up and follow everyone into a nearby casino.
In the casino, Slater, Screech, Zack, and Carla find themselves backstage at the casino’s stage show. They dress up as showgirls and go on stage, whilst everyone else watches from the audience. It doesn’t take long to spot the out-of-place dancers though, and they are all caught. They are taken to Freddie’s room and held at gunpoint. Curt reveals his father actually owns the Stardust Hotel, which seriously impresses Lisa, and he tells Freddie he can lead him right to the Considine Diamond, but only if he lets everyone else go. Freddie says he’ll let them go once he has the diamond and is safely away. Right now, everyone can come to the safe as hostages. Curt does as he promised and gets Freddie into the hotel safe, where he starts taking many other items of jewellery along with the diamond. But Slater and Zack have a plan. They start talking about the bodyguard’s gun, wondering if it shoots paint, signalling they should go into their paintball routine from a few days ago. Slater and Zack argue and start pushing Screech around as they did. Screech then falls into the bodyguard and pushes him into the vault with Freddie and the other bodyguard. Curt shuts the safe door behind them and alerts security.
Now that’s sorted, I think there’s a wedding we were all promised! Because Zack only has a few dollars, they resort to getting married at the Silver Bell Chapel, where it only costs $50 to get married. They are surprised to find Bert Banner is the officiant there, but it turns out Bert has lots of different businesses he runs in Vegas. As the wedding proceeds, there is a surprise interruption. Zack’s parents arrive to object to this cheap, tacky wedding. Zack’s father apologies for what he said, and says he wants to give them a real wedding; he just needs a few days to organise it. Slater reveals he asked Zack’s parents to come here.
A few days later, the gang are in a pretty hotel garden for the wedding. Kelly walks down the aisle with her father, and we see Bayside High Principal Mr. Belding is a guest at the wedding, along with college friend Alex and their Resident Advisor Mike. As the ceremony begins, there is also a late-comer. It’s Jessie, of course! She is missing finals to be here, but she doesn’t care. The ceremony continues and we see a montage of Zack and Kelly’s love story. Zack and Kelly say their “I do’s”, kiss, and are officially married.
At the reception, all of Zack and Kelly’s friends get to talk with them and Zack thanks his father for everything he’s done for them. His father says he’s always been proud of Zack and always loved him. Zack and Kelly give a speech to all their guests, thanking them for their love and support, and Slater leads a toast to the happy couple.
The next morning, Zack and Kelly are leaving for their honeymoon. Lisa says she’s going to a Native American reservation with Curt, and Slater is taking Carla back to LA for a few days. Kelly throws her bouquet, which is caught by Screech, who is then chased by his date from the other night, Diana. Kelly and Zack then get into their limo and leave.
CHARACTERS & CAST
Zack Morris is a ladies’ man, a charmer, and a trickster. Zack’s reputation continues to follow him in Wedding in Las Vegas, to the point that Lisa starts to wonder if Zack really has any intention of settling down with Kelly. It’s not that distracting Zack in the movie though; it’s that hustler side where he thinks he can figure things out for himself and keep secrets from people since he’ll resolve the problem before they find out. He does not succeed, and has to come clean, just like he always did in the main series, but luckily, Kelly manages to forgive him regardless. The important thing to remember is that Zack is not perfect, but he has been in love with Kelly ever since grammar school, and their love is real.
Zack Morris was played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar. After Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas, Gosselaar appeared in television movies, such as NBC’s Freshman Fall (1996), playing Scott; and ABC Family’s 12 Dates of Christmas (2011), being cast as Miles. More recently, Gosselaar has been seen in television series, such as Fox’s The Passage (2019) where he was cast as Brad Wolgast; Mixed-ish (2019-21), a spin-off of ABC’s Black-ish (2014-22), as Paul Johnson; and in the NBC drama Found (2023-25) as Hugh Evans. Gosselaar won a Young Artist Award in 1991 for his role as Zack Morris in the series.
Kelly Kapowski is a little bit naïve and innocent, making her the perfect target of Zack’s charms. She always forgives him no matter what idiotic thing he does, or how much he lies to her. Zack loses their wedding money and doesn’t tell Kelly, trying to recoup the money without letting her know, but when he is forced to come clean after Kelly sees him working as an escort, and on a date with another girl, Kelly instantly forgives him, and actually finds it quite sweet that he went to all that trouble for her. Um, ok…Kelly is kind and a friend to everyone. She was always my favourite character in the series.
Tiffani Thiessen was cast as Kelly Kapowski. Thiessen went on to star as Valerie Malone in Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990-2000), first appearing in Season 5 which began shortly before Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas was released. In more recent years, Thiessen was cast as Elizabeth Burke in the series White Collar (2009-14); and as Lori Mendoza in the Netflix series Alexa & Katie (2018-20). She also hosted the comedy clip show Deliciousness (2020-22) for MTV.
Kelly and Zack are joined in Vegas by their longtime friend, Lisa Turtle. She is rich, pretty, and obsessed with fashion and beauty. Lisa did not go to the same college as Kelly, so the two have a lot to catch up on during Wedding in Las Vegas, however, despite the excitement of helping Kelly plan her wedding, Lisa can’t help but wonder if Zack actually wants to marry Kelly. In the end, those concerns are short-lived and Lisa becomes the object of affection for the man who helped them after their car broke down, Curt. Curt works at the Stardust Hotel. His fashion sense and lack of status instantly turns Lisa off, because she’s a bit of snob, but eventually, she agrees to have dinner with Curt. She later learns Curt’s father owns the Stardust but that he doesn’t want his father’s money and status, which shocks Lisa, because that’s the exact opposite of her. Thanks to Curt, Lisa appears to be learning how to enjoy the simpler things in life at the end of the movie. I wonder how long that lasted?
Lisa Turtle was played by Lark Voorhies, who won a Young Artist Award for her role as Lisa in the original series in 1993. Voorhies went on to be cast as Jasmine Malone in the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful (1987-present) in the 1990s, and later, played the recurring role of Mercedes Langford in the sitcom In the House (1995-99).
A.C. Slater, or just Slater, used to be an adversary of Zack’s, as they both fought for Kelly’s attention. Slater quickly gave up the fight, and him and Zack became best friends. Slater is a good friend, however, he is not loyal for the sake of it; he tells Zack exactly what he thinks, especially if he disagrees with him. In the case of Zack and Kelly’s wedding, Slater makes it clear that he doesn’t understand why Zack and Kelly have to get married when they are only 19, although he does still want to be there for his friends, despite the difference of opinion. But much like Lisa, any concerns he has about the wedding are soon forgotten, as he becomes enamoured with a woman he saw in the Stardust lobby. Typical Slater!
Mario Lopez was cast as Slater. He went on to be cast as Officer Bobby Cruz in the series Pacific Blue (1996-2000) and appeared in the recurring role of Christian Ramirez in the soap The Bold and the Beautiful. Lopez later appeared in Season 3 of Dancing with the Stars (2005-present) in 2006, coming in second place, and played the recurring role of Dr. Mike Hamoui in Nip/Tuck (2003-10). Lopez is currently a host on the weekday entertainment news programme Access Hollywood (1996-present), having previously worked on Extra (1994-present). Lopez won a Young Artist Award in 1993 for his role as Slater.
Rounding out the original Saved by the Bell gang who appear in main roles in Wedding in Las Vegas is Screech Powers. Screech is the intelligent one of the group, however, his intelligence is not generally appreciated by the others because Screech lacks common sense. For example, in Wedding in Las Vegas, Slater and Carla are sneaking out of the Stardust when Screech comes in and instantly reveals them to the men chasing them. To be fair, Screech had an awful time on his “date”! I’ve always felt sorry for Screech because the group don’t have much patience with him; he never means to be difficult.
Dustin Diamond was cast as Screech, continuing to play the character in Saved by the Bell: The New Class (1993-2000). He later went on to have small cameo roles in comedy films like Big Fat Liar (2002) and American Pie Presents: The Book of Love (2009). Diamond also appeared on Seasons 5 and 6 of Celebrity Fit Club (2005-10). He was even a “housemate” in the UK version of Celebrity Big Brother, appearing in Series 12 in 2013. Diamond sadly passed away in February 2021 after a battle with cancer.
Carla is Slater’s love interest in this movie. She clearly has a complicated past, since she has a jewel thief with scary bodyguards as an ex-boyfriend. Apart from that, little is known about Carla, and her backstory seems a bit confused. We have no idea how she met Freddie Silver, only that they were together and he came to Las Vegas specifically to steal the Considine Diamond. But it’s unclear if Carla already lived in Las Vegas. She has a job at the golf pro shop, yet she seems to live at the Stardust Hotel – or she has special dispensation to use their pool, since that is where she sees Slater. Did Carla move to Vegas with Freddie and her job at the pro shop was a cover, or did she only meet Freddie fairly recently and manage to make an enemy out of him by hearing his thieving plans in just a few weeks? I don’t know. If I was Slater, I wouldn’t trust Carla; something doesn’t add up…
Carla was played by Liz Vassey, who had previously appeared as Emily Ann Sago in the soap opera All My Children (1970-2011) prior to her role in Wedding in Las Vegas. She went on to be cast as Louise Davis in the NBC sitcom Brotherly Love (1955-97). More recently, Vassey appeared as Wendy Simms in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000-15) from Season 6 through to Season 11. Freddie Silver, the scary diamond thief, was played by Mark DeCarlo, who is known for being the voice of Hugh Neutron, father of Jimmy, in the animated Nickelodeon series The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius (2002-06).
Curt is Lisa’s love interest, although his affections are initially rebuffed by Lisa, thanks to his “poor” fashion sense, and his “lowly” job as hotel staff. Curt doesn’t match Lisa’s strict checklist for an ideal boyfriend or husband. Curt’s persistence is the only reason Lisa agrees to have dinner with him, and we don’t actually get to hear or see how that date went, only that Lisa then called Curt to help them deal with Freddie Silver and his bodyguards. At this point, Curt reveals that his father owns the Stardust, immediately piquing Lisa’s interest because, money. Except Curt doesn’t want to live off his father’s wealth and has his own plans for his life. At the very end of the film, Curt has managed to convince Lisa to go to a Native American reserve with him, to open up her life experience, but if he really didn’t plan on inheriting his father’s wealth, then I doubt Lisa stuck around for long!
Spencer Rochfort was cast as Curt. Around the time of Wedding in Las Vegas, Rochfort could be seen appearing as Brett Richardson in the series Acapulco H.E.A.T. (1993-99). He then went on to be cast as Nick Riley in the drama series Little Men (1998-99), a Canadian series based on the Louisa May Alcott novel of the same name.
Now for some smaller character roles. One is Bert Banner, a potential con artist, although a likeable one. Banner meets Screech and Zack at the Stardust pool bar and convinces them to work for his male escort service to make some fast money. Banner appears after that as the wedding officiant at the Silver Bell Chapel, ready to marry Zack and Kelly, before the ceremony is interrupted by Zack’s parents. Not that Banner is concerned; he has a huge queue of other couples waiting for his service, and owns a funeral parlour along with the escort service. I’m sure he’s made a killing in Las Vegas. Bert Banner was played by Gilbert Gottfried, who is well-known as the voice of Iago, Jafar’s fast-talking parrot sidekick in Disney’s Aladdin (1992), reprising the role often. He also voiced the part of Berkeley Beetle in Don Bluth’s animated movie Thumbelina (1994). Gottfried began his career as a stand-up comedian, before moving into film roles. Some of these earlier credits include Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) as Sidney Bernstein, and the 1990 film Problem Child and its 1991 sequel as Mr. Peabody. Gilbert Gottfried continued to appear in television and film projects throughout his life. He sadly passed away in April 2022.
Then, we have Sheriff Myron Thorpe, who pulls over Slater’s car as Zack is speeding on their way to Vegas. He is a little bit of a corrupt sheriff, seemingly happy to take money to make speeding charges go away, but he’s got many other criminals to deal with and probably didn’t want to hear any more of Screech’s talking and harmonica-playing! The sheriff has a deputy called Deputy Dano, who seems to only be there so they can use the classic “Book ‘em, Dano” line, that famous catchphrase from Hawaii Five-O (1968-80). The funny thing is Deputy Dano is such a minor part and yet actor Richard Schiff who played him went on to star as Toby Ziegler in The West Wing (1999-2006), winning a Primetime Emmy for the role. Recently, Schiff was cast as Dr. Aaron Glassman in The Good Doctor (2017-24). Sheriff Thorpe was played by Pat Corley, best known for his role as Phil in the sitcom Murphy Brown (1988-98). Corley passed away in 2006.
There are far too many characters in Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas and I’m still not done. The following are all cameo appearances by actors who were in either the original series or the sequel series. One is obviously Elizabeth Berkley, who returned to play Jessie Spano. You can’t have a Saved by the Bell reunion without Jessie, after all. After Saved by the Bell, Berkley went on to star in the infamous movie Showgirls (1995), playing the main character, Nomi. Berkley was later cast as Phoebe in the movie The First Wives Club (1996); and as Julia Winston in CSI: Miami (2002-12).
Other characters reprising their roles from Saved by the Bell are Dennis Haskins as Mr. Belding, who is a guest at the wedding, and Zack’s parents, who appeared in only a few episodes of the main series. Haskins played the role of Mr. Belding all the way from the original series through to Saved by the Bell: The New Class, which didn’t end until 2000. Haskins went on to have guest roles in television series. John Sanderford was cast as Mr. Morris, having appeared in various soap operas including General Hospital (1963-present) and Santa Barbara (1984-93). Melody Rogers played Mrs. Morris.
Two characters from Saved by the Bell: The College Years made cameos as wedding guests, college roommate Alex and Resident Advisor Mike. Kiersten Warren was cast as Alex. Warren went on to appear in the recurring role of Nora Huntington in Desperate Housewives (2004-12), and appeared in movies like 13 Going on 30 (2004), playing Trish Sackett. Bob Golic played Mike. Golic is a former NFL player, retiring in 1992.
MUSIC
The music in Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas has been difficult to figure out, as it would appear that much of its music was likely written for the movie.
However, there is one piece of music, used in the film’s Opening Credits, that was easy to find. This song is “Live It Up” by Crosby, Stills & Nash. This song reappears as an instrumental whenever there are shots of the Vegas Strip at night, like when Kelly and Lisa arrive at the Stardust Hotel. Crosby, Stills, & Nash was a folk-rock group. Its members were David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash. The band initially formed in 1968. “Live It Up” was released as part of their album of the same name in 1990. “Live It Up” was written by Joe Vitale. I really like this song, and feel like it matches the atmosphere of Vegas.
Outside of that, the only other recognisable music in Wedding in Las Vegas is the traditional “Here Comes the Bride”, composed by Wagner, and obviously used when Kelly walks up the aisle with her father. However, there is one song, specifically written for Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas, which can be found. This is the song that plays at Zack and Kelly’s wedding, during the montage of scenes of the couple. This song is titled “When It’s for You”. It was listed on the website of composer Jay Gruska. “When It’s for You” is a beautiful love song to match the love story of Zack and Kelly. It was written by Gruska and Paul Gordon, with the vocals being provided by Alan Sovory.
There are other songs in Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas though, and looking at the fact the wedding song was written by Jay Gruska and Paul Gordon, it is possible they also wrote the rest of the music in the film. Three pieces of music all sound very similar anyway, and seem to feature the same vocal artist. One of these is the music that is playing as Slater, Screech, and Zack head to Zack’s house after paintball and take a detour to Bayside High, straight after the Opening Credits. I really like this piece of music so it’s a shame I don’t know much about it. I’d like to think it’s called “Those Were the Days”, as that line is repeated often. It is also used in instrumental form for the End Credits. Another unknown piece of music plays as the gang leave in their cars to head to Vegas, and it reappears when Zack and Kelly leave Vegas for their honeymoon, right before the credits. Then there is the song playing as the group spend time in the hotel pool together on their first full day in Vegas, just after Screech, Slater, and Zack get fired as golf caddies.
Those pieces of music contain lyrics, so would not be counted as the usual instrumental music that would exist within a movie’s score. Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas’ score was composed by Jay Gruska. Gruska composed the music for the 90s series like Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990-2000) and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993-97). He went on to co-compose the score for Supernatural (2005-20) with Christopher Lennertz; as well as the score for Charmed (1998-2006) with J. Peter Robinson.
Within what I would class as the score for the film, I particularly like the music that plays as Zack, Slater, Carla, and Screech are being chased through the streets of Las Vegas by Freddie Silver’s bodyguards. I also like the music from the stage show that the four find themselves in, disguised as showgirls, and the music playing just before Zack and Kelly get married at the Silver Bell Chapel, although this does sound very much like the song “Chapel of Love”, made famous by The Dixie Cups in 1964, and written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector. I’m not entirely certain if this music was just meant to be a riff on that song, or whether an excerpt of the actual song was used.
PRODUCTION
Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas would not have happened if it had not been for Saved by the Bell (1989-93). But let’s not forget, Saved by the Bell would never have existed had Good Morning, Miss Bliss (1987-89) not existed first.
Good Morning, Miss Bliss was a series created by Sam Bobrick. It starred Hayley Mills, famous for her leading roles in live-action Disney movies like Pollyanna (1960) and The Parent Trap (1961), as the titular character, Miss Bliss. The series revolved around her teaching career at a school in Indianapolis, and how she dealt with her various students.
The original pilot was different to the full series though, with the pilot episode airing in July 1987 on NBC. After airing the pilot, the series was reworked and a full season of thirteen episodes aired on Disney Channel from November 1988 until March 1989. Hayley Mills was the only actress to carry over from the pilot to the full series, but there were some familiar additions, because this is where Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Lark Voorhies, and Dustin Diamond began playing their famous characters Zack Morris, Lisa Turtle, and Samuel “Screech” Powers. Dennis Haskins also made his debut as Mr. Richard Belding here.
Good Morning, Miss Bliss was cancelled for poor ratings after that first season and NBC reclaimed the rights to it, beginning to revamp the series in order to refocus the story on the teenage students, not the teacher, and turning it into a live-action comedy show for Saturday morning television. Along with Zack, Lisa, and Screech, three other students were added: Tiffani Thiessen as Kelly Kapowski; Elizabeth Berkley as Jessie Spano; and Mario Lopez as A.C. Slater. Berkley had actually auditioned for the part of Kelly, along with Jennie Garth who went on to star as Kelly Taylor in Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990-2000). Berkley did not get the role, but the producers liked her so much that the role of Jessie was created just for her. Mr. Belding made a return to this new series too, continuing to be the school’s principal. Instead of this being a school in Indianapolis, the new series was set at Bayside High in California. Peter Engel, the executive producer of Good Morning, Miss Bliss, continued to be involved as the executive producer on this reformatted show, now titled Saved by the Bell. It is also worth mentioning that Good Morning, Miss Bliss episodes were added into syndication, with “present day Zack” introducing these episodes, explaining that these events happened when Zack, Lisa, and Screech were in junior high school.
Saved by the Bell’s first season began airing on NBC in August 1989, and concluded in December of that year. This series introduced the new cast of six students, and included storylines such as Zack trying out subliminal messaging on the girls, “The Zack Tapes”; and Lisa spending too much on her father’s credit card and trying to pay it back, “The Lisa Card”. An eighteen-episode Season 2 began in September 1990 and ended in December 1990. Episodes from this season included Zack organising a free prom for Kelly as her parents couldn’t afford to send Kelly to the school’s actual prom, “The Prom”; Zack asking Kelly to go steady, only to fall for the new school nurse immediately afterwards, “From Nurse to Worse”; and that iconic episode about Jessie’s caffeine pill addiction, “Jessie’s Song”, which most people find funny, but it actually makes me cry. Apparently, Jessie was meant to be addicted to speed in the original script, but this was censored by the network[1].
Saved by the Bell continued to be popular, so it was followed up with Season 3, which consisted of 26 episodes, and aired from September to December 1991. The opening few episodes followed two interesting storylines for the gang: one of Zack and Kelly’s break-up after Kelly decides to date her much older boss, Jeff, who she meets working at the Max, the gang’s diner; and another set of episodes about how the group got summer jobs working at the Malibu Sands Beach Resort – except for Lisa, who is just a guest there, obviously; Lisa doesn’t work! The beach resort episodes featured Leah Remini as Stacey Carosi and Ernie Sabella as Mr. Carosi, Stacey’s father and boss of the new recruits. Other storylines in this season included Bayside having to decide whether they should let a company drill for oil on the school grounds, “Pipe Dreams”; Jessie’s stepbrother, Eric, coming to live with her and her family, “The Wicked Stepbrother”; “Palm Springs Weekend”, where the group go to Palm Springs for Jessie’s father’s wedding; “Rockumentary”, a documentary-style episode all about the gang’s band, Zack Attack; and even an episode about drugs, “No Hope with Dope”, which did not air on Nickelodeon when I was watching the series.
Saved by the Bell’s first television movie premiered in November 1992, called Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style, which saw the gang in Hawaii to stay with Kelly’s grandfather, played by Dean Jones, at his hotel, only to find that he is struggling for guests due to plans to buy up his land and make a huge hotel complex. Mr. Belding happens to be on the island at the exact same time with a tour group, and he helps save Kelly’s grandfather’s hotel too. Although this movie first aired partway through the original showing of Season 4, I believe it is supposed to take place during the teens’ summer break after Season 3.
The fourth and final season, another 26-episode series, began airing in September 1992 and was concluded by December 1992 with the episode “Graduation”, thus ending Saved by the Bell. Some episodes in this series included “Teen-Line”, where Zack meets a disabled girl and starts acting weird about it; the “battle of the sexes” episode, “The Will”, where the guys go up against the girls in various tasks; “Class Rings”, where Zack buys dodgy class rings that turn everyone’s skin green; the square dance Senior Prom, “The Senior Prom”; and “School Song”, where Zack and Screech fight over the new school song. There was even an episode about drink-driving, which, again, did not air on Nickelodeon when I was watching.
Season 4 of Saved by the Bell is also notable for what later became known as The Tori Paradox. Season 4 had finished filming, with the final episode being “Graduation”. Everything was done, everything was completed, although Season 4 was going to be a shorter-than-average season. However, NBC decided to order ten more episodes. That may not have been an issue had it not been for the fact that Elizabeth Berkley and Tiffani Thiessen had decided to leave the show entirely after those initial episodes of Season 4 were filmed and were not contractually obliged to film these additional episodes.
This put the series in jeopardy, because it would only be too obvious that two popular characters were missing. The producers knew they’d need a new character to fill the space left by Kelly and Jessie, so Tori Scott was created, played by Leanna Creel. In an interesting move, it was decided that these “Tori episodes” would be placed in between the other episodes of Season 4, with the hope of them blending in with the rest of the season, but that did not happen, and it was only too obvious, and confusing, that Kelly and Jessie were there one minute, and gone the next. We were meant to believe that in the episodes with Tori, Kelly and Jessie were simply not in the same classes as the other four and Tori, or that they were busy doing something else. It is of course that case that people can mix outside of established friendship groups, however, to make it even more confusing, Tori then suddenly vanished without explanation since she did not make an appearance in the “Graduation” episode because that had been filmed before Leanna Creel was even cast. Creel had no idea how much of a scandal her character showing up would be, but she had a positive response from fans for her role, which has now become famous[2].
Saved by the Bell ended with the main cast graduating from high school, so what next for them? Well, college of course! The main series was followed by a sequel series, Saved by the Bell: The College Years, which premiered its pilot episode on 22nd May 1993. Saved by the Bell: The College Years did not begin airing its full series until September 1993.
The pilot episode introduced this new concept for the programme, whereby Zack, Screech, and Slater move into their dorm, or “suite”, at the fictional California University, or Cal U. Their other “suite mates” are female students Alex, played by Kiersten Warren; Leslie, played by Anne Tremko; and Danielle, played by Essence Atkins, who only appeared in the pilot. Another new character was Mike Rogers, their Resident Advisor, played by Bob Golic. From the second episode of the series Tiffani Thiessen returned to the show as Kelly, replacing Danielle, who was said to have transferred to another college.
This sequel series revolved around the usual antics you might expect of the Saved by the Bell gang, but this time taking place at college. It did feel slightly more mature than the original series, to the point that I didn’t like The College Years much at all when I first watched it, as I was only about 10 or 11-years-old when I first saw it, and therefore didn’t relate to it. Re-watching this series as an adult, I found it much more enjoyable. But even from a young age, I still managed to remember the most important storylines in the series.
The most problematic one is obviously that whole thing about Kelly dating one of their college professors, Professor Lasky, irritating Zack who is trying to get back together with Kelly at this point in the series. Professor Lasky was very much a hated character for a long time because he was stopping Zack and Kelly from being together, to the point that actor Patrick Fabian, who was cast as Professor Lasky, has been unable to avoid comments from fans about his “controversial” character[3]!
Unsurprisingly, Kelly and Professor Lasky did not last long, and Kelly and Zack do eventually get back together, however, Kelly soon got accepts on to the Semester-at-Sea program, which means she’ll be away on a three-month cruise. After Zack’s attempts to take Screech’s place on the program fail, he decides to propose to Kelly. She initially refuses to answer, saying they are too young, but when Zack comes to say goodbye to Kelly before the ship sails away, Kelly decides she does want to marry him, and she wants to do so right away. They both get off the ship just before it departs. This is the episode “Marry Me”.
Following on from that, the finale episode of Saved by the Bell: The College Years was titled “Wedding Plans”. Zack and Kelly want to get married in the college chapel, and need to find an apartment. They find a rundown apartment that is affordable and put down a deposit on it – though Kelly and Zack both hate it. They then go to the Dean of the university, Dean McMann, played by Holland Taylor, to ask permission to live off campus. After initially trying to convince Kelly not to marry Zack because Kelly is much too young – and smart – to marry Zack, Dean McMann has a change of heart, as she believes Zack will have to drop out of college so he can work to pay the rent on their apartment. After the chapel is not available for that weekend, Dean McMann pulls some strings and gets their wedding booked in. But they must meet with the Reverend first. This meeting goes very wrong, thanks to Zack and Kelly’s bachelor and bachelorette parties taking place on the same night and in the same place as this important meeting. The Reverend decides they are too young and immature to get married and refuses to hold their wedding ceremony at the chapel. Disappointed, Kelly says they should just go to Reno this weekend and get married. But Zack says that’s too tacky, and they should go to Vegas instead! This final episode aired on 8th February 1994. Lark Voorhies returned to the show as Lisa Turtle for this one episode.
Saved by the Bell: The College Years was cancelled, due to falling ratings and disappointing reviews. The show had moved from the Saturday morning slot, which the original series had aired in, to a primetime evening slot, so perhaps that change did not help. Executive producer of Saved by the Bell and Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Peter Engel, said there was too much of a change in The College Years that did not suit the fans. Engel said had all six of the original gang been taken to college, then it might’ve worked[4]. My issue with that though is that it wouldn’t have made sense for Jessie, who had dreams of going to a prestigious Ivy League university, and Lisa, who wanted to be a fashion designer, to go to Cal U with the others. In the end, Jessie went to Columbia and Lisa went to the Fashion Institute of Technology. The other four who did go to Cal U all had different plans at the end of the original series, but I can believe those four would change their minds and end up attending the same college.
Anyway, as Saved by the Bell: The College Years did not continue and the viewers had been promised a wedding in Vegas, NBC had to oblige, and so they did, by tying up the whole series with the 90-minute television movie Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas.
Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas was directed by Jeff Melman, who had directed every episode of Saved by the Bell: The College Years so was well-placed to take on this project. He went on to direct episodes of other popular sitcoms including earlier episodes of Two and a Half Men (2003-15); 1990s episodes of Frasier (1993-2004); some episodes of Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996-2003), from Season 4 onwards; and Malcolm in the Middle (2000-06).
The credited writers of the movie were Sam Bobrick, Elaine Aronson, and Mark Fink. Writer Bobrick was credited as the creator of the show throughout all the series of Saved by the Bell, having written the Good Morning, Miss Bliss pilot episode. He had previously written for comedy shows such as The Andy Griffith Show (1960-68). Bobrick passed away in 2019. Elaine Aronson had written the pilot episode of Saved by the Bell: The College Years. Aronson went on to write episodes of comedy series like Project MC2 (2015-17) for Netflix and First Wives Club (2019-22) based on the 1996 film. Mark Fink had written a few episodes of both the original series and The College Years series, and seems to have been the primary screenwriter for Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas. Fink had also written episodes of the sitcom Full House (1987-95) around this time.
Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas actually used some real locations in Las Vegas for filming, with the Stardust Resort and Casino being specifically named, as this is where the group stay throughout the events of the movie.
The Stardust Resort and Casino opened in July 1958, becoming the world’s largest hotel at the time, with just over 1,000 rooms. Over the years, ownership of the hotel and casino changed hands numerous times, before the Boyd Gaming Corporation took over the hotel in 1985. The resort was expanded in the years that followed. In January 2006, Boyd Gaming announced that it planned to build a $4.8 billion complex to match the larger resorts that were being constructed on the Las Vegas Strip. This project was named Echelon Place, and would have consisted of five hotels, a 140,000 square-foot casino, retail and convention space, restaurants, and two theatres.
To make way for construction of the Echelon project, the Stardust Resort and Casino closed on 1st November 2006 and the hotel was demolished in the early hours of 13th March 2007, with fireworks being set off prior to the buildings’ implosion[5]. Formal groundbreaking for the new Echelon development took place in June 2007, however, construction stopped just 14 months later, in August 2008, due to the Global Financial Crisis. A building extension was granted to allow for the project to be completed by 2018, but in the end, this was not feasible and the land was sold. In March 2013, Genting Group acquired the site for $350 million and had their own plans for a new resort[6]. Resorts World Las Vegas currently stands on the land that once was the Stardust Resort and Casino, having opened in June 2021.
As a tribute to the Stardust, a replica of the original hotel sign could be found at the entrance to Resorts World Las Vegas when the resort first opened in 2021. It is unclear if it still resides there. But at the Neon Museum, a museum dedicated to the past history of Las Vegas, you can find the original Stardust Resort pylon[7].
The Neon Museum Las Vegas is home to another piece of Las Vegas history that happened to feature in Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas. That is the neon sign from the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel, Casino, and Hollywood Movie Museum, which was relit for the first time in nearly three decades on 9th October 2024 at the Neon Museum. This sign is a bright pink 24-foot-long recreation of Reynolds’ signature, and simply reads “Debbie”. It was donated to the museum by Reynolds’ estate and her son, Todd Fisher. The Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel, Casino and Hollywood Movie Museum location was used for Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas as the gang hide in the movie museum to avoid Freddie Silver’s bodyguards. The scene is not long, but the exterior and signage of the museum are clearly visible. This location first opened in 1993, and closed in 1998 due to financial problems. The movie museum featured items of movie memorabilia, which Reynolds was known for collecting[8].
Another filming location used for this movie was the Mon Bel Ami Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, which was The Silver Bell Chapel at the time of filming, and is the place where Zack and Kelly initially go to get married. The Silver Bell Chapel was damaged by fire in 2002, so was sold, renovated, and re-opened as the Mon Bel Ami Wedding Chapel in 2003. Zack and Kelly actually get married somewhere else, supposedly a Las Vegas hotel garden. The real filming location was Pickwick Gardens, but Pickwick Gardens was not in Las Vegas. Pickwick Gardens was in Burbank, California. This location closed permanently in August 2023, to make way for property development, but was a popular wedding and private event space for many years[9].
RECEPTION
Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas premiered on NBC on 7th October 1994, airing in a two-hour time slot. The movie was later split into two, and then four, episodes so it could be aired in syndication with the rest of the series.
Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas may not have been an award-winning, high budget feature film, but it has been remembered fondly by fans of the show. Some admitted that this finale was not a perfect ending to the series, but it was better to have this ending than nothing at all. Many said it was a sweet film, with touching moments referring back to the original series, such as the montage of Kelly and Zack’s “best moments” which plays during their wedding ceremony. Basically, the fans wanted a wedding in Las Vegas like they were promised and they certainly got one. This film was for the fans.
But fan or not, Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas was still subject to criticism, namely at the fact there were some cheesy, crazy storylines playing out during the film that were unrelated to the wedding and were resolved easily. I guess this is probably referring to Carla and her diamond thief ex-boyfriend, which is a bizarre storyline, and the fact Zack, Slater, and Screech manage to outthink a man holding a gun is a bit too simple! I personally don’t mind these random additions to the story, because Saved by the Bell was full of crazy, bizarre incidents that were there to be funny, not taken seriously. Others were disappointed that not all of the cast, particularly Jessie, were given a proper return to the series, as Mr. Belding, Jessie, Alex, and Mike were only given a few minutes with the cast during the wedding scene. Leslie from The College Years didn’t even make an appearance, which is a bit odd, though I’m assuming it’s simply that actress Anne Tremko was unavailable, not that she was not invited. I’d like to think that Leslie didn’t get over the fact Kelly chose Lisa as her Maid of Honour and not her, since her and Alex were fighting about that in the last episode of The College Years, and chose not to come. Some who claimed to be huge fans of the Saved by the Bell series even said they had no idea Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas existed, which goes to show that the movie wasn’t met with acclaim or even much publicity!
Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas did win a couple of small awards. For example, Tiffani Thiessen won a YoungStar Award at the First Annual YoungStar Awards in 1995, in the category Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Miniseries/Made-for-TV Movie for her role as Kelly here. Both Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Mario Lopez were nominated in the equivalent Young Actor category. The movie also apparently won Best Family TV Movie Pilot or Special at the Young Artist Awards in 1995.
LEGACY
Although Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas signalled the end for the original six characters and cast members, this was not the end for the Saved by the Bell franchise.
Even before Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas, a new spin-off series was already airing. Saved by the Bell: The New Class consisted of seven seasons, airing each year from September to December, starting in 1993 and concluding in December 1999. One additional episode aired in January 2000, but does not seem to be the official final episode.
Saved by the Bell: The New Class focused on a new set of teenage high schoolers, however, since the series had returned to Bayside High, that meant Dennis Haskins as Mr. Belding could also return, and he did, with Haskins reprising his role throughout the run of the series. Dustin Diamond also reprised his role as Screech from Season 2, with his character seemingly working at Bayside High on a work-study program. Due to its long-running nature, the cast changed frequently from season to season. The proper final episode of Saved by the Bell: The New Class saw the teens leave for different colleges, and Mr. Belding leaving Bayside to move to Tennessee for a new job. I tried to watch Saved by the Bell: The New Class once or twice, but Bayside just isn’t the same without the original six.
After 2000, there was a big break between Saved by the Bell projects as cast members worked on their own careers, however, there were occasionally reunions with the cast. For example, People magazine held a 20th anniversary reunion in 2009, however, Dennis Haskins and Dustin Diamond were left out of this reunion, for unknown reasons, though it is believed that the release of Diamond’s “tell-all” book Behind the Bell, published in 2009, was a reason for Diamond not appearing. The book talked about behind-the-scenes secrets during filming of Saved by the Bell from Diamond’s perspective, with talk about steroid use, cast hook-ups, etc. This book was later used as the source material for Lifetime’s television movie The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story (2014), which I actually quite liked, though it is important to view it as more a fictional piece of entertainment than a dramatised documentary. The cast debunked many revelations in Diamond’s book and this created a rift. Later, Diamond blamed his ghostwriter for taking comments out of context.
There was also a 2015 reunion skit on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (2014-present) where Jimmy Fallon joined the cast from Saved by the Bell in acting out a short sketch. This time, Dennis Haskins was included, though Dustin Diamond still was not, and nor was Lark Voorhies on this occasion. Voorhies was not there due to scheduling conflicts. Diamond was not there allegedly due to ongoing legal problems[10].
Over the years, there have been other projects related to Saved by the Bell that have popped up, both official and unofficial. For example, there was an unofficial musical based on the series called Bayside! The Musical, which had an off-Broadway run in 2016. It went through some of the series’ most famous storylines, like The Max closing down, and Jessie’s caffeine pill addiction. There was also a YouTube series titled Zack Morris is Trash, where a narrator went through episodes of Saved by the Bell and talked about how terrible Zack was.
There was also a pop-up restaurant in the late 2010s, called Saved by the Max, which was both a restaurant, a Saved by the Bell memorabilia space, with dolls, lunchboxes, and screenplays on display, and a recreation of some of the show’s most famous sets, like the Bayside High lockers, the Max, and Belding’s Office. Menu items were named after characters from the show[11]. It’s not entirely clear to me where Saved by the Max went and when, as it was a travelling pop-up restaurant, but it appears to have begun in Chicago in Summer 2016, before closing in June 2017 to head to Los Angeles[12]. The Los Angeles location opened with two new recreations of sets, these being Zack’s bedroom and the Malibu Sands Beach Club. It then closed in April 2019 after eight months and was heading to a third city[13]. This third city location doesn’t appear to have ever happened, but from 20th to 25th August 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Saved by the Max was available for delivery and pick-up in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City. This week in particular was chosen in order to commemorate Saved by the Bell’s original premiere date[14].
But despite all of this, there had not been any new Saved by the Bell episodes since 2000. That was all about to change as the Saved by the Bell revival series came to Peacock, NBC’s streaming service, on 25th November 2020. The first season consisted of 10 episodes, with a second season, also of 10 episodes, airing on Peacock in two parts, one half released on 24th November 2021, and the other half on 1st December 2021. I will be honest and say I have never been interested in watching this series. I wasn’t sure about watching it because it all looked too different, and by the time I’d decided maybe I should give it a go, the series was no longer available to watch in the UK for free. Oh well!
Saved by the Bell’s revival series followed Zack Morris, now Governor of California, shutting down all the low-income schools in California and transferring those students to wealthier schools, like Bayside High. It was initially not known whether the full cast would return, with only Elizabeth Berkley and Mario Lopez being approached initially to reprise their roles as Jessie and Slater, but others came on board later, such as Tiffani Thiessen as Kelly, and obviously Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Zack. Ed Alonzo as Max even returned.
In December 2016, executive producer of the show Peter Engel had been interviewed about the characters of Saved by the Bell and where he thought they’d be now. Engel thought that Zack and Kelly probably got divorced, but that they’d be remarried to other people by now. Engel went on to say that he thought Kelly would have kids and be the host of a cooking show on Food Network; Zack would be a host of a game show or talk show, or perhaps a hedge fund manager; and that Slater would be a high school football coach. For Screech, Engel said he’d be a tech entrepreneur like Bill Gates, and for Jessie, she’d likely have run for President; and Lisa would be a fashion designer or buyer[15].
Peter Engel actually got much of this “wrong” based on what the revival series showed us. Zack and Kelly stayed together, and Zack became the Governor of California. Jessie returned as a guidance counsellor, with a PhD in Educational Psychology and was an author of multiple parenting books. Screech was said to have become an astronaut. However, Engel was right about Lisa and Slater’s jobs to some extent.
Although Zack and Kelly returned to the revival series, Jessie and Slater are the only two returning characters to be main characters. Mr. Belding did not return here at all, with a new principal, Principal Toddman, played by John Michael Higgins, taking his place. Once again, there were six high school students that the series followed: Daisy, Mac, Lexi, Aisha, Jamie, and Devante. Mac is Zack and Kelly’s son, and Jamie Spano is Jessie’s son. Lark Voorhies as Lisa Turtle returned to the revival series briefly.
One of these returns was for an episode in Season 2, “The Last Year Dance” that saw the gang meet at The Max to remember Screech, with the character passing away for unexplained reasons, to match the passing of Dustin Diamond. The gang meet at The Max to share their memories of him. Max even adds Screech’s Spaghetti Burger to the menu and it is delivered by Screech’s robot, Kevin. This was followed by a montage of “Screech moments”. Dustin Diamond never returned to reprise his role. It is believed there was talk about Diamond returning to be a part of the cast for Season 2 of the revival series, but he died before he got the chance[16]. It’s very sad how Diamond was not included in cast reunions before this, and how he seemed to struggle more than the others, never able to shake off the character of Screech.
Saved by the Bell’s revival series received generally positive reviews for both seasons, with viewers loving the “inside jokes” about events that happened in the original series, such as Zack asking Kelly if she remembered Tori, and it turns out she doesn’t because the characters never met, or Kelly insisting that former boyfriend Jeff was not Mac’s father. There was even a part of Jessie’s storyline that referenced Berkley’s real-life career. It’s a well-known fact that Berkley was in the movie Showgirls (1995). It’s also no secret that Showgirls was universally panned, winning numerous Razzie Awards, committing it to the world of Hollywood infamy. It has since gained “cult classic” status. Jessie in the revival series is finalising her divorce and she mentions to Kelly and Lisa that she hasn’t flirted or been wild since she lived in Vegas, saying it was a chaotic time shortly after college, and her wild behaviour resulted in her injuring a woman by pushing her down the stairs, a nod to an event in the film. Jessie is also given a makeover to look like the character from the film[17].
Despite Saved by the Bell’s popularity and supposedly good viewing figures, along with winning a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2022, Peacock cancelled the show. No official reason was given for the cancellation, although it is believed a change of management may have had something to do with it[18].
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you were a fan of Saved by the Bell, either from the outset or were introduced to it at a later age, Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas likely felt like a fitting and fulfilling finale to a much-loved show and its characters. The popularity of Saved by the Bell has continued, to the point that the show has now joined an ever-growing list of revived series.
However, given the cancellation of the revival, it is not known where Saved by the Bell is headed next. The only thing we can be sure of is that the students of Bayside High will never be forgotten, and there will always be an opportunity to catch up with them again.
REFERENCES
[1] Credit: Tierney Bricker, ’30 Shocking Saved by the Bell Secrets Revealed’, EOnline.com, 20th August 2019.
[2] Credit: Amanda Bruce & Michael Kennedy, ‘Why Saved By The Bell Replaced Kelly & Jessie With Tori Scott’, ScreenRant.com, 21st September 2023.
[3] Credit: Ryan Jones, ‘The Role(s) of His Life’, PennStater.Mag.com, Nov/Dec 2022.
[4] Credit: Tierney Bricker, ’30 Shocking Saved by the Bell Secrets Revealed’, EOnline.com, 20th August 2019.
[5] Credit: Slone Terranella, ‘On This Day 16 Years Ago: Stardust Demolition Makes History’, 1027vgs.com, 13th March 2023.
[6] Credit: Richard N. Velotta, ‘Resorts World development went down historic Stardust path’, ReviewJournal.com, date unknown.
[7] Credit: The Neon Museum, ‘History Of The Demolished Hotels In Las Vegas’, NeonMuseum.org, date unknown.
[8] Credit: Ryder Maldonado, ‘Hollywood icon Debbie Reynolds to be honored by Neon Museum in Las Vegas’, ABC13.com, 11th September 2024.
[9] Credit: ABC7.com staff, ‘Pickwick Bowl and Banquets in Burbank shutting its doors after more than 60 years’, ABC7.com, 8th August 2023.
[10] Credit: Tierney Bricker, ’30 Shocking Saved by the Bell Secrets Revealed’, EOnline.com, 20th August 2019.
[11] Credit: Christi Carras, Linda Xu, ‘‘Saved by the Bell’-Themed Pop-Up Restaurant Takes Diners Back to the 1990s’, HollywoodReporter.com, 18th October 2018.
[12] Credit: Morgan Olsen, ‘Saved by the Max closes down Chicago pop-up and heads for Los Angeles’, TimeOut.com, 1st June 2017.
[13] Credit: Mike Roe, ‘The Saved By The Bell Pop-Up Is Closing – And We’re So Excited, We’re So…Scared’, Laist.com, 8th February 2019.
[14] Credit: Randee Dawn, ‘‘Saved by the Bell’ pop-up delivers a slice of Bayside High to your home’, Today.com, 13th August 2020.
[15] Credit: Chris Perez, ‘‘Saved by the Bell’ couple probably got divorced: producer’, NYPost.com, 1st December 2016.
[16] Credit: John Atkinson, ‘Saved By The Bell S2 Gives Touching Tribute To Screech’s Dustin Diamond’, ScreenRant.com, 24th November 2021.
[17] Credit: John Atkinson, ‘Saved By The Bell’s Showgirls Reference Retcons Jessie’s Backstory’, ScreenRant.com, 25th November 2021.
[18] Credit: Abdullah Al-Ghamdi, ‘Why Saved By The Bell Was Canceled After Season 2’, ScreenRant.com, 9th May 2022.