Similarly to Full House, Saved by the Bell is one of those shows that is so good because it's so corny. It was the kind of comforting series that always seemed to be on, whether at 7:30 in the morning or right after school. Fans loved watching Zack (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), Slater (Mario Lopez), Jessie (Elizabeth Berkley), Kelly (Tiffani Thiessen), Lisa (Lark Voorhies), and Screech (Dustin Diamond) figure out how to get through the tough times of young adulthood. The show is remembered for its lessons, fun (dated) fashion, and wacky teen hijinks.
Fans love learning more about the show's actors and think of them fondly, as they brought these beloved characters to life. And now a Saved by the Bell reboot is on the horizon for NBC's streaming service, Peacock. While there are some old plots that should definitely get an update, others need to be left alone.
Revisit: Jessie's Caffeine Pills
Of course, the most memorable Saved by the Bell storyline of the entire show is when Jessie takes caffeine pills and becomes totally afraid. The season 2 episode "Jessie's Song" sees the character singing "I'm so excited" and then realizing that she feels anything but.
It's one of the best episodes and it definitely needs to be part of the reboot. Fans will be pretty disappointed if there isn't something similar to this.
Leave Alone: Zack Tries To Find Screech A Girlfriend
It's hard to imagine the season 1 episode "Screech's Woman" airing today. Zack tries to find Screech a girlfriend and there isn't a single girl who wants to date him, which seems cruel and awful.
Things get worse when Zack pretends that he's a girl. It's just an awkward episode all around, and the reboot can do better than this.
Revisit: The Cheerleaders Are Auctioned Off For Dates
In the third season episode "Date Auction," Jessie is upset that the cheerleaders are auctioned off so people can bid on them and go on a date. She doesn't think that this is the right thing to do.
This is a classic Saved by the Bell storyline as Jessie is a feminist character who always stands up for what she believes in. This is what makes this character so beloved and the message is still relevant today.
Leave Alone: There's No Hope With Dope
The season 3 episode "No Hope with Dope" sees the characters making an anti-drugs video, but they find out that the actor pushing the message does drugs himself — and he even wants Kelly to partake.
While this is definitely a show about messages and lessons, this one was just so preachy that it wouldn't work today, so it doesn't need to be part of the reboot.
Revisit: Zack's Advice Phone Line
Sure, it sounds a bit dated now, but in the season 2 episode "1-900-Crushed," Zack decides to open up a phone line where he can give other students advice.
Naturally, things go horribly wrong and he's not actually helping people at all. This would be a great storyline to revisit and in order to make it more modern, the reboot could have the characters set up a new phone number where students can text in. Saved by the Bell can be confusing but this storyline gets to the heart of the show as Zack always tries to make some money and it never works out properly.
Leave Alone: The Oil Episode
One of Saved by the Bell's most confusing episodes is season 3's "Pipe Dreams."
It turns out that the school football field has oil, so it seems like everyone will get wealthy from it. Why does oil need to be discovered at a high school? This seems like a strange storyline and it wasn't one of the best messages on the series, either.
Revisit: Jessie Worries She's Too Tall
The pilot of Saved by the Bell has a wonderful storyline that should definitely be part of the reboot. In the first episode "Dancing To The Max," Jessie feels bad that she's tall, and she wonders if this is a problem.
This is a very sweet and relatable storyline that would work well in the reboot. After all, everyone is insecure about something.
Leave Alone: Zack Likes The School Nurse
Zack is totally girl crazy, but there are moments when it gets frustrating to watch.
In season 2, an episode called "From Nurse To Worse" sees Zack getting a huge crush on the school nurse when he assumes she's a student like him. It can become tiresome to constantly watch Zack getting crushes on new people.
Revisit: Detention For All
In the fourth season episode "Day of Detention," Zack wants to go to Hawaii, but he's got detention. The gang wants to be there for him but unfortunately, all of the characters get in trouble.
This sounds like a perfect storyline for the Saved by the Bell reboot. The original show is so charming because it's so silly, and something like detention becomes the end of the world for all of the characters.
Leave Alone: Zack Likes A Homeless Girl
Near the end of the third season, there are two episodes called "Home For Christmas." Zack likes a girl he meets at the mall and then he learns that she's homeless.
This is an episode that hasn't aged well as it's so heavy-handed. The gang learns about homeless teens and it seems like there could have been a better way to relay this message. It wouldn't feel right for the reboot.