Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) is the most memorable character on Saved by the Bell. He's the main character, the lens through which Bayside High is viewed, and the object of Kelly Kapowski's (Tiffani Thiessen) affection. Even though storylines revolve around him, it's fair to say that the other characters, from his best friends to principal Mr. Belding (Dennis Haskins), are often more compelling.
While Zack appears in the reboot on NBC streaming service Peacock, he has a lot of character issues that should be worked out. Even fans who grew up with this comforting show can admit that Zack isn't the most carefully thought-out character.
He Has No Character Development
Some storylines should be left in the past when Saved by the Bell returns for the reboot, and it's safe to say that many of Zack's plots all seem very similar.
Zack has no character development, and when fans think about where he is at the end of the show, that becomes even more obvious. In Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Zack has a crush on Leslie (Anne Tremko) and a big part of the plot is about him trying to seduce her. Shouldn't he care about more than that, especially since he's finished with high school?
He Doesn't Learn Any Lessons
Zack is the troublemaker on the nostalgic series, and that's something that never goes away. He's constantly looking for ways to make some money and to start "businesses."
But Zack never learns any lessons. Mr. Belding can give him detention or offer heart-to-hearts all he wants, and it does absolutely nothing. This is a problem with Zack's character as it makes him pretty one-note.
He Doesn't Apply Himself In School, Yet Things Will Work Out
In the third season episode "S.A.T.s" Zack gets a 1502 on the SAT, whereas Jessie Spano (Elizabeth Berkley), who is definitely a more dedicated student than him, doesn't do so well.
It doesn't make any sense that Zack never applies himself in school — and in fact, he seems to have disdain for anything academic — and yet does really well on this important test. He even gets into Yale, which would never happen IRL. This isn't the best message for the show to send, and it's another way that the character got worse. This arc suggests that hard work doesn't matter and that people can be successful without even trying, which isn't the case.
He Has A Wandering Eye, Yet He Marries Kelly
Kelly Kapowski is the sweetest person on the show, so it's no wonder that Zack loves her from the moment that he sees her. But their relationship has a lot of problems, and Zack is always flirting with other girls or attempting to go out with them.
Even though Zack doesn't treat Kelly well and he definitely has a wandering eye, he and Kelly get married by the series' end. This is a major character flaw because Zack should have a lot of work to do before Kelly would agree to be with him forever.
He Wants To Date All His Female Friends At Various Points
Many films tell the story of When Harry Met Sally, but just because a guy and a girl are friends doesn't always mean that they have feelings for one another.
Unfortunately, on Saved By The Bell, Zack is written as if he does. He kisses Lisa Turtle (Lark Voorhies) once, and then in the final season, he wonders if he and Jessie should start a romantic relationship. This just doesn't make any sense and it seems like the writers were always trying to make Zack date every possible female on the series.
He's Always Full Of Himself
Mark-Paul Gosselaar has said it's tough for him to watch old episodes, and fans can agree that as charming as Zack can be, he can also be really conceited.
Zack isn't written with a lot of layers. He's conceited and he isn't very warm to people he doesn't know. For example, in the fourth season, for seemingly no reason, he's pretty mean to Tori Scott (Leanna Creel) when she starts attending Bayside High.
His Storylines Repeat A Lot
A.C. Slater (Mario Lopez) and Zack fight over Kelly for a time, and in the season 4 premiere "The Fight," they start arguing over yet another girl. They even get into a physical argument.
Zack gets worse and worse because his storylines repeat a lot, and it seems strange that the show wouldn't move beyond the "two friends fighting over a girl" plot.
He Never Stops Crushing On New Girls
Even in college, Zack has a new crush in Leslie, and it seems like he physically can't stop himself from seeing a girl and thinking that he has to go out with her.
Zack has done a lot of awful things and it often seems like he should just decide to be single for a while and learn more about himself instead of constantly thinking that he has to date the next woman he sees.
He's An Inconsistent Friend
Zack is written as a very inconsistent friend, and it's hard to know if he's actually a caring, compassionate pal or someone who sees his friend group as competition.
For instance, he fights with A.C. Slater over Kelly for a while, then figures that they should be friends and forget about that. He also helps Jessie after she takes too many caffeine pills. But he's always awful to Screech (Dustin Diamond), so his loyalty to his pals is pretty confusing.
He's Always Sexist
By the end of the series, Zack hasn't proven that he has changed at all. Instead, he's always sexist, and he says a lot of things that would never fly today.
It would be great if after a while, this character could stop objectifying women and acting like his world revolves around whom he can date, but that never seems to happen.