It’s all right, ‘cause I’m Saved by the Bell (or is it?)

I was always a fan of Saturday morning cartoons.  From Captain N to the Mario brothers and from Bugs Bunny to a pup named Scooby Doo, I was literally glued to the television every Saturday.  This was the case for me up until about the late 1990s, when cartoons started to falter in amount and quality on broadcast networks and cable did or did not have viable replacements.  But, there was one show I didn’t watch during those years, at least not initially.  I didn’t get into the show until it made its way to syndication on other networks.  Being a young boy meant that I didn’t get much say as to what I could watch if I wasn’t holding the remote and I was by myself.  If it was a group, I had no choice but to watch along with my siblings.  It was a situation comedy pertaining to the students who went to Bayside High School.  And, like most teen shows, it drew from the era it was in, and the movies that came out at the time (ex. virtually any John Hughes film that came out in the 1980s).   It was called, “Saved by the Bell.”

The history of said show works something like what you are about to read.  It’s not perfect, but that’s what Wikipedia is for.  The show initially was known as, “Good morning, Miss Bliss!” and it took place in junior high school, focusing on the titular teacher, Miss Bliss (played by Hayley Mills), 5 students, and various teachers and assistants (including 80s acting mainstay, T. K. Carter whom you couldn’t go anywhere without seeing him on a TV.).  The show held together for a bit before the title was changed to “Saved by the Bell”.  Afterward, the show progressed from junior high to high school, as the only people that survived the next season were three students: Zack, the pretty boy slacker, Screech, the nerdy goof and Zack’s best friend, and Lisa, the conceited fashionista.  Let’s not forget Principal Belding, who made Principal Skinner look like the coolest guy in town.  His job couldn’t be harder, when dealing with Zack and his schemes.  The newcomers were Jessie, Zack’s childhood friend who was neurotic as well as out-spoken, A.C. Slater, Zack’s rival who was athletic, a bit dim, and rebellious, and Kelly, Zack’s love interest, who was bubbly, air-headed at times, and very cheerful.  This crew would go on for about 4 seasons until their graduation.  The show would spin off into Saved by the Bell: The College Years, focusing on Zack, Slater, and Screech in college.  In the second episode, Kelly was added to the cast and the show followed these original 4 through their first year of college.  At the end of the series, Zack and Kelly prepared to and headed out to get married.  Thus, this was the end of my interest in the show, as they continued the series with Saved by the Bell: the new class, in a multi-season attempt to replicate the magic had from the originals.  This would prove to be difficult as over the years, the show had altered its cast.  I had no interest in it, as they seemed to be trying too hard to be like the original.   But, I’d be hard-pressed to say that I wasn’t a fan.  After seeing enough of it, much to my chagrin, it grows on you. 

I’m not going to deny it.  I enjoy watching Saved by the Bell.  I enjoyed the cast that brought it to popularity of Zack, Slater, Screech, Kelly, Jessie, Lisa, and Mr. Belding.  I even liked the supporting characters that, for the most part, were young actors on the rise or have risen, like Soleil Moon-Frye (Punky Brewster), Scott Wolf (Party of Five) and even Tori Spelling (Beverly Hills 90210).  Oh, I should point out that the show’s main producer was Aaron Spelling, Tori’s father and the mastermind behind the hit show, Beverly Hills 90210.  I guess I’m not surprised that this show was well known enough to be considered a literal success.  Yes, you can deny it if you want to, but SBTB was a success, if it generated that many television series, along with spin-offs, sequels and television movies.  In fact, in 1991, when cartoons had their last hurrah on NBC, SBTB became the backbone for NBC’s newest television endeavor, TNBC.  TNBC was the programming block that showcased a collection of teen sitcoms that teens could relate to, and youngsters could live up to, in a sense.  Saved by the Bell was joined by California Dreams, and later, Hang Time, City Guys, and One World.  Each show existed for an extended amount of time during the mid-to-late 1990s.  From there, even other channels tried to mimic their success or longevity.  I can still remember USA High on the USA Network with SBTB: The new class as a lead-in.  All it did was make me yearn to see more Monday Night Raw.    Still, this can all be attributed to Saved by the Bell and its impact on the scene.   So, why is there doubt in this blog’s title?  Don’t know if you know this, but it seems that the people who remember this show, don’t really like it all that much.  Well, not the general consensus, I’d say, but, when you live in a world where parody reigns, meta-humor is a standard, and snarky commentary is the discussion style of choice, it’s easy to point out why this show doesn’t work out, on a small or large scale.

If this show does stumble, where does it stumble?  Well, first off, since this is high school, I guess you could say that these people would not be the most tight-knit of people when they hang out.  You have the scheming cool guy, the muscular jock, the hapless nerd, the bubbly cheerleader, the prissy princess, and the know-it-all social activist.  It’s on more than one occasion they get on each other’s nerves, but it never remains a solid grudge.  However, these guys are the best of friends.  I mean, the BEST of friends.  I would think they’d have their own social circles to hang out in.  This isn’t The Breakfast Club and they don’t get to know each other in detention for a whole day.  However, this idea is solved with this simple premise:  they’ve known each other for a very long time and are used to each other already.  The only person who doesn’t have that connection is Slater as he is the relative new kid.  But, it doesn’t take long before they take him in, if not for the fact that he’d probably bodyslam them, but because he acts as Zack’s rival on a number of occasions.  This is a welcome touch after Zack’s schemes and remarks wear thin.  Plus, he’s genuine.  That’s something they all have to their names.  They are all very genuine in who they are.  They aren’t going to fake each other out for the sake of social status.  Ok, so that doesn’t work.  So, where does the show stumble?  For this to work, I have to put some objective glasses on, instead of these rose-tinted ones.

I think if there is one spot that is brought up when it comes to the show’s genuine nature, then it is not how they are all friends.  I’d say it is how the show delivers its messages and lessons at the end of each episode.  Some people say that the problems resolve themselves too easily, or not as realistically.   They get involved in things like finding oil under the school and allowing for tycoons to drill for it, not knowing how much damage that could do, if not to the environment, then to the school itself.  If I were a school board member, I wouldn’t want them drilling near or on school property, if not for the death of innocent animals (which did happen on that episode), but for the potential injury of any students that have to use those facilities for any purposes.  That would be a lawsuit waiting to happen.  Another foible would be the general delivery of the conversations between the students and people in the show.  It’s very much a product of its time.  Since that’s the case, it isn’t quite something that holds up well by today’s standards.  We know it’s a sitcom, but even some sitcoms sound and look clever enough to be watched any time and feel relatable.  For a show about teenagers, there weren’t many solid resolutions to some things that many teens go through.  There weren’t a lot of realistic situations that they would be involved in, either.  What celebrity would invite teenagers to one of their parties?  I’m sure there are well-developed reasons as to what would be a fault or two towards this show, but I’m just hypothesizing right now.  All I know is that Saved by the Bell isn’t seen as a good show worth watching, but as a bad show that does no favors for anyone who does watch it, or as a guilty pleasure that people watch but know it is bad.

Perhaps, when I look at who did and didn’t like this show, I see how they might have been in high school and weigh in on it.  I’ll admit this never happened in my school, and at times, can be a bit unrealistic.  For those who do have a better connection to this show, I guess you have to ask yourself if this has ever happened to you or someone you know when it comes to the shows.  If you were a social outcast, then I’m more than sure this show is a pain to deal with.  You know for fact that geeks were never treated well, or friends with cool kids.  You knew that cheerleaders dealt with cheerleaders and maybe the jocks, but never with the smart people or know-it-alls.  In short, it didn’t seem very realistic when it came to showcasing the teens in high school.  It’s like the show stretched to bring in a bunch of John Hughes caricatures into one show, developed for multiple seasons, in what some would say, is the wrong era.  So, why watch it, right?  The answer: because I never saw it on that level.  I didn’t mind that it wasn’t realistic.  I knew it wasn’t or could be.  So, I found it funny because of such.  I never factored in its longevity, really.  I guess when I look back at it, it’s not very solid, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable.  I guess you could call it the 80’s fluff from the tail end of that era, spilling into the 90’s because the 90’s didn’t quite have an identity yet.  That’s kind of what happens, era to era.  The identity isn’t decided upon yet until trends show otherwise.  The 90’s became steeped in social issues that troubled many, like AIDS, drugs, and gang violence.  It was also steeped in hardcore rap, pop music, and of course, grunge rock.  This didn’t take full precedence until the middle of the ‘90s.  By then, the original cast of SBTB was gone and the show had moved on with a new class.  However, I guess I could say that, since I never wanted to embrace the new class that the show didn’t really hold up well when it came to longevity.  I mean it was the same things, with the same types of people, only the charm wasn’t there.  It seemed forced and dated, in my view.

Saved by the Bell may never hold up as a form of solid entertainment worth looking back on, according to some or most, but I’ll still look back on it as a means of enjoyment.  I enjoyed myself watching the show for its silliness, comedy, and good nature.  It may be a product of its time and only its time, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  Now, if you want to look at it within its time and judge it, then go ahead.  But, for my time, I don’t think there truly was a show that spoke to teens as well.  Ok, maybe there was, on Nickelodeon probably, but I still favor this show’s charm.  I also liked it for the fact that I finally got a chance to sit down and watch something with my siblings.  That got increasingly harder when I got older, but it’s the little things in life I enjoy.  The show did have its charms, no question.  So much so, that the various shows that came out around the time it was on don’t really have that same allure.  You don’t see much syndication of California Dreams or Hang Time, really.  If you do, consider yourself lucky.  It may never happen again…or even for long.  So, when it comes to Saved by the Bell, it’s alright!  Besides, would you really want high school to be emulated properly on television, knowing how depressing it could be at times with the changes happening in your life?