My Take on The Divisive “Saved by the Bell” Sequel

Image copyright: NBC/Universal/Peacock

Last month, NBC/Universal’s new streaming service Peacock debuted a sequel series to the iconic teen comedy Saved by the Bell, which ran in various iterations from 1987–2000. Developed by Emmy-winning 30 Rock writer Tracey Wigfield, the sequel has the same setting and brings several familiar faces back, but its markedly different style and tone have been divisive, with some giving raving reviews and others decidedly unimpressed. Here’s my take.

The Origin

Although it may have seemed wildly out-of-left-field and woefully unnecessary to some, there are actually three reasons that reviving Saved by the Bell in 2020 actually makes a lot of sense.

1. Reviving sitcoms from the 1980s and 1990s has been a major trend over the past few years. Roseanne (subsequently The Conners after the star’s firing), Will & Grace, Fuller House, and Murphy Brown are just some of the examples. It was only a matter of time before Saved by the Bell was considered for revival.
2. This past summer, NBC/Universal entered the very crowded streaming market with their new service entitled Peacock. Although we are still learning about what factors lead to the thriving or withering of new streaming services, we know that new content that builds on pre-existing brands and content that appeals to multiple age groups are…