Happy Anniversary Saved by the Bell

August 20, 2019

30 years ago today the television show Saved by the Bell aired its first episode [1. This does not include the original show Saved by the Bell was spun off from, Good Morning Miss Bliss, which aired in July of 1987]. This will come to no surprise from people that know me but I'm kind of obsessed with Saved by the Bell.

I was born in 1983, so I was six when the show first aired. A show revolving around High School kids doesn't seem like a show a six year old would be interested in, but I had two older sisters that also watched the show. That being said, I think I did most of my SBTB watching on weekday mornings and afternoons. In fact, I didn't watch SBTB in its normal time slot, on Saturday mornings, until the last season or two. Superstations TBS and WGN used to air back to back episodes before and after school. Local station, KPLR channel 11, also aired back to back episodes in the afternoon, so I could potentially watch six episodes in a single day. I was in heaven.

saved by the bell

So what is it about the show? It's cheesy. The acting isn't the best. The storylines are completely unbelievable. I don't know what drew me to it. Perhaps I thought High School would really be that way. Zack was the definition of being cool. Kelly was a babe. Whatever it was, it had me hooked. I still watch the show to this day, though now it has been designated as the go-to show I drift in and out of consciousness to when I'm sick.

So now that you know (or have been reminded) of my obsession, let's take a look at posts from past years on the topic of Saved by the Bell.

The World Can be Saved (by the Bell) - In this post I discuss how watching Saved by the Bell can solve the world's problems.
The Lost Episode of Saved by the Bell- Come watch a promo video that follows the Bayside High gang travel through a world of Saturday Morning TV references. Includes appearances by John Candy, Marsha Warfield and Sherman Hemsley.
Saved by the Bell: The Game - A board game that Target put out featuring characters from the show.
Go Bayside - The podcast, hosted by comedian April Richardson, that discussed each episode of the show and the made for TV movies.
Teens React to Saved by the Bell - Teens from Teens React react to watching Saved by the Bell. Funny to see how different generations react.

So take a trip through your memories and remember a simpler time when you were a child. Flip on Hulu and watch some episodes. Don't have Hulu? iTunes has the complete series on sale today for $19.99.

Lost Episode of Saved by the Bell

May 8, 2018

The other day I was browsing YouTube and a suggested video that came up dubbed itself a lot episode of Saved by the Bell. What? An episode of SBTB that I have not seen? How could this be? So, I watched it. All twenty minutes of it. It's not really an episode. It's a promo for the NBC Saturday morning lineup and it features Zack, Kelly, Lisa, Slater, Screech and Jessie. There is no Mr. Belding, and the whole premise is really weird.

Because it's a promo for Saturday morning, there are a lot of clips of cartoons. You have Alf (the puppet) interacting with the SBTB kids and talking about his cartoon. There's John Candy introducing Camp Candy, and appearances by Marsha Warfield and Sherman Hemsley. It was really weird. If you like SBTB or retro TV stuff in general, give it a watch below.

White Rabbit Project

November 28, 2016

Netflix released a trailer for their new show White Rabbit Project today. If you were a fan of Mythbusters, you'll probably want to check it out. It stars the former Mythbusters build team, Kari Byron, Tory Belleci, and Grant Imahara as they go down the "rabbit hole to investigate weird and wonderful events from pop culture, science, and history."

I was a huge fan of Mythbusters and was sad when they decided to part ways with the build team in the final season. I'm happy to see the gang back together. You can stream all episodes starting December 9th. Check out the trailer below.

SNL's Serial Spoof is Absolutely Brilliant

December 22, 2014

This past weekend SNL took on the popular podcast Serial with a brilliant digital short. Cecily Strong does a great impression of host Sarah Koenig. The spoof investigates the story of Kris Kringle, an elf who allegedly leaves presents in people's homes. Watch it below.

Go Bayside

August 1, 2014

go bayside

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a huge Saved by the Bell fan. I could go toe-to-toe with anyone on SBTB trivia (impressive, I know), that's why it was a big shock that there was a podcast about Saved by the Bell that I didn't know about. Imagine that, two of my favorite things joined together, podcasts and SBTB. The result is the awesome Go Bayside.

If you're not familiar with the podcast, it was started by comedian April Richardson and each episode is an in-depth discussion on an episode of SBTB (done in order of air date). About 2 years ago I had an idea to do a SBTB podcast but 1. I don't have the time or know-how to do a podcast and 2. I would be hard-pressed to find someone that loves SBTB as much as me.

Anyway, the podcast, which is nearing the end of its run, features guest appearances by other comedians and actors, such as Chris Hardwick, Paul F. Tompkins, and Entourage's Jerry Ferrara (Turtle), among others. Some of the guests are fans of the show and others never really watched it. Ferrara may even give me a run at super fan status. The discussions are hilarious and really shed light on how ridiculous the show actually was. If you ever watched the show and love podcasts, you should definitely check it out. It may bring back some good memories of the Saturday mornings and weekday afternoons that you spent with Zack and the gang.

If Doctor Who were American

July 28, 2014

A couple of weeks ago Kottke posted a video showing the American counterparts for each British actor who has played Doctor Who. The video was based on the actors chosen by Smug Mode. Each actor is a perfect fit for the role, including, surprisingly, Community's Donald Glover. Watch the video below.

What Happened to Network Television?

December 2, 2009

There used to be a time when network television was good. Sadly, it seems that time is fading quickly. Sure, you have a few gems here and there. Take a look at Modern Family this season. It is doing quite well in the ratings and is genuinely a good show. I would argue that Modern Family is an exception to the rule as the show was created by one of TV's most respected sitcom writers and producers, Christopher Lloyd. While it has been successful, it still falls in line with the traditional family sitcom. It isn't groundbreaking at all. It seems nothing new and creative makes its way to network television anymore.

When you look at a couple shows that were truly original in their concept (meaning not a cop/lawyer/doctor show), they have failed. NBC's Kings was an excellent show with excellent acting by Ian McShane. NBC barely gave it a shot. ABC could have won big with a space mystery/drama in Defying Gravity but they didn't have faith in it and started it in the late summer and with little to no promotion. Shows like Mad Men and Breaking Bad went to AMC because the networks didn't want to risk their profit margins on new, and possibly risky, ideas. Instead, they have become a haven for reality programming, procedural dramas and spin-offs, and dance shows.

It is now getting to the point where I will not watch new shows on any of the major networks anymore for fear that I will like them and they will be canceled. The networks are too worried about their bottom line to take risks like they used to. In fact, NBC CEO Jeff Zucker has even mentioned that such an iconic show like Seinfeld would not make it in today's TV climate based on the shows initial soft ratings. It is sad that so much creativity and originality is stifled because of the bottom line. Who knows what other Seinfelds might have been cultivated if given the opportunity to grow.

NBC Loves The West Wing Actors

July 6, 2009

Have you noticed how much NBC loves actors from their hit 7 year drama The West Wing? I've noticed it in recent years as they have been popping up all over the NBC-owned USA Network since TWW went off the air.

Richard Schiff, who played Toby Ziegler on TWW, has appeared in episodes of Monk, Burn Notice, and In Plain Sight.
Joshua Malina, who played Will Bailey, has appeared in several episodes of In Plain Sight
Dule Hill, who played Charlie Young, is a main character on USA's psychic detective show Psych.
Bradley Whitford, who played Josh Lymon, appeared in an episode of Monk
Mark Feuerstein, who played Cliff Calley, now stars in the new series Royal Pains.
Mary McCormack, who played Kate Harper, is the star of In Plain Sight.
Gary Cole, who played Bob Russell, has appeared on Psych
Tim Matheson, who played John Hoynes, appeared on Burn Notice.
Kathryn Joosten, who played Dolores Landingham, appeared in two episodes of Monk.

There might even be more, but those are the ones I could come up with. They are all fine actors and I'm glad to see that NBC recognizes talent and keeps them in mind for future programming, even if for one episode.

It's Not TV, It's Cable

July 6, 2009

Starting with new television shows airing on HBO several years ago, we've seen a giant shift of new programming moving to non-traditional paid channels. There was a time where over-the-air networks dominated the new show markets, but that time is over. Each TV season we see a plethora of new programming on the "cable" networks, and not just HBO. The best thing about these new shows is that they are often better than the shows found on the traditional networks.

When I think about it, this trend really took root when the networks were dominated with "reality" programming and game shows. People who didn't want to watch The Biggest Celebrity Dance Star getting voted off the island by big brother tuned into programming that was too edgy for network television. FX, TNT, and USA were a few of the networks (besides HBO and Showtime) that began airing original programming. Shows like The Shield Rescue Me and The Closer dominated cable ratings. Monk has been on for years and continues to draw good ratings, followed by one of my favorites, Psych.

It has come to a point in my TV viewing where most of the TV shows I watch are not on the major networks. Monk, Psych, Raising the Bar, True Blood, Weeds, In Plain Sight, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, are all great shows that draw me away from the networks. In fact, there was a recent article that stated the USA Network drew more viewers than the 5th "major" network, The CW. Networks like TBS, A&E, Starz, and AMC have joined TNT, FX, USA, HBO, and Showtime on the original programming bandwagon, and oftentimes they air some of the best programming on television.

I think part of the reason these new shows thrive and survive on the cable networks (besides the fact that they may be able to get away with more edgier content) is that on paid TV the shows are given more of a chance to pick up steam. A show like Psych would have never survived if it was shown on parent network NBC instead of USA. The ratings would not have been high enough. If you look at the show Kings on NBC it had low ratings but, in my opinion, was a really good show. I think part of the reason is that it was never given a proper chance to gain viewership. NBC should move it to USA over the summer and see if it gains traction there (why not, they've done it with two Law and Order series).

Perhaps the major networks could learn something from the cable stations and take bigger chances on programming. Or perhaps, since many of the cable channels are owned by the same corporations as the major networks, they are content having shorter seasons and keeping the programming where they are. I don't know, but I continue to find myself watching the major networks less and less.

America Loves Gangsters

May 11, 2009

America loves Gottis, America loves bodies Pacino counting C-Notes for shooting up club lobbies While Eddie Nash controls bankrolls in Wonderland Tony Soprano hits channels and holds down On-Demand -CunninLynguists - America Loves Gangsters

I never watched The Sopranos when it originally aired on HBO, but I have always been a fan of mob-themed movies. I don't know when this fascination started, but I can't get enough of movies like The Godfather pts I and II, Goodfellas, A Bronx Tale, Donnie Brasco, etc. Well, recently I started watching The Sopranos and throughout the series Tony Soprano does some disgusting things that repulse you, but then there are other times where you realize you start admiring the man for the good things he does for his family, and his "family." He's a hypocrite, just like the rest of us, maybe that's what makes his character so intriguing. One minute he's friendly with the parents of the friends of his kids, the next he's taking their business due to gambling debts, and enjoying it. It's compelling television.

What is it with America's fascination with gangsters? Do we like the violence and power or do we like the deep characters? Some of the most widely acclaimed movies involve some of the most violent characters. Think Scarface. I don't think I've seen an episode of Cribs where either the movie isn't playing in the background or there's a giant poster on the wall. In Godfather, Michael Corleone rules in a more calm manner, but the amount of violence and destruction he can inflict with one command is amazing. So do we love the violence and power or do we love well-written characters that happen to be violent? I don't know what the answer to that, but I do know there's more to the characters than violence. You see Michael Coreleone's frustrations when he wants to make the family business legitimate, but struggles along the way. "C" finally realizes how bad the gangster life is after his hero falls in A Bronx Tale, but you also feel sad because Sonny dies. And I can't wait to see the cat and mouse game between Christian Bale and Johnny Depp in the Dillinger movie, Public Enemies. So why do we love them? I don't know, but Hollywood knows we do and as long as there are gangsters, Hollywood will be making movies about them.

Premium for Free?

November 21, 2008

Looking at the cable bill last night made me think about the premium movie channels. It's no secret that HBO is hurting for viewers right now. No more Sex and the City and The Sopranos created a void in HBO's television programming. The TV shows that have taken their place, while they have a following, just don't score as high in the ratings. There are several TV shows that I watch on premium networks, such as Dexter, True Blood, Entourage, and Californication. The problem is, in this economy, people are going to start cutting premiums out of their lives to save money. If they do cancel the service but enjoy the TV show, there is more incentive to pirate it or stream it from websites that host not-so-legal files. Here is my proposition to the premium networks: Stream the programs for free.

The major networks are streaming their content for free already. I know, I know, you don't pay for the major networks, you do for HBO or Showtime. Let's look at it in a different way. If HBO and Showtime started streaming their premium programs (shows, not movies) for free, but with limited commercial interruptions (just like the networks do on their respective sites), they could be reaching out to millions of more people and see additional revenue in new advertising. This is something they don't see on their channels, as they do not show advertising. My theory is that most people don't subscribe to a channel for one TV show. They also enjoy the other benefits the channel has to offer (other shows, new movies, sporting events, documentaries). If that channel starts streaming television shows I doubt you'd see people drop their subscription, and if you do, the amount that would would be far less than the amount you would gain by advertisements on the stream. I also think it could help them pick up subscribers. If people become interested enough in the shows to look at what else the channel has to offer, they could become new paying customers. I think it would be a smart move for the premium networks to look into this. Streaming content is not going away.

Primeval

August 16, 2008

A few days ago I downloaded the first episode of the BBC TV show Primeval for free on iTunes. It's a sci-fi show about a rip in time and space where dinosaurs, giant insects, and whatever else comes through from their time to present day. There is also a bigger underlying story about one of the main characters' missing wife, who we find out went through this rip when she disappeared years earlier. It's very cheesy, but in a good way. The special effects aren't the best, but they aren't terrible. I can imagine they will have some pretty good stories of different things from the past coming through. All in all it's a good show and a quick hour waster. If you like sci-fi shows at all, check it out on BBC America.

The Tori Paradox

August 12, 2008

Everyone knows what a Saved by the Bell geek I am. If you didn't know that then did you really know me? I mean, come on. As much as I love the show there are a few things that bug me. The biggest thing is when the tough biker chick Tori came on the show and Kelly and Jessie disappeared. Now, the story behind the switch is that NBC wanted more episodes after the final season was filmed. Tiffany Thiessen and Elizabeth Berkley, who played Kelly and Jessie, already committed to other things and didn't want to film any more episodes. So what did the network do? They filmed additional episodes with a new girl, Tori, didn't explain what happened to Jessie or Kelly, and stuck them in the middle of the last season. So in the last season we see Jessie and Kelly, then Tori, then Jessie and Kelly are back in time for graduation. This bugs me because there was no explanation and these episodes were clearly inferior. Then I started thinking, is an explanation really necessary?

I think back at my life. There are definitely times in my life when the friends I hung out with every day suddenly disappeared and I was no longer with them. Then all of the sudden, they'd be back in my life. This happened a lot in college, with both college friends and high school friends. The people I met while I was in college never knew my high school friends and I rarely, if ever, talked about my high school friends, just as the gang never talked about Jessie and Kelly when Tori came around. Then after college I started hanging out with some of my high school friends and some of my college friends disappeared. True, they were still in the same school on Saved by the Bell, but think about high school for a minute. It wasn't that long ago. Weren't there times when you stopped hanging with particular people, for no particular reason, then started hanging with them again? Maybe it was a busy semester for them, or you. Think about the people you've lost contact with and then later became best friends again. They are your Tori. Or you are theirs. Either way, while completely inferior to previous and later episodes, the Tori episodes actually do make sense. Even though Saved by the Bell is nowhere near real, that's one part that is. Everyone has been a Tori or had Tori friends. You can sit there and watch episodes with Tori and not wonder where Kelly and Jessie are, just as you don't always wonder where your lost friends went. So, no longer will I judge these episodes for the wool that NBC tried to pull over my eyes. I will judge them based on how good they actually were, which, except for the school song episode, they pretty much sucked.

The George Lopez Show

August 1, 2008

Lately I've been unable to sleep. I find myself watching old sitcoms late at night to try and lull me to sleep. It usually starts with Home Improvement and then I either listen to music or find something else to watch. Lately, I've just kept the channel wherever it was and watched what came on after Home Improvement. That would be the George Lopez Show.

I never watched this show when it was on in prime time. In fact, I don't ever remember seeing it advertised at all. I mean, I remember hearing he had a show and I knew it was on ABC, but I never saw one advertisement for it or any promotion whatsoever. It seems like ABC treated it as filling their quota of minorities on TV and didn't actually care if people watched it. That's a shame. I've watched a few episodes and it is very funny. I have no idea how long it was on the air but I'm sure it probably wasn't long enough. The characters on the show are great, George himself is funny, and it's just a funny family sitcom. It's a shame it wasn't on a different network. I can't tell you a sitcom I've watched on ABC in the last 10 years. They don't have a record of the best sitcoms. Hour-long dramas and shows like Lost, yeah, but sitcoms seem to be dead on arrival there.

Anyway, if you've never watched the show and find yourself with some free time and notice it's on, do yourself a favor and watch it. It's surprisingly good.

Just sit right back and hear a tale

November 19, 2007

Do you ever sit back and laugh (and cry) at some of the dumb antics the Bush Administration engages in? Does it seem too crazy to be true, like you're almost watching a TV show? Well, Peter Norvig asks, what if the Bush Administration was a remake of Gilligan's Island? This is what he came up with:

Plot Synopses for Episodes of a Gilligan's Island Remake Starring Members of the Bush Administration.

BY PETER NORVIG

Gilligan invades a neighboring island of cannibals. He mistakenly believes that Mary Ann and Ginger would be a sufficient force to secure the island, and Skipper erroneously claims they would be welcome as liberators.

A hurricane hits the island. Gilligan does nothing to help, but tells Mrs. Howell, "Lovey, you're doing a heck of a job."

Skipper goes hunting for fowl on the island and accidentally shoots Mr. Howell in the face, then waits a day before telling Gilligan.

The professor's experiments conclusively show that climate change is causing the island to sink into the sea. Gilligan erases his papers and tries to stop him from talking, thinking that will make the problem go away.

The West Wing

November 13, 2007

I was always a fan of the show The West Wing. Being a person with a History degree that wants to teach social studies, this probably comes as no surprise. I thought it was the best show on television when it was on (except maybe for season 4; it was kind of a disappointment). I was sad to see the show end its run and was hoping that it would continue on with a new administration after President Bartlet saw his two terms end. Of course, ratings were down and Aaron Sorkin was no longer writing for the show, so it was time for it to go. I really miss smart TV. In a prime-time that's filled with game shows and reality shows, a drama like The West Wing was a welcome change. Best Buy recently put all seven seasons of the show on DVD on sale for $14.99 each. How could I pass this up? I bought seasons 1-3 and will hopefully get the next 4 for Christmas (Lisa, Sarah, if you're reading this, check with mom, she may be planning on buying these, if not, have at them :) ). I would have bought these DVDs a long time ago but they were expensive, at $50 per season, and reruns were on Bravo all the time. Now that reruns are no longer on the network and the price has dropped, I'm immersing myself with one of the all time best dramas that ever appeared on television. Seriously, this is a beautifully crafted show. I think, given a real chance, Sorkin's follow-up, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip would have been just as good. It's a shame the network's no longer like smart shows. Cue the imagery from Idiocracy**

Breaking News! Leave My Show Alone

October 2, 2007

I really hate how whenever they need to interrupt programming for a news break or weather warning they always wait until the commercials are over. God forbid they lose out on their advertising revenue to, I don't know, possibly save lives. This happened while I was watching House tonight. It really drives me nuts when they interrupt TV shows that I actually watch, and look forward to, for the warnings. I get it, if there is something bad happening, by all means, interrupt. In return they should either suspend the program and pick it up where it left off or they should start breaking in during the commercials too.

The Office

September 28, 2007

The Office had its season premiere last night. At the end of last season we see Jim ask out Pam. The moment everyone who watches has been waiting for. The beginning of this season we see that they are, in fact, dating. I'm wondering where it will go from here. Sure they can stay together and continue to date, but part of what made their relationship so great and kept viewers interested is the constant chase that was going on. Now that the chase is over, will viewers stay interested? If they want to continue the show for a few more seasons, they will have to do something to keep people interested in their relationship. This will probably mean many complications, which I think is the wrong way to go, especially since the relationship between Pam and Jim is just a side note to the overall story of life in an office. I guess we'll see where they take this.

i am shep

Tag: television