Saved by the Bell was hugely popular during its original run, but there were several things about the 2020 reboot that made no sense. Saved by the Bell ended in 1993, but the franchise was revived for a TV spinoff and two movies: Hawaiian Style, The College Years, and Wedding in Las Vegas, respectively. While there were plenty of harsh realities of Saved by the Bell, it was generally praised for how it tackled life lessons in the backdrop of Bayside High School.

The 2020 revival, however, lacked a lot of the charm the original was known for. The Saved by the Bell reboot was canceled after season 2 finished, which was a disappointment for many, as the show had the potential to live up to its predecessor. While there were plenty of positives about the reboot of the hit TV show, there were also plenty of factors that were nonsensical, illogical, or just plain weird.

10

The Sudden Focus On The Wealthy

Saved By The Bell Highlighted Class Struggles Unnecessarily

The Saved by the Bell reboot saw a dramatic turn and changed its focus. After the state integrated students from inner-city schools with those from significantly wealthier neighborhoods, Saved by the Bell was no longer about just teenagers. While this was a truly interesting premise for the show to cover, especially for a new generation of audiences, the execution was off. This idea would have worked better in the 1990s, but in the early 2020s, the divide between social statuses was a lot more convoluted and not so black and white.

The Saved by the Bell reboot worked hard to abolish stereotypes, but wealth wasn’t one of them. In a world of social media and the internet at everyone’s fingertips, it made no sense that the Bayside characters were that naive to their privilege until the arrival of the Douglas students. The show tried to use the Douglas students’ difficulties in navigating their new school for laughs when, in reality, it just mocked those who weren’t uber-rich. In the 2020s, this was simply lazy comedy, which was disappointing.

9

Zack Becoming Governor Of California

Zack Morris’ Career In Politics Was Wildly Out Of Character

Although Zack Morris was an absolute tyrant in Saved By The Bell, it was still odd that he grew up to become the Governor of California. In the original show, Zack had a talent for business, but he didn’t have the drive to keep his grades up. He was initially accepted into Yale, but in Saved by the Bell: The College Years, he attended Cal U. He was frequently offered amazing opportunities but squandered them, and it was baffling he even graduated high school, which was one of several things about Zack Morris that made no sense.

As he displayed in the reboot, Zack had little to no understanding of how the government worked. Although a lot of time had passed since he was last on screens, it seemed out of character that Zack had managed to develop the self-control and motivation to get himself into such a prominent position. Sadly, this character change also made him the villain of the story rather than the unruly and chaotic rebel that he was in the original Saved By The Bell.

8

The Use Of Diversity Were Tone Deaf At Points

Saved By The Bell’s Diversity Storylines Felt Half-Finished

One purpose of the reboot’s dynamic change was to switch up Saved By The Bell’s genre. While the original show mainly focused on comedy, with certain storylines that tackled mature topics, the reboot was the other way around. It was really a drama with jokes added in. With that came plotlines that focused on systemic racism and classism. Although there was no doubt that the Saved by the Bell reboot tackled these stories well, it was the lack of consistency outside of those active plotlines that made no sense.

There was always supposed to be a villainous or antagonistic side to these storylines, granted, but the flaws in the characters contradicted the life lessons. Zack was hugely misogynistic, and considering he was the main character of the original Saved by the Bell, he should have known better. There was also a lot of mocking of cancel culture. Even though cancel culture’s purpose in society has often been exaggerated, the ability for people to call out inappropriate and cruel behavior shouldn’t have been patronized. The show tried to be woke, but only at certain points and not consistently.

7

Most Of The Original Saved By The Bell Characters Haven’t Grown Up

The Characters Might Have Looked Older, But They Didn’t Act Like It

While it was great to see several of the original Saved by the Bell characters in the reboot, it was disappointing that some of them hadn’t grown up. A.C. Slater was completely stagnated, stuck in his high school days, and tried to relive them through his role as the football coach. He was also still hung up on Jessie. Even though he attempted to move on, it was boring that Slater was still repeating the same things as decades prior.

Other characters changed quite a bit, but they retained traits that were out of place for the reboot. Jessie still held a flame for Slater despite being married to someone else, and her neurotic tendencies were very prominent. Although not every part of Jessie’s character needed to change, it was bizarre which of them the writers chose to keep. Even though the Saved by the Bell reboot focused on the new characters, the returning ones were what attracted audiences, and it was a shame that they weren’t better developed.

6

Kelly’s Character Was Restricted To A Stereotype

Kelly Only Seemed To Be Zack’s “Hot Wife”

Although Kelly was the pretty, popular cheerleader in the original Saved by the Bell, there was so much more to her character. Kelly was a good role model most of the time, despite her relationship with Saved by the Bell’s jerk, Zack, and was strong-willed. Even when she made terrible decisions, she was genuinely remorseful, like when Zack discovered she had cheated on him with Jeff. In Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Kelly wanted to be a doctor, but she threw it all away to marry him in Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas.

It was hoped that in the 2020 reboot, adulthood and becoming a parent had changed Kelly for the better and helped her reconnect with her initial aspirations. Despite her limited appearances, the reboot reduced Kelly to Zack’s “hot wife” and little else. Although there was one scene where Kelly acknowledged her decision to marry Zack, which gave the character some justice, she had still become a rich snob with a wellness brand. It was disheartening to see a character with so much potential lose it not just once but twice.

5

Lexi’s Personality Is Ridiculously Inconsistent

One Minute She Was The Mean Queen Bee, The Next She Was Everyone’s Biggest Supporter

Lexi’s initial introduction set her character up perfectly. Lexi was the typical Queen Bee of her high school and a cheerleader, much like Kelly. However, she was vastly different because of how confidently she spoke of her transgender status, and she also had her reality show. Lexi was determined to get her hands on Jamie, the only thing she didn’t have, and steal him from Aisha, which made a lot of sense for her personality. However, Lexi’s overall characterization completely flipped halfway through season 2.

Suddenly, Lexi had become a martyr and actively fought back against prejudice. While this was a great piece of character development, it happened so quickly that it felt forced. The abrupt jump in Lexi’s attitude was inconsistent, especially as just a few episodes previously, little else mattered to her except for her crush and parking space. What made it even worse, however, was that she forced a narrative of her as a compassionate and empathetic person down everyone’s throats.

4

Jessie’s Marriage & Parenting

Jessie Deserved A Much Better Fate In The Saved By The Bell Reboot

At a glance, it made sense that Jessie married René. Jessie was Saved by the Bell’s most iconic character because she was outspoken and mostly liberal, with a passion for human rights. René was a bit of a hippy and a struggling writer, so in theory, they were perfect for one another. However, as the reboot progressed, it was clear that Jessie’s marriage was far from ideal behind closed doors, and René was never around. One of the differences in Jessie in Saved by the Bell’s reboot compared to the original was her increased confidence.

It made no sense that Jessie, who was already outspoken, put up with her husband’s mistreatment. Unfortunately, it made her character appear weak. This was also apparent in how she raised her son, Jamie. Thankfully, Jamie wasn’t bigoted or offensive, but he was a bit of a “momma’s boy.” Jamie was codependent with his mother, and it meant that his own personality lacked individuality. His position on the football team only happened because of her. It was weird, and the Jessie in the original Saved by the Bell would be horrified to see the kind of child she raised.

3

The Reboot’s Friendships Were Unrealistic

Saved By The Bell’s Relationships Were The Show’s Driving Force

The Saved by the Bell reboot forced two very different groups of teenagers together. DeVante, Aisha, and Daisy all originally come from Douglas, but when they arrived at Bayside, they were given a “buddy.” The idea was that their partner would introduce them to their new school, but the pairs were wildly different. For example, Mac was a huge troublemaker like his father, whereas Daisy was amazingly intelligent and had plenty of ambition, even though she came from an underprivileged background.

Although there was potential for all of these buddies to stay friends after the first couple of weeks, it was unrealistic that they all formed such strong bonds. Not all friendships need similarities to keep going, but as the characters of Saved by the Bell generally fell into one stereotype or another, it made no sense. It was great that the reboot tried to perceive the group of teenagers as a more accepting generation, but the pacing of their connections could have been better.

2

Principal Toddman’s Character Was Confusing

Mr. Belding’s Replacement Didn’t Have The Same Impact

Unfortunately, Mr. Belding wasn’t in the Saved by the Bell reboot. Belding was a huge part of the show’s lore and first appeared back in Good Morning, Miss Bliss. He was a brilliant balance of an authority figure and friend to the kids, especially Zack. Although it wasn’t too unusual that he was missing from the reboot, as he accepted a job at the University of Chattanooga in Tennessee at the end of Saved by the Bell: The New Class, his replacement was very odd.

Principal Toddman supposedly attended Bayside around the same time as the original Saved by the Bell, but the reboot wasted this connection and didn’t spend enough time contextualizing it. Over the years, the show famously included unrealistic storylines, but when he hired Zack to cover the school’s Government class, it was too far. Zack should have been the last substitute candidate, especially as he was the one to shut Douglas down. However, the wildest thing about Toddman was when he was thrown out of his home and slept in the school as if it were a normal decision to make.

1

Saved By The Bell’s Reboot Jokes Didn’t Land Well

The Show Tried To Be Too Relevant

Although Saved by the Bell’s reboot wasn’t as slapstick funny as the original, there were still jokes. Unfortunately, these jokes didn’t have the same appeal. The gags about the original series were well-received, although they occasionally bordered on patronizing and became boring over time. Some criticisms the show also faced with its jokes was how overly intelligent they were, unlike the original’s simplicity and subtlety. However, there was one topic of conversation that was unnecessarily mocked and left behind a sour taste.

In multiple episodes of the Saved by the Bell reboot, jokes were made about singer Selena Gomez’s kidney transplant. This was an extremely distasteful subject for the show to laugh about anyway, but considering that both the original and the reboot tackled difficult matters and taught characters to embrace their differences, these gags went against everything that Saved by the Bell was about. NBC apologized for the Selena Gomez jokes, but the damage was already done, sadly.