Mark-Paul Gosselaar has insisted Peacock’s decision to scrap the Saved By The Bell revival was “premature”.
Mark-Paul Gosselaar was “upset” the Saved By The Bell revival got scrapped after two seasons.
The 52-year-old actor first played Zack Morris in the original sitcom from 1989 to 1993, and he was excited to reprise the role for Peacock’s revival across two seasons in 2020 and 2021, before bosses decided not to move forward with a third run.
He told Entertainment Weekly: “I was upset with NBC for cancelling that. I thought it was premature, especially on Peacock.”
He argued that the new Saved By The Bell series helped establish Peacock and “bring people to it” through original programming.
He added: “I think we really helped expose that network.”
Mark-Paul was surprised by the studio’s decision to cancel the series, after seeing how it was made first-hand, including directing an episode.
He said: “I know the inner workings of that show. I thought it was very efficient.”
Like the original Saved By The Bell, the revival series was set at the fictional Bayside High School.
This time, Mark-Paul’s character Zack Morris has become the governor of California, having been a student in the classic show.
In 2022, NBCUniversal’s Peacock confirmed the comedy was not returning for a third season, just weeks after winning Outstanding Comedy Series at the GLAAD Media Awards.
Peacock said in a statement at the time: “We are so proud to have been the home of the next iteration of Saved by the Bell for both new and OG fans.
“Saved by the Bell has been a cultural mainstay for more than 30 years and the new series, led by Tracey Wigfield’s superfan enthusiasm and signature witty humour, seamlessly continued the show’s legacy, all while allowing more audiences to feel seen.
“We’re grateful to Tracey, Franco Bario, our partners at UTV, the beloved cast, and the fans who have continued to champion one of the most iconic shows of all time.”
In January 2021, after the reboot was renewed for a second season, writer and executive producer Tracey made it clear she was keen to keep doing more.
She said: “I’m thrilled that Saved by the Bell has been renewed.
“I’ve been blown away by all the love for the show and can’t wait to go back and make more episodes.
“Hopefully we stay on Peacock for many more seasons, and then in 30 years, somebody does a reboot of our reboot and invents the threeboot.”
Saved By The Bell star Mark-Paul Gosselaar ‘upset’ the revival got cancelled so soon
