Mark-Paul Gosselaar Talks About Some of SAVED BY THE BELL's More Problematic Storylines

Saved By the Bell was a staple of pretty much any kid growing up in the ‘80s and ‘90s. It was a show that gave us a glimpse into what high school might be like, and it kept things light and funny so it was appropriate enough for us to watch. But looking back, anyone can see through today’s lens that some of the jokes and storylines just wouldn’t fly in today’s world.

Six years ago, Dashiell Driscoll launched the web series Zack Morris is Trash, wherein he pointed out the problems with the beloved lead character of Saved by the Bell. The actor who played him, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, even teamed up with Driscoll to launch the podcast Zack to the Future, in which they discussed the show, so it’s a subject we’ve definitely had a taste of. But Gosselaar spoke out on the subject again in a recent interview on the Boy Meets World podcast, Pod Meets World with Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong and Will Friedle.

Gosselaar said:

“In terms of storylines, there was a few. There was one where I was basically whoring out Lisa Turtle. I charged people to kiss her without her consent, that was a tough one. We had to preface the [podcast] episode by saying, ‘We do not condone this, we’re just here to discuss it.’”

Another episode that irked Gosselaar was when his character Zack Morris appeared wearing a traditional Native American outfit.

“The other one was where Zack Morris claimed that he was Native American. Seeing Zack Morris in a full headdress… That was one we had to be a little sensitive on, there’s things that you just would not film these days.”

Over on his podcast in 2020, Gosselaar acknowledged the problems the episodes have, saying (via Buzzfeed News):

“We’re not going to say that we don’t see some of the morally abhorrent or dated situations and responses to certain things. But we’re also here to give you a fun podcast, it’s a celebration of Saved By The Bell.”

As an experienced actor in the industry, if Gosselaar would be confronted with a similar storyline now he said that he would “protect” himself as well as the character he is playing.

“This would be one of those times where I would have a dialogue with a writer, producer and have a discussion and say: ‘I think we should look at this a little deeper, is this going to reflect well for me, for the character, for the future of the show?'”

We can all look back on films and shows we grew up with from the ‘80s and ‘90s and understand that they were different times. We know better now, so we do better, for the most part.

via: Deadline