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In life, Dustin Diamond was tied to the role he aced, and yet could never escape – Saved By the Bell’s Samuel “Screech” Powers. And now that the crummy 21st Century has taken another one of our beloved ’90s TV legends much too soon, let’s celebrate Diamond’s genius, yes GENIUS, work as the lovable loser Screech.
Screech was always a doormat. He was smart but the show made him out to be a dolt. He almost never got the girl. The one-liners he was given to deliver wouldn’t even make a compilation book of terrible dad jokes. And yet, in spite of all that he was shorted, and the obstacles that were thrown in his way (including that amazing obstacle course in “Zack’s Army”, S3, E2), Dustin Diamond made you believe in Screech, to root for him, and to love him. He was a modern day Stooge. But he didn’t have a Moe or Curly to join in the nyuks – Dustin had to stick his slaps solo.
On top of being Screech, Screech often had to don a disguise and act a fool — usually to Zack’s advantage. Screech was the ultimate role player; being a good friend and sometimes pretending to be someone else altogether, including being his friends, their uncle or even their child! Dustin Diamond mastered it all. Thank you, Dustin.
Here’s the Top 10 Screech Saved By The Bell Role Plays of ALL-TIME!
Screech as Sinéad O'Connor in "Jessie's Song" (S3 E9)
There is nothing more exciting in SBTB history than this episode where Jessie gets addicted to caffeine pills and has a mental breakdown, but don’t forget about how she even got that far in the first place. Jessie, Kelly and Lisa have amazing voices and Zack wants to make them stars so he taps Screech to secretly record them singing in the locker room. Screech dolls it up as an Irish custodian named Sinéad O’Connor (the other Sinéad is her niece, and she taught her everything she knows, and now she can clean toilets with the best of them!), and convinces the girls to use his mop as a microphone… that actually contains a not so hidden microphone!
Screech as Zack Morris in "Blind Dates" (S3 E6)
Zack ends up with one too many dates for Kelly’s birthday party, including one with Mr. Belding’s niece, which was forced upon him by his principal. Penny Belding is then pawned off as Screech’s date, who’s preps himself up, blonde toupee and all, pretending to be Zack, and he goes full on method, ratcheting up the ‘Zackosity’ to the max, AT The Max!
Screech as Robin Screech in "The Friendship Business" (S2 E11)
Zack has $$ eyes when he has big plans for Lisa’s friendship bracelets and imagines being so rich that he owns Bayside. In his fantasy, Belding is his servant, and Screech becomes a Screech version of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous host Robin Leach – Robin Screech, hoping we have milkshake wishes and cheeseburger dreams!
Screech as Italian "Uncle Screech" in "Screech’s Spaghetti Sauce" (S5 E3)
Screech strikes gold and gold diggers (Punky Brewster!!) when his spaghetti sauce becomes a huge hit. In order to get the word out even more, the gang make like a bunch of Mama Celeste Italian stereotypes and cut a TV ad that rivals the ‘nuttin’ amazingness of the Polly-O String Cheese one. Screech embodies the persona and mascot of the sauce – the mustached Uncle Screech, and in a ‘perfect’ Italian accent sells you easily on his product – “The sauce you can have, but the secret she’s-a mine!” 555-MMMM!!!!!
Screech as Zack and Kelly’s son Screech in “The Mamas and The Papas” (S2 E12)
The Baysiders get to pretend to be husbands and wives, but when Lisa rejects her assigned spouse, Slater nudges Screech to gets reassigned to be Mr. and Mrs. Zack Morris’ son and try to break up the dreamy couple. Hilarity ensues as Screech Benjamin Buttons back to childhood and turns the wawas into hahas.
Screech as Uncle Sam in "Fourth of July" (S4 E6)
The summer episodes at the Malibu Sands Beach Club stand out as some of the series’ best. They finally let the kids outdoors, earn some money, get a tan and maybe fall in love. And for the club’s annual 4th of July extravaganza, Screech was tasked with dressing up to play Uncle Sam at the kickoff event. Sadly no one specified to Screech which Uncle Sam to play, so he dressed up as… his own uncle… Sam, who apparently looks like a train hobo sent directly from central casting. “Have fun! Enjoy! When do we eat??”
Screech as Kelly Kapowski in "Breaking Up Is Hard to Undo" (S3 E17)
Our favorite couples are at odds with one another, and break up, with the support of Mr. Belding, but the boys soon realize what they’re missing and try not o win the women back with revisionist history theater at The Max. This leads to a classic moment of Slater doing ballet in a unitard and Screech playing cheerleader Kelly, with his pantyhose on backwards. The plays the thing – and the couples end the episode back together and happily ever after (or until something gets in the way in the next episode).
Screech as Don in "Fake IDs" (S4 E9)
Zack lies to an older woman he meets, and he enlists Screech to make fake IDs for them and Slater in order to meet up with her later at the trendy over 18 club “The Attic.” Screech dons a mustache and becomes Don, a just as dorky but older version of Screech. The disguise and IDs obviously work as they not only gain entry into the club, but Screech instantly finds a DTF woman who wants don HIM! The next time they go to the club, he tries to disguise his original disguise with a Jack Dorsey style beard. It doesn’t work. He’s too good at playing Don to be someone other than Don.
Screech as Screech Bond in "Beauty and The Screech" (S2 E10)
In order to go to a George Michael concert, Kelly needs to pass science, so Zack taps Screech to tutor her, but the plan backfires when the two find chemistry that may lead to some extracurricular anatomy study!!! Straight out of the Can’t Buy Me Love playbook, Screech goes from totally geek to totally chic, and in a fantasy sequence, Zack and Slater become giant nerds while Screech is the slickest, sexiest, most dapper Dan around, as Bond, Screech Bond! Double O woah!
Screech as Dork #5 in "Snow White and the Seven Dorks" (S5 E20)
Lisa suggests Screech play ‘Doofus’ in the schools hip-hop production of Snow White, and while he has his heart set out to play “Dork #2”, he gets stuck with “Dork #5”. Screech fills the role with gusto, even dropping dope rhymes about him and the other six dorks being able to live without her by splitting kitchen duties and putting on their own socks.
Honorable Mentions:
- Screech as a super creepy green alien in “Close Encounters of the Nerd Kind” (S3, E12)
- Screech as a coconut bra sporting hula dancer in “Aloha Slater” (S2, E6)
- Screech as a ‘moody’ Scrooge in “Home For Christmas” (S4, E25)
- Screech was himself, but everyone wanted to be him in “Check Your Mate” (S4, E7)
- And of course, Screech, not really role playing, but breaking the glass ceiling as Miss Bayside in his best episode… “Miss Bayside” (S3, E8)
