Saved by the Bell premiered 30 years ago on NBC on Aug. 20, 1989.
The series followed Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) and his friends at Bayside High School as they navigated their teenage years. While the show mostly focused on light-hearted topics such as dating and friendship, it also touched on serious issues including drug use, drunk driving, homelessness and environmental issues.
Tiffani Thiessen, Dustin Diamond, Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Berkley, Lark Voorhies and Leanna Creel also starred as Zack's friends and classmates, while Dennis Haskins appeared as the school's principal Mr. Belding.
Saved by the Bell was followed by Saved by the Bell: The College Years, which caught up with some of the characters as they attended Cal U. While the series concluded with Zack and Kelly's (Thiessen) wedding in Las Vegas in the 1994 finale, a spinoff called Saved by the Bell: The New Class aired from 1993-2000.
It was recently announced that Lopez and Berkley will team to reprise their roles as A.C. Slater and Jessie Spano in a new series for NBCUniversal's streaming service Peacock. The new straight-to-series comedy from Tracy Wigfield explores what happens when California Gov. Zack Morris gets into hot water for closing too many low-income high schools and proposes the students be sent to a number of high-performing schools, including Bayside High. The influx of new students gives the over-privileged Bayside students a necessary dose of reality.
Gosselaar, Lopez, Berkley, Thiessen and Haskins reprised their roles in a sketch for a 2015 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In the sketch, Fallon told the characters that he dreamed of moving to New York City to become a comedian.
Read on to see what the cast of Saved by the Bell has been up to since Zack and Kelly's wedding.
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Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Zack Morris)
Gosselaar starred as Zack Morris, a lazy student at Bayside who often acted as the leader of his group of friends. Zack had a flair for business and often led his friends into schemes that benefitted him. Since his role as Zack, Gosselaar starred as Dennis Sweeny on The WB's Hyperion Bay; as Detective John Clark, Jr. on ABC's NYPD Blue; as Jerry Kellerman on TNT's Raising the Bar; as Peter Bash on TNT's Franklin & Bash; as Mitch on NBC's Truth Be Told; as Mike Lawson on Fox's Pitch; and as Brad Wolgast on Fox's The Passage. He currently stars as Paul Jackson on ABC's Black-ish spinoff and prequel Mixed-ish. On the film side, Gosselaar starred in Kounterfeit, Dead Man on Campus, Heist and Precious Cargo.
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Tiffani Thiessen (Kelly Kapowski)
Thiessen starred as Kelly Kapowski, the kindhearted head cheerleader and captain of the volleyball, swim and softball teams. She came from a modest working-class family and was Zack's main love interest throughout the series. Following her role as Kelly, Thiessen played Valerie Malone on Fox's Beverly Hills, 90210 from 1994-1998. She also starred as Billie on Fox's Fastlane and as Elizabeth Burke on USA Network's White Collar. Additionally, Thiessen hosted Cooking Channel's Dinner at Tiffani's from 2015-2017. She currently stars as Lori Mendoza on Netflix's Alexa & Katie. Her film credits include roles in Speedway Junkie, Love Stinks, The Ladies Man, Hollywood Ending and Cyborg Soldier.
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Dustin Diamond (Screech)
Diamond starred as Samuel "Screech" Powers, the geek of the friend group, who often went along with whatever Zack told him to do. He also had a crush on Lisa (Lark Voorhies), though the feelings were not reciprocated. Following the finale of the original Saved by the Bell, Diamond reprised his role as Screech on Saved by the Bell: New Class. He appeared in the films Longshot, Jane White Is Sick & Twisted, Big Fat Liar, Our Feature Presentation, Hamlet A.D.D. and Joker's Wild. Diamond also competed on the 12th season of the U.K.'s Celebrity Big Brother and appeared as himself on the Adult Swim series Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell in 2017. Additionally, he appeared as a commentator on truTV's The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest… Diamond is also a musician and was part of the band Salty The Pocketknife. In 2009, he published the book Behind the Bell, which painted many of his former co-stars in a negative light. The actor has also recently had a number of run-ins with the law.
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Mario Lopez (A.C. Slater)
Lopez starred as A.C. Slater, Bayside's star athlete and an Army brat who was part of the show's main friends group. Following his role on Saved by the Bell, Lopez went on to have roles on the shows Pacific Blue and Nip/Tuck. Best known for his work as a television presenter, Lopez worked on Extra from 2008-2019 before moving over to Access Hollywood. He also hosted a number of television programs including Masters of the Maze, The Other Half, Pet Star, MTV's Top Pop Group, America's Best Dance Crew and The X-Factor. Lopez's other acting appearances have included roles in made-for-television films such as Killing Mr. Griffin, Holiday in Handcuffs, Husband for Hire and A Very Merry Toy Store. Additionally, Lopez has published three non-fiction books, including 2008's Mario Lopez Knockout Fitness, 2010's Extra Lean and 2012's Extra Lean Family. He also wrote the children's book Mario and Baby Gia, which was published in 2011.
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Elizabeth Berkley (Jessie Spano)
Berkley played Jessie Spano, an overachieving high school student with strong feminist views. While Berkley did not star on The College Years, she returned for the series finale. After playing Jessie, Berkley went on to star in the films Showgirls, The First Wives Club, The Real Blonde, Random Encounter, The Shipment, Cover Story, Roger Dodger, Meet Market, Women in Trouble and S. Darko. Her television credits include guest appearances on The Hogan Family, Step by Step, Baywatch, NYPD Blue, The Twilight Zone, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, The L Word, Melissa & Joey and New Girl. The actress also competed on the 17th season of Dancing With the Stars, ending the competition in sixth place.
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Lark Voorhies (Lisa Turtle)
Voorhies portrayed Lisa Turtle, the rich girl of the friends group who was known for her fashionable ensembles. Like Berkley, Voorhies did not star on The College Years, but she did make appearances to prepare for and attend Zack and Kelly's wedding. Following the finale of Saved by the Bell, Voorhies starred on The Bold and the Beautiful as Jasmine Malone from 1995-1996 and again in 2004. She also had the recurring role of Mercedes Langford on In the House from 1997-1999. The actress appeared in the films Def Jam's How to Be a Player, How High, Civil Brand and The Next Hit. Additionally, Voorhies has written three books, Reciprocity, Trek of the Cheshire and A True Light.
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Dennis Haskins (Mr. Belding)
Haskins starred as Bayside High's principal. While Mr. Belding and Zack regularly butted heads, the two respected each other in spite of the many times Zack landed himself in the principal's office. Haskins reprised the part on Saved by the Bell: The New Class. Other roles included guest appearances on The West Wing, 7th Heaven, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Mad Men, How I Met Your Mother, New Girl and Hot in Cleveland. He also reprised the role of Mr. Belding for an episode of Nickelodeon's Victorious in 2012.
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Leanna Creel (Tori Scott)
Creel starred as Bayside student Tori Scott, who was introduced during the group's senior year. She quickly became an enemy of Zack's, though the two later dated. Creel went on to make appearances on One West Waikiki and Ned and Stacey following her departure from Saved by the Bell. She also worked as a producer on the films Mixed Signals, Possums, Six-String Samurai, The Suburbans, But I'm a Cheerleader, Queen for a Day and Get Over It, while she executive produced Dancer, Texas Pop. 81; Desert Blue; and Boutonniere. Additionally, Creel directed Promtroversy and Offside, for which she also penned the script.
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