NBC’s new streaming service Peacock has dusted off our childhood and has dropped two new trailers. The first is an update to the classic 80’s Saturday Morning series “Saved by the Bell,” which will reunite original stars Elizabeth Berkley and Mario Lopez. Mark-Paul Gosselaar will also be returning, but only for three episodes due to his commitment as a series regular on ABC’s “Mixed-ish.” Tiffani Amber Thiessen will be returning as well, but only in one episode.
This is not the first time Bayside High has been revisited. The show spawned two spin-off series: “Saved by the Bell: The College Years” (1993–1994), a primetime series that follows several of the characters to college, and “Saved by the Bell: The New Class” (1993–2000), a Saturday morning series that follows a new group of students at Bayside High School. The series also spawned two TV movies, “Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style” in 1992 and “Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas” in 1994. Unlike the previous series, the reboot will be a single-camera show.
Peacock will also be giving us a new dose of Punky Brewster. The original Punk Brewster series had a young girl (Soleil Moon Frye) being raised by a foster parent (the late George Gaynes). The update follows an adult Punky as a single mother of three “trying to get her life back on track when she meets a young girl who reminds her a lot of her younger self.” The series will also answer the question of “What the hell happened to Freddie Prince Jr?,” as he will be starring as Punky’s ex-husband. The original series spawned a Saturday Morning cartoon spin-off called “It’s Punky,” which featured a magic gopher, because it was the 80’s.
In addition to original programming, Peacock will have a big vault of existing shows and movies to stream, including The Office, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock and Law & Order, not to mention tons of movies from its Universal and Dreamworks Animation studios. The services started a preview to Comcast subscribers on April 15th. but an official rollout has been pit on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.