Mario Lopez was inspired to return for the Saved by the Bell reboot because of Cobra Kai. The reboot takes shape when California Governor Zack Morris (Mark Paul-Gosselaar) makes the decision to close down a number of low-income schools. But it’s A.C. Slater (Lopez) who appears in every episode of the first season, along with Jessie Spano (Elizabeth Berkley Lauren). Formerly enrolled at Bayside High, the duo are now employees at the school and they do their best to welcome the students that have been displaced by Zack’s unpopular mandate.
Since premiering on Peacock in November, the reboot has earned positive reviews. Although the show hasn’t yet been renewed for season 2, it has the distinction of being Peacock’s most-watched original program. Still, despite the evident popularity of the show, Lopez wasn’t always so sure that it would resonate with audiences.
As part of a GQ interview with Lopez, it was revealed that the actor wasn’t initially sold about the idea of a Saved by the Bell reboot. He was fearful that the end result might miss the mark, failing to appeal to new viewers while also alienating fans of the original. Lopez said that, ultimately, he changed his mind after being impressed by Cobra Kai. Lopez’s quote has been included below.
“It was such a smart, clever way, the way they blended the nostalgia and this updated version. So [I said], if we can emulate that, then I’m down.”
Cobra Kai and Saved by the Bell are both successful continuations of old stories, but they take different routes in achieving that success. Cobra Kai, particularly in its early episodes, flips the focus of Karate Kid so that the protagonist is of the story is Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) rather than Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). By taking this approach, viewers get to see old events and lingering grievances from a different perspective. The reboot of Saved by the Bell, on the other hand, was unafraid to point out all the ways in which the original was outdated. Whether it stressed that Zack Morris was kind of a jerk or acknowledged Slater’s misogynistic history with Jessie, the Peacock series was largely praised for being unafraid to poke fun at itself when needed. At the same time, showrunner Tracey Wigfield and her team of writers showed an immense affection for the original Saved by the Bell.
The end result wasn’t quite the emulation Lopez might’ve anticipated, though it was no less clever. The reboot of Saved by the Bell used the original series as a starting point to highlight issues of educational inequality and bigotry, while Cobra Kai has been invested in reexamining its roots. As more revivals and continuations are being developed, both comedies provide strong examples of how to successfully approach a reboot without being completely beholden what came before.
Source: GQ
