"Saved by the Bell: The College Years" (1993)TV series 1993-1994

Directors:

Miguel Higuera
Jeffrey Melman

Writers:

Elaine Aronson (pilot)
Andy Guerdat (writer)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

14 September 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Zack, Screech, and Slater are all college students now. They are struggling to adapt to college life and facing rough times...

Plot Keywords:

College | Sitcom

Awards:

2 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. July 25	7:00 AM	TBS	The Poker Game	#1.6
Fri. July 25	7:30 AM	TBS	Professor Zack	#1.7

Cast

Mark-Paul Gosselaar	...	Zack Morris (18 episodes, 1993-1994)
Mario López	...	A.C. Slater (18 episodes, 1993-1994)
Dustin Diamond	...	Samuel "Screech" Powers (18 episodes, 1993-1994)
Anne Tremko	...	Leslie Burke (18 episodes, 1993-1994)
Kiersten Warren	...	Alex Tabor (18 episodes, 1993-1994)
Bob Golic	...	Michael Rogers (18 episodes, 1993-1994)
Tiffani Thiessen	...	Kelly Kapowski (17 episodes, 1993-1994)
Patrick Fabian	...	Professor Lasky / ... (8 episodes, 1993-1994)
Holland Taylor	...	Dean Susan McMann (7 episodes, 1993-1994)

Runtime:

30 min (18 episodes + Pilot)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios - 1438 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

NBC Productions

Trivia:

During the ending credits bloopers of the main characters messing up lines would often be shown.

Quotes:

Alex: Life is so unfair. I have to lose two pounds within a few days!
Kelly: C'mon, two pounds is not going to hurt you.
Screech: Oh yeah? That's what Delta Burke said before she inhaled her first cheesecake.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Nanny: The Cradle Robbers (#4.2)" (1996)

Not any better than the original

Where I live, this show airs once a week at four in the morning, so I don't exactly make a point of watching it, but since I was awake, I decided to.

Actually, I remember when the dumb thing first aired, since I believe I saw the premiere episode. For some reason I watched--and loved--the monstrosity "Saved By the Bell," but even THEN I didn't like "The College Years." I thought it was boring.

After my most recent viewing of it, I still found "The College Years" quite dull. Many of the characters from the original reprised their roles: Mark-Paul Gossellar as the annoying "blond" lead Zack Morris; Tiffani Amber Theissen as "desirable" Kelly Kapowski; Mario Lopez as "athletic" A.C. Slater; and Dustin Diamond as Screech Powers, about the most irritating character on television. For some reason their friends Jessie and Lisa have gone onto other pursuits, so replacing them are Alex, some lady who looks in her thirties and has a whiny voice, and is suposed to be Slater's girlfriend; Leslie, who is so charisma-free I didn't even remember her existence until I saw her name listed among the credits; and the also charisma-free man who is in charge of their dorm, who is supposed to be like a "cooler" version of the high school principal Mr. Belding. The situations were also similar to the high school series. Selfish Zack cooks up a scheme in order to benefit himself somehow and wacky hijinx occur as he goes about fulfilling it. In the particular episode I saw, he wanted to take Kelly to Mexico, along with Slater and annoying Alex, so he decided to hold a rave and charge twenty dollars a head for it. Who'd pay twenty dollars to go to some party, especially when the purpose of it is to fund somebody's vacation? (Interestingly, an "I Love Lucy," with a very similar plot was on the same night, meaning "Bell" can't even come up with its own creative storylines. Plus, "Lucy's" was a lot more funny.)

Anyway, the big conflict is, where can Zack hold his rave? After all, they're illegal. Hijinx galore, as he outwits some Dean of Students character played by "The Pratice's" Holland Taylor(who probably hates to admit she was in this show.) Plus some subplot about Kelly recovering from a break-up with a professor was dull, and the prof. was very childish and unappealing. So was the show. I am not surprised it was cancelled after a season, because this is the epitome of some series that should have stuck to daytime TV, not tried its hand at primetime, where it was killed by "FULL HOUSE." What probably beat them both, or should have at least, was a competing series on CBS (since I remember this was an NBC show) for anyone over the age of 13.