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Zack Morris is officially coming back to Bayside.
Mark-Paul Gosselaar has closed a deal to return for streamer Peacock‘s forthcoming Saved by the Bell revival. The actor, currently a series regular on ABC’s Black-ish spinoff Mixed-ish, will reprise his “Preppy” role as the former king of Bayside High. Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Gosselaar will appear in three episodes and also be credited as a producer. Those same sources say producers Universal Television are also in talks with former star Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, who played Kelly, to return in some capacity. Peacock, the upcoming streamer from NBCUniversal, and Universal TV declined comment.
Saved by the Bell and Mixed-ish are produced by different studios, which limits the actor’s commitment to appearing in more episodes. The standard industry rule for series regulars to appear on other programs is three episodes. (See Johnny Galecki’s Roseanne guest role as he juggled The Big Bang Theory, for example.)
Original stars Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley will also reprise their roles as A.C. Slater and Jessie Spano, respectively, in the single-camera comedy that explores what happens when Zack, now the governor of California, gets into hot water for closing too many low-income high schools and proposes the affected students be sent to the highest-performing schools in the state — including Bayside High.
Champions alum Josie Totah will star as Lexi, a beautiful, sharp-tongued cheerleader and the most popular girl at Bayside High who is both admired and feared by her fellow students. Totah will also be credited as a producer.
The new Saved by the Bell was picked up straight to series in September. The comedy hails from writer Wigfield and is produced by Universal Television, where the 30 Rock grad and Great News creator recently renewed her overall deal. Wigfield will serve as showrunner and exec produce alongside original series creator Peter Engel and Franco Bario (Great News). Lopez and Berkley will also produce.
Peacock is set to launch in April, with originals joining the lineup in summer. Saved by the Bell is part of an ambitious slate that includes a Battlestar Galactica reboot from Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail, among several other projects. Details about the streamer will be unveiled Jan. 16 during an NBCUniversal investor presentation.
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