It’s official, the Saved By the Bell reboot has nailed down its lead student. Josie Totah will star in the series as a cheerleader who is both loved and feared at Bayside High. NBC will be using the show as a way to draw viewers to their new streaming service, Peacock. The series is expected to release on the platform and will only be available to subscribers.
Who is involved in the Saved by the Bell reboot?
NBC hasn’t released a ton of information on the new show, but we do have a few key pieces of info. Elizabeth Berkley and Mario Lopez are both signed on to reprise their roles as Jessie Spano and A.C. Slater, respectively. John Michael Higgins, who is perhaps best known for his voice work on Bob’s Burgers, is also joining the cast. He will take on the role of Principal Toddman, according to IMDB. Totah will take on the part of Lexi.
The rest of the cast has yet to be announced, but it can be assumed several more students will be added to the ensemble. As of now, the series is slated for a 10-episode first season. Berkley and Lopez will be serving as executive producer and producer, respectively.
Is a Saved By The Bell reboot going to hit on important
issues?
While the original run of Saved By The Bell was generally considered a comedy show for kids and teens, it did manage to tackle the critical issues that were plaguing the youth at the time. The original series touched on drug use, unemployment, homelessness, and women’s rights. Screencrush also notes that the original series also dealt with issues like environmental destruction.
The reboot will likely look to approach serious topics with a similarly lighthearted spin. The premise of the show appears to speak to a serious issue in the education sector. The first season will cover the fallout from Zack Morris’ decision to send students from low-income high schools to Bayside High, which services a higher-income community. It is not known if Morris’ character will actually be seen, though. Mark-Paul Gosselaar told USA Today that he was never approached about joining the cast. He is currently under contract with Disney. Gosselaar currently stars on Mixed-ish.
Fans are excited to see Totah take on the role of Lexi
Totah has appeared in several successful films and television series, but she’s best known for her involvement in Spiderman: Homecoming, Disney’s Jessie, and the short-lived NBC series, Champions. She took on her first female role in No Good Nick last year. Totah had a reoccurring role in the Netflix original. It was canceled after one season.
Totah came out as a transgender woman in a passionate article for Time Magazine. In the lengthy piece, Totah stated, “I believe that I am transgender to help people understand differences. It allows me to gain perspective, to be more accepting of others, because I know what it feels like to know you’re not like everyone else.” Her open and honest approach to her journey has endeared her to fans, and many are excited to see her take on the role of Lexi.
The reboot of the famed series is expected to release
sometime in the Summer of 2020, although an official release date has not been
announced. Peacock, the streaming service that the series will call home, is expected
to release in April 2020. The pricing for the service has not yet been
announced.
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