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New 'Saved by the Bell' trailer reveals the return of Jessie's caffeine pills drama

Despite visual evidence that Mark-Paul Gosselaar is plotting a return to Bayside High, Zack Morris is still nowhere to be seen in the latest trailer for Peacock’s Saved by the Bell revival. But that’s OK, because an even more important guest star is now confirmed to be coming back: Jessie Spano’s caffeine pills. Towards the end of the minute-long teaser, overworked student Daisy (Haskiri Velazquez) is tempted by Mac Morris (Mitchell Hoog) — the offspring of now-Governor Zack Morris and Kelly Kapowski (Tiffani Thiessen, who will have a recurring role) — with those pill-shaped promises of increased productivity. Enter Elizabeth Berkley’s now-grown overachiever with a warning based on her own lived experience. “At first, they’re so exciting,” she says. “And then, it gets even more exciting. But after that it gets so scary, and in the end you ruin your girl group’s shot at a recording contract!”

That 5-second synopsis of the immortal Season 2 episode “Jessie’s Song” — which, for the record, celebrates its 30th anniversary on November 3 — gave Twitter the ‘90s caffeine kick it needed.

Peacock has yet to announce a release date for this Cobra Kai-esque sequel series, which takes place at present-day Bayside, where Mario Lopez’s eternally jock-ish A.C. Slater holds court as the resident gym coach. Besides Mac, Bayside’s new student body also includes Jessie’s son, Jamie (Belmont Cameli), who captains the school’s football team; Aisha (Alycia Pascual-Pena), a close friend of Daisy’s; and Lexi (Josie Totah), a cheerleader with Kapowski levels of popularity. It’s Totah’s first leading role in a series since she came out as transgender in 2018 in a moving essay published in Time magazine. “I realized over the past few years that hiding my true self is not healthy,” she wrote at the time. “I know now, more than ever, that I’m finally ready to take this step toward becoming myself. I’m ready to be free.”

Two original Baysiders won’t be back for the new series, though. Dustin Diamond, who played Screech, has expressed his disappointment at being left out of the reunion. “How can you have Saved by the Bell without Screech,” he told TMZ earlier this year. “I think everyone should probably be thinking the same thing. In all seriousness, I think Screech would be dealing with parenthood and his kids... and realizing ‘Was I ever this difficult?’” Original cast member, Lark Voorhies, has also been public about not being invited to reprise her role as Lisa Turtle. “I have to admit I did feel a bit slighted and hurt when I was not invited to be part of the Saved by the Bell reunion,” she remarked on The Dr. Oz Show in February, citing her bipolar disorder as a possible reason for her exclusion.

Saved by the Bell premieres on Peacock later this year.

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