Ty Rewatches "Saved By the Bell: The College Years"

In listening to the podcast "Zack to the Future", and rewatching old episodes of "Saved by the Bell", and also finishing up a book called "Zack Morris Lied 329 Times", I recently decided I wanted to go back and watch "The College Years" again. I did watch it when it was first on, in syndication, and I remember thinking that it was not as good as the original, but thinking it was just fine. Well this rewatch, and yes we finished the whole season, all nineteen episodes, in about four days, showed me a whole new light, and it was not great.

"The College Years" just does not have the juice that the original had. It isn't as campy or funny or goofy or enjoyable. It is just more recycled nonsense, but this time around they are in college, and I kept saying, they are too old for these stunts. Zack still acts like he is in high school. I know he is only a freshman, but his whole schtick, his antics, his attitude, it is so much more trashy than when he was in high school. People are supposed to grow as they get older, supposed to find new meaning, become the person they will be for the rest of their lives. Zack does none of this. He is still scheming, conniving, womanizing and, quite frankly, kind of pathetic. He has one line when he talks about a girl he likes dating someone they said is cooler than him, and he says, "cooler than me? No one is cooler than me". Dude, you are in a college with thousands of other people, some of which are most assuredly cooler than he is. Hell, he lives with Slater, and Slater is at school on a sports scholarship. His roommate is cooler than him. When Kelly shows up in episode 2, she is cooler than him. The fact that he wants to be in a fraternity so bad makes all the independents cooler than him. I could go on and on.

I really like Mark Paul Gosselear, and seeing where he is at now in his career makes me appreciate him so much more, but he is no good as Zack in "The College Years". He is just kind of blah and boring and repetitive. At least Slater has wrestling, a job, starts to celebrate his heritage, dates someone totally different from him. Slater shows growth from high school to college. He also, for the most part, stays out of the shenanigans. But, he is kind of boring in this iteration of the show. Screech is still geeky and weird, but he gets a girl on his own, joins a frat on his own, helps take care of a monkey and excels in school. Screech would go places in real life. But, again, he is so doofy and dumb, especially for someone as smart as his character is supposed to be. Kelly, when she shows back up, is seemingly down for all new experiences. She works at the school hospital, she is a waitress, she dates a professor and she resists Zack, at least for a bit. But she still succumbs to his "charm", and picks him over the hundreds of other guys, who would have been way better for her in the long run. Leslie, Alex and Bob are just filler. Leslie starts as a love interest for Zack, but that ends as soon as Kelly shows up. Alex is annoying and a stereotypical theater major and chews far too much scenery. Bob is supposed to be the new Belding, but, and I can't believe I'm saying this, he is not nearly as funny or charming as Dennis Haskins.

"The College Years" tried to stick to the method that was so successful in high school, but you have to remember, these kids are college kids. High school nonsense doesn't fly. Professors cannot order students to their office. They cannot force kids to come to class. Zack wouldn't be able to get away with his usual chicanery. I love "Saved by the Bell". Believe me. But I think that is the only version of the show I will still watch, especially with how rough "The College Years" was on rewatch. It is not very good. At all.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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