Saved by the Bell: Seasons One & Two

“It's all right, ‘cause I'm saved by the bell!” This five-disc set from the campy NBC series contains 33 episodes from the 1989-1990 first and second seasons. Based on the original Indiana-based 1987-1989 series Good Morning, Miss Bliss (starring Hayley Mills), Saved by the Bell finds cast members from Miss Bliss--Lark Voorhies as fashion-plate Lisa, Dustin Diamond as brainy geek Screech, and Mark-Paul Gosselaar as the definitively conniving king of the halls Zack--meeting up with a fresh group of cool kids (Mario Lopez as Zack's jock rival Slater, Elizabeth Berkley as neurotic activist Jessie, and Tiffani-Amber Thiessen as Zack's ditzy love interest) at Bayside High in Palisades, CA (a fictional, hipper locale). Whether hanging out at nearby snack bar the Max, bothering bumbling Principal Belding, enjoying outrageous hallway exploits, or--oh yeah--going to class, the trendy sextuplet serves up plenty of amusement with corny dialogue and silly situations. Standout episodes from the first season include the season-opening boogie-fest “Dancing to the Max” (with guest star Casey Kasem), “The Gift” (a stormy shock gives Screech psychic powers), and “King of the Hill” (Zack recalls meeting--and competing--with Slater). Sophomore season gems include “Rent-A-Pop” (Zack hires an actor to fool his dad and Belding) and “Jessie's Song” (an inadvertently hilarious episode due to Jessie's Reefer Madness-like reaction to caffeine pills). Clichéd? Farfetched? Embarrassing for the actors (many of whom seek roles as different from their Saved by the Bell characters as possible--i.e. Berkley in Showgirls or Gosselaar on NYPD Blue)? Perhaps…but this guilty pleasure is a priceless paean to '90s pop culture that I, for one, am not ashamed to admit I enjoyed. Highly recommended. (J. Williams)