**This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!**

“Welcome back Bayside!”

Saved by the Bell season 2 premiered on Peacock TV on November 24th 2021 with ten new episodes available to stream now. The reboot sitcom stars Haskiri Velazquez, Mitchell Hoog, Josie Totah, John Michael Higgins, Elizabeth Berkley Lauren, and Mario Lopez. Each episode runs for approximately 25-28 minutes. 

Based on the original sitcom, which aired from 1989-1993, the reboot of the beloved iconic 90’s show brings us back to Bayside, as we watch a new set of characters find their own way through high school. This season features recurring roles for Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Lark Voorhies, and Tiffani Thiessen as well, bringing the gang back together again.

Here is the trailer:

Saved by the Bell season 2 has a lot of improvements to make from the first season, but does it finally find its own identity while balancing in some welcomed nostalgia for original fans of the series? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Nice to see the gang back together again.

Lisa is back in season two and we get to see more of Zack and Kelly as well this season, which was really nice to see. We rekindle some old flames, allow them to find their own lives away from high school (at least for the most part) and we even get to witness a moving tribute.

I loved all of the nostalgia once again and I thought that the references no longer felt as forced as they did in the first season. I also loved that the cast wasn’t afraid to make fun of themselves and even commented on some of the plot holes from the original series and some of their career choices later on in real life. Well played!

Stand-out character: Slater had me laughing through every episode!

Genuinely funny this time around!

One of my biggest complaints with the first season of the reboot was that the humor did not really land and it was almost painful to watch at times because of this. Season two makes a drastic change and finds its own identity with enjoyable humor. Sure, some things still feel over-the-top and silly, but that doesn’t stray too far from the original series.

I thoroughly enjoyed a lot of the episodes this time around and I also finally started to connect to the new group of characters. They got their time to shine in a good way!

The Cons:

Discusses the pandemic in a weird way…

I know that a lot of shows are trying to include the pandemic to be relevant in today’s world, but it felt really odd and forced. Some shows have been really successful with this. For example, I thought that the final season of Shameless really nailed it but Saved by the Bell could have benefited from leaving this out because it just felt out of place and awkward.

Sure, the kids are back to school after being remote for a year, but no one is wearing a mask and it just seemed like a passing thought to mention that they have been apart for a while when they could have easily just been on summer break or something.

So am I in or out?

I’m in!

I was on the fence about this reboot in season one, but I really enjoyed my watch of season two. There were some fantastic stand-out episodes and I think that the series finally found its identity without relying too much on the original cast members.

I thought the transitions to the original characters worked for the most part and we got a really great balance this time around!

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Saved By the Bell season two in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

It was only supposed to be temporary…but when Olivia Crewe accepts a new position that seems too good to be true, she soon discovers that twelve other girls previously had the same job as her. Only none of them lasted for more than thirty days. No notice. Nothing…right before they mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

My supernatural thriller Girl Number Thirteen is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Girl Number Thirteen is available here!

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