Even A.C. Slater’s tank tops aren’t cooler than this epic reunion!
The “Saved by the Bell” cast recently reunited to help celebrate General Mills for the 30th anniversary of raising money through Box Tops for Education.
In photos obtained by PEOPLE, former castmates Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Zack Morris), Tiffani Thiessen (Kelly Kapowski), Mario Lopez (A.C. Slater), and Elizabeth Berkley (Jessie Spano) roamed the halls of Bayside Heights for the first time in a long time.
While together 35 years later, the “Saved by the Bell” cast looked back at their favorite moments and favorite scenes from their hit ‘90s teen sitcom, which aired its first season in 1989 and its final, fourth season in 1993.
For Berkeley, the intelligent perfectionist of the bunch, she told PEOPLE, after three decades, it’s the silly one-liners with the cast that have stuck for her.
Jessie Spano’s Nervous Breakdown
Berkeley shared that there’s “not a day that goes by that someone doesn’t tell me they’re so excited or scared,” which is a reference to her character Jessie singing “I’m So Excited” by The Pointer Sisters after having a nervous breakdown. The iconic scene was from the episode titled “Jessie’s Song” in season 2, in which Jessie collapses into Zack during a manic episode triggered by her addiction to caffiene pills.
She also recalled a memorable scene with Slater, her on-screen boyfriend. Berkeley said that when Jessie called Slater a “sexist pig,” followed by his response, “Oink, oink, baby,” it was “the gift that keeps on giving” after all this time.
Although Slater and Jessie were dating for a solid portion of their high school years, Lopez told PEOPLE that one of his favorite scenes had to do with his character Slater’s having a new love interest.
Lopez referenced season 4, episode 1, “The Fight,” where he and Zack fought over both wanting to date a new Bayside Heights student. During the infamous altercation, Slater and Zack got to act on their on-screen rivalry that brewed beneath their characters’ bromance.
“That was a pretty good little fight that we had in the hallway there, and so that was cool,” Lopez said.
Thiessen added that the fight seemed so legit she and the other female castmates thought it was real.
“We get along really well, but we made it look like we were not on good terms,” Thiessen said. “I remember us girls were like, ‘Are they really fighting?”
What Made ‘Saved by the Bell’ So Successful?
Thiessen also acknowledged why she felt “Saved by the Bell” was such a hit. The actress shared that because attending public school is such a common experience, much of the show’s audience found the storyline relatable.
“Kids were getting up before their parents half the time watching a show that made them feel very at home and comfortable,” Thiessen said. “And I feel like they felt like they were a part of our group, and I think that’s what made our show very special.”
