Saved by the Bell' star Tiffani Thiessen explains why she's not returning for reboot
'Saved by the Bell' star Tiffani Thiessen explains why she's not returning for reboot, reveals what her relationship is like with Mark-Paul Gosselaar today.
"Saved by the Bell" star Mark-Paul Gosselaar finds it "tough" to watch one of the ‘90s series’ episodes that featured his mischievous character (Zack Morris) "whoring out" Lark Voorhies' character Lisa Turtle.
"There was one where I was basically whoring out Lisa Turtle," Gosselaar said on the "Pod Meets World" podcast hosted by "Boy Meets World" stars Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, and Will Friedle.
"I charged people to kiss her without her consent. That was a tough one," he continued.
Mark-Paul Gosselaar attends the FOX Summer TCA 2018 All-Star Party at Soho House on August 2, 2018, in West Hollywood, California. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
In the episode from the show's first season, Zack charges boys at Bayside High $1 apiece to kiss Lisa after she maxed out her dad's credit card and was desperate to get out of debt.
Gosselaar noted his concerns about rewatching "The Lisa Card," taking up the discussion on his own "Zack to the Future" podcast in 2020.
"I feel a little conflicted by this particular episode. It wasn’t as carefree and innocent as the last episode, but maybe it’s because I’m watching it through these eyes and not the eyes of a 13-year-old or the audience that watched it back in the ’90s," he said, according to Variety.
Lark Voorhies played Lisa Turtle on the TV series ‘Saved by the Bell’ from 1989 to 1993. (Mark Sullivan/WireImage)
That same year, he reprised his role as Zack Morris on the classic series' short-lived reboot.
Venturing further into the discussion of now-controversial TV storylines on "Pod Meets World," the "Running Zack" episode in which Zack explored his Native American heritage for a school project came under scrutiny.
The episode shows Zack presenting his ancestry report before the class while donning a full Native American headdress.
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Pictured: (l-r) Mario Lopez as 'A.C.' Slater, Dennis Haskins as Mr. Richard Belding, Lark Voorhies as Lisa Turtle, Tiffani Thiessen as Kelly Kapowski, Elizabeth Berkley as Jessie Spano, Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Zack Morris, and Dustin Diamond as Screech Powers. (NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images)
"There’s things that you just would not film nowadays," Gosselaar said. "There are things every single episode that we could pick out. At that point, you try not to be negative. It’s a watch party. … It’s a tightrope walk. Overall, you try to be positive about the work and say, ‘That was a different time.’"
The series ran from 1989 to 1993 and became a staple of 1990s pop culture.
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