Back to Bayside: How the 'Saved by the Bell' reboot blends old and new

"Saved by the Bell" is getting the reboot treatment. Jessie Spano (Elizabeth Berkley), A.C. Slater (Mario Lopez) and the rest of the gang are - to varying degrees - getting back together.

NBC's Peacock streaming service is debuting the new show which is helmed by "30 Rock" vet Tracey Wigfield. Berkley and Lopez spoke to Yahoo Entertainment about making the show feel contemporary while also infusing it with nostalgia.

"I feel like a reason why maybe the show resonated because it was a simpler time and more innocent time," said Lopez.

"It was really important to maintain and embed in the DNA of this show all the things that mean so much to people," Berkley said. "But [also] really represent something fresh and progressive and new."

Video transcript

- Are those caffeine pills? At first, they're so exciting. And then it gets even more exciting. But after that, it gets so scary. And in the end you ruin your girl group's shot at a recording contract.

- What?

ETHAN ALTER: I've got a chance to watch the first few episodes, and I had a lot of fun with them. They pushed a lot of nostalgia buttons but also felt very up-to-date and contemporary, and I like that about it.

MARIO LOPEZ: I feel like a reason why maybe the show resonated because it was a simpler time and more innocent time, and it was a Saturday morning show. And a pretty diverse cast. Somebody that everyone can kind of, maybe, relate to a little bit.

ELIZABETH BERKLEY: And, for me, this show is such a beloved show to so many people, and it's so multigenerational. It was really important to maintain and embed in the DNA of this show all the things that means so much to people. That was something that I felt protective of.

I know other cast members-- and Tracey, our showrunner, had grown up with the show. She really wanted to make sure to honor that and celebrate those things. But, like you said, you know, really represent something fresh and progressive.

- You only know how Bayside works for kids like you.

- Hot kids?

- Privileged kids.

- Privileged kids.

ETHAN ALTER: Talking about one of the new characters, I really like Lexi, played by Josie Totah, who is the show's first transgender character.

ELIZABETH BERKLEY: Yes.

ETHAN ALTER: I thought she was really terrific. What was it like to work with her and be part of that really groundbreaking storyline?

ELIZABETH BERKLEY: Josie is an accomplished actress. She's been working for a long time. She's a seasoned pro, and she's only 19. But she also just brings such a beautiful authenticity as a human being to every interaction she has.

She's really got a deep soul, and she's incredible with comedy, so we are lucky to have her on the show. And what I love about our show is it's just organic. We have characters who have lived experiences. We have a beautiful cast that is diverse and represents our world.

- These Bayside kids weren't exactly raised to have a killer instinct.

ETHAN ALTER: Did you always imagine that Slater would be a gym teacher? Was that your career in your mind, or did you have another idea of what he would do?

MARIO LOPEZ: I love sports, and I think it adds a lot and teaches you a lot, as far as discipline and self-respect and learning how to work as a group. So I think the word jock maybe gets a bad rap sometimes because I think a lot of good could come from playing sports.

I think it's funny that he's one of those guys that kind of got stuck in that era. Same clothes, rocking the same hairstyle, and the whole deal.

ETHAN ALTER: Did you always imagine that Jessie would be a psychologist? Did you sort of-- or were you surprised by that? What did you picture her future would be?

ELIZABETH BERKLEY: I was not surprised that she would have her PhD and would have done Ted Talks, been in politics. Jessie was always the voice of reason and she was the advice-giver. And so it was kind of the perfect way to bring her back to Bayside at this moment of her life, having been so accomplished.

But also at this moment her personal life is a bit of a mess with her husband.

ETHAN ALTER: We know that Lark Voorhies is coming back. We've seen pictures of that. Are you happy they found a place for her in the show?

ELIZABETH BERKLEY: Bayside without Lisa Turtle would not be Bayside, so we are so thrilled to have Lark back in the role of Lisa that she so beautifully played. The original show was a huge success because of her incredible contributions of talent, and she's still as radiant and beautiful and talented as ever.

So this was an incredible way to bring her back home with us.

ETHAN ALTER: Will there be cameos by Dennis Haskins at all? How many people are we going to see from the--

MARIO LOPEZ: You're gonna be seeing a few teachers from the past. Max, you know, from Max, who looks the same, by the way. And there'll be a lot of little Easter eggs, right, that you can see from the past. I don't think I'm supposed to say too much, but there's a couple where he does some of the old school moves.

And there's a lot of throwback stuff that if you were like, familiar or a fan growing up that I think you'll appreciate. So I'm looking forward to those. That should be a lot of fun.

- I just care about Zack and Kelly!

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