Summary
Saved by the Bell actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar regrets an episode where his character charged people to kiss Lisa Turtle without her consent.
Gosselaar recognizes the inappropriate nature of his character portraying a Native American in a different episode. With the rise of the #MeToo movement and heightened cultural sensitivity, specific scenes in Saved by the Bell are now deemed socially and culturally unacceptable.
Saved by the Bell’s Mark-Paul Gosselaar expresses regret over a specific episode. Gosselaar portrayed Zack Morris on the beloved ‘90s sitcom, which aired from 1989-2002. The actor later returned as Zack in the spinoff series Saved by the Bell: The College Years, and made guest appearances in Saved by the Bell: The New Class.
During an appearance on the Boy Meets World rewatch podcast, Pod Meets World, Gosselaar reflects on a problematic moment in an episode of Saved by the Bell. He acknowledges that his character "inappropriately exploited Lisa Turtle" in a scene where he charged people to kiss her without her consent. Consequently, Gosselaar admitted feeling conflicted while revisiting this particular episode.
I am feeling somewhat conflicted about this specific episode. It lacked the carefree and innocent nature of the previous one, but perhaps that's because I am viewing it from my current perspective rather than through the eyes of a 13-year-old or the audience from the '90s.
In one instance, I essentially exploited Lisa Turtle by charging individuals to kiss her without her consent. That was a challenging situation.
Several Saved by the Bell Scenes Wouldn’t Work Today
The episode in question is "The Lisa Card" from season 1 of Saved by the Bell. The title is a double-entendre, referring to Lisa Turtle accidentally making a large charge on her father's credit card and worrying about his reaction. In an effort to help his friend recover the money, Zack challenges the boys in his grade to give $1 to kiss Lisa (without her consent).
Gosselaar, in the podcast discussion, also acknowledges another problematic episode where Zack pretends to be a Native American. He reflects on how his character wearing a "full headdress" is inappropriate and realizes that certain scenes would not be filmed in today's standards.
Gosselaar's examples highlight scenes in the classic sitcom Saved by the Bell that are no longer socially and culturally acceptable today. The #MeToo movement and the increased recognition of the significance of diverse storytelling have made it clear that trivializing consent or indigenous culture is unacceptable in the modern era. While these necessary changes are positive, they also cast a negative light on Saved by the Bell in hindsight.