With the recent reboot on Peacock, there's a newfound appreciation for Saved By The Bell and the high school stories that the original show told. In the 2020 series, some of the old gang is back, but the focus is on the new teenagers who are still dealing with dating, friendship, and school issues. Attending high school always brings up insecurity, being jealous of other students, and worrying about the future.
The original characters could share some lessons with the new kids as no matter what year or decade it is, similar problems arise. While some plots on the 90's show are relatable and could happen to anyone, others seem a bit too farfetched.
Most Realistic: Jessie Worries That She's Too Tall
Guidance counselor Jessie Spano has become an adult and moved on from some of the things that she was concerned with back in high school, including her height.
In the first episode "Dancing to the Max," Jessie worries that she's too tall, and she's really upset about this. It's one of the most realistic storylines on Saved By The Bell as everyone is insecure about something, whether it's about their physical appearance or a skill or talent they wish that they had.
Most Unrealistic: Zack Lies That Slater Doesn't Have Much Time To Live
AC Slater and Zack Morris don't seem like friends as they do some awful things to do each other over the show's four seasons. Their conflict usually stems from who they have crushes on, as it's sometimes the same person.
In the season one episode "Aloha Slater," Slater's father is moving to Hawaii for work, and Zack lets all the girls know that Slater won't be around anymore. From what he says, they assume that he doesn't have much more time to live, which is really strange. Why would Zack lie about this? This doesn't seem like a realistic storyline, as even an immature teenager wouldn't go quite that far.
Most Realistic: Jessie Takes Caffeine Pills And Freaks Out
The season two episode "Jessie's Song" is the most discussed since Jessie takes caffeine pills and says "I'm so excited! I'm so scared!" about how she's feeling.
This is definitely realistic, as many high schoolers experiment with something. It might not be caffeine pills, as that's a bit of an old-fashioned thing at this point, but it could be drugs, alcohol, or some kind of stimulant. Many high schoolers put too much pressure on themselves and in their search for perfection, they go down a road that ends up leaving them feeling terrible.
Most Unrealistic: After A Student es Away, The Characters Compete For The Money
In the fourth season episode "The Will," a student at Bayside es away, and the main characters think the best way to deal with that is to compete over the $10,000 that the student left in the will.
There are a few weird things about this storyline. For one thing, would a teenager really leave money to their fellow classmates? Most people wouldn't have $10,000 in high school. For another, would people really fight over the money when someone just died? This seems unrealistic and also disrespectful.
Most Realistic: The Characters Drink And Crash A Car
There are some lessons that the gang learned on Saved By The Bell and this episode has one that many teenagers learn the hard way.
The title of this fourth season episode gets right to the point: the characters are "Drinking and Driving" and they get into an accident while driving the car that belongs to Lisa's mom. This is realistic, as unfortunately, the dangers of drunk driving are all too real. Parents are always telling their teens that it's a horrible idea to have a drink and then get behind the wheel (or get into a car with someone who isn't sober).
Most Unrealistic: Zack Gets An Actor To Pretend To Be His Father
Besides scheming, Zack doesn't have much of a personality, and it seems like he never stops finding ways to avoid working hard.
In the second season episode "Rent-a-Pop," Zack gets an actor to pretend to be his father, as he doesn't want his real dad to discover how badly he's doing in school, so he's trying to prevent a meeting between his dad and Mr. Belding. This is one of the most unrealistic plots on the show, as it's hard to picture a teenager really doing this. It's a bit out there.
Most Realistic: Jessie Hates Her Stepbrother
The two-part season two episode "The Wicked Stepbrother" finds Jessie hating her stepbrother, Eric, who is all about lying to others to get his way.
Jessie isn't a big fan of his and doesn't like the way that he lives his life. This is one of the most realistic storylines on the show, as many people struggle with stepsiblings or stepparents, and it can be tough for someone to see their family expand like this.
Most Unrealistic: Oil Is Discovered At Bayside
Some parts of the original show aged poorly and this particular storyline is on that list, too.
In the third season episode "Pipe Dreams," oil is discovered at Bayside, and that starts an environmental debate. The characters are excited because they assume that means that they could become very wealthy. While this episode has a good message, since they realize that the environmental burden is too important to ignore, it seems odd that oil would be found at a high school, let alone in the football field.
Most Realistic: Kelly Likes Her Older Boss, Jeff
The season three premiere "The Last Dance" finds Kelly crushing on Jeff, her older boss at work.
While this isn't the best partner for her based on the age difference and, of course, the fact that he's her manager, it's still a realistic storyline. Many teenagers fall for people who are older than them and don't think about the consequences or any problems that could come up. Kelly is also a fairly innocent character, so it makes sense that she would think that Jeff was a legitimate boyfriend for her to have.
Most Unrealistic: Kelly Takes Her Baby Brother To School
Kelly Kapowski worsened as a character and this storyline is one of her most confusing.
In the season two episode "The Babysitters," Kelly takes her baby brother to Bayside and the other characters pitch in to look after him. This happens during the day when they're at school, and it makes no sense. Wouldn't Kelly's parents arrange better childcare than teenagers who are supposed to be attending class? This doesn't seem like something that would really happen.