I watched Saved by the Bell religiously as a kid. I was five when it hit the air, and probably started watching it regularly in syndication not long after that. I've seen every episode numerous times. You could call it one of my childhood favorites.
However, it was truly a pretty bad show. SBTB set the bar LOW since it's inception. The writing was VERY cheesy, and very far-reaching in many aspects. The acting (especially in the early seasons) was pretty sub-par. Though, it did get better in later seasons, as the actors and actresses grew in to their roles more. And well, probably honed their acting skills better. But even for a children's show, it was pretty painful at many times.
What SBTB had no shortage of were those "cringe worthy" moments. You know, the moments when you just feel BAD for the actors for having to take part in it. Or for that matter, yourself for having watched it. It bears repeating, the writing on this show was pretty bad. I honestly feel that many family/children's shows nowadays do a much better job with realism and writing. They're funnier, and adults can actively enjoy them as much as their kids. Few people outside of it's key demographic AND era would ever have gotten in to SBTB.
It wasn't ALL bad. Perhaps it's the nostalgia speaking. But some of the episodes had decent plots, and it had it's comedic moments. It's not the worst show out there by far. It doesn't however, stand the test of time. This is a niche show that only those with an appreciation for late 1980's/early 1990's styles and cheese could appreciate. Think of it like those drug PSA's from the same time frame. Many were just HORRIBLE, but you love to watch them because they're 1) Hilariously bad 2) Nostalgic 3) Both. I occasionally like to watch a SBTB rerun when I catch one. It was part of my youth, and it had it's moments. However, I wouldn't expect a young one nowadays to like it all all. And I understand that completely. I think they have better options on Nickelodeon and Disney Channel.
Now, the College Years I think was a much better show. Really, of the three incarnations of Saved by the Bell, that's the one that I would actively enjoy watching. Shame that it only lasted one season, I think it had much better material than the original, or The New Class.
However, it was truly a pretty bad show. SBTB set the bar LOW since it's inception. The writing was VERY cheesy, and very far-reaching in many aspects. The acting (especially in the early seasons) was pretty sub-par. Though, it did get better in later seasons, as the actors and actresses grew in to their roles more. And well, probably honed their acting skills better. But even for a children's show, it was pretty painful at many times.
What SBTB had no shortage of were those "cringe worthy" moments. You know, the moments when you just feel BAD for the actors for having to take part in it. Or for that matter, yourself for having watched it. It bears repeating, the writing on this show was pretty bad. I honestly feel that many family/children's shows nowadays do a much better job with realism and writing. They're funnier, and adults can actively enjoy them as much as their kids. Few people outside of it's key demographic AND era would ever have gotten in to SBTB.
It wasn't ALL bad. Perhaps it's the nostalgia speaking. But some of the episodes had decent plots, and it had it's comedic moments. It's not the worst show out there by far. It doesn't however, stand the test of time. This is a niche show that only those with an appreciation for late 1980's/early 1990's styles and cheese could appreciate. Think of it like those drug PSA's from the same time frame. Many were just HORRIBLE, but you love to watch them because they're 1) Hilariously bad 2) Nostalgic 3) Both. I occasionally like to watch a SBTB rerun when I catch one. It was part of my youth, and it had it's moments. However, I wouldn't expect a young one nowadays to like it all all. And I understand that completely. I think they have better options on Nickelodeon and Disney Channel.
Now, the College Years I think was a much better show. Really, of the three incarnations of Saved by the Bell, that's the one that I would actively enjoy watching. Shame that it only lasted one season, I think it had much better material than the original, or The New Class.