What Happened To Jessie Spano In Saved By The Bell?

I still get a little thrill when I drive past it: the real-life facade fans think of as Bayside High is Burbank High School in Burbank, California. That iconic exterior — the brick building and the courtyard shots you see in the opening credits and a bunch of episodes — is actually the front of that working high school. A lot of the show’s “outside the school” moments were filmed there, which is why the place looks so authentic on screen. Inside the show, most classroom scenes and hangouts like The Max were shot on soundstages rather than on the actual school campus. The production used studio space in the Los Angeles area (NBC/Universal soundstages in the region) to build those recurring sets, which made things predictable and cozy for the cast. And every so often they'd step out for location shoots around Southern California — malls, beaches, and the city — but if you want the classic Bayside look, Burbank High is the go-to spot. If you ever visit, be respectful: it’s a real school with students and classes.

If you're craving that neon-mall energy, the easiest place to look in the U.S. is Peacock. I dug through it last weekend and Peacock has become the main home for 'Saved by the Bell' — the original series and the 2020 revival are both there, and you can usually stream them on the free tier with ads or on Premium for an ad-free run. Peacock sometimes splits availability by region, but in the U.S. it's the go-to. If Peacock isn't an option for you, you can buy seasons or single episodes on digital stores like Amazon Prime Video (purchase), Apple TV/iTunes, or Google Play. Those are handy if you want to keep a few episodes in your library without subscribing. Also, international availability varies a lot, so I usually check a service like JustWatch or Reelgood to see what streaming service actually carries 'Saved by the Bell' in my country. Little tip: DVDs or Blu-rays exist too if you love owning physical copies, and they make for great nostalgia fuel when you want to marathon with snacks.

Growing up with reruns blasting in the living room, the thing that stuck with me most was the music — especially that catchy opening melody for 'Saved by the Bell'. There actually isn’t a neat, official soundtrack album that collects everything from the series. What you get on-screen is the iconic opening theme, a lot of original background cues made for the show, and the occasional licensed pop song from the late ’80s and early ’90s used in dances, parties, or montage scenes. If you want specifics, fans have done the hard work: episode-by-episode lists live on sites like Tunefind and IMDb’s soundtrack sections, and there are a bunch of YouTube compilations and Spotify playlists that try to replicate the show’s vibe. My little VHS-era ritual was pausing the TV during a dance scene and scribbling down lyrics — it’s surprisingly effective. If you’re collecting the music, start with the opening theme, then chase down episode credits or use Shazam during the scenes — the variety is part of the fun.

I've been bitten by nostalgia enough times to have a soft spot for the whole 'Saved by the Bell' family of shows, and yes — there are a few spinoffs and follow-ups to know about. The earliest one is actually a predecessor called 'Good Morning, Miss Bliss' — it focused on a younger group of students and the teacher before the show was retooled into the more famous 'Saved by the Bell'. Then the main series, 'Saved by the Bell', is the classic Bayside crew most people remember. From there you get 'Saved by the Bell: The College Years', which follows some of the original teens as they head to college, and 'Saved by the Bell: The New Class', a long-running show in the '90s that replaced the Bayside kids with a rotating set of new students while Mr. Belding stayed on as a throughline. There's also a TV movie, 'Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas', that wraps up a few storylines. And for modern viewers, there's the 2020 continuation/reboot also called 'Saved by the Bell' — it treats the original as history and carries forward the world with new students and wink-and-nod appearances from older characters. If you want a viewing order that respects continuity, I usually suggest a light crawl: 'Good Morning, Miss Bliss' for curiosity, the original 'Saved by the Bell', then dip into 'The College Years' if you like the grown-up arcs, and skim 'The New Class' for extra nostalgia. The 2020 series is its own thing — more satirical and updated — so it's a fun capstone if you like callbacks and modern takes.

I still get the goofy grin when I think about 'Saved by the Bell'—it was the after-school comfort food of my teen years. If you want a quick, nostalgia-rich binge, start with the pilot so you get the characters and the tone: it sets up Zack’s schemes, Kelly’s charm, Jessie’s ambition, Slater’s cool, Screech’s chaos, and Mr. Belding’s dad-joke energy. From there, don’t skip the graduation/finale episodes (the ones that send the whole Bayside crew off); they pack a surprising amount of heart and actually give the gang some real closure. For pure silly fun, the TV movie 'Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style' is a must-watch—think sun, goofy plot twists, and the characters being extra themselves away from Bayside. And if you want a tearjerker that hits deeper than you expect, watch the episodes focused on Jessie dealing with adult-ish problems; those episodes trade sitcom gags for genuine stakes and show the cast could do more than just pratfalls. If you’re curating a two-night marathon, mix one heavy-feeling episode (a Jessie storyline or the finale) with two light, classic Zack-scheme episodes and the Hawaiian movie. It’s how I do it when I need that warm, guilty-pleasure fix.

I still laugh every time Zack freezes the world with his classic 'Time out!'—it's such a ridiculous, meta move that feels like the show winking at you. My top three lines that always crack me up are the obvious 'Time out!', his smug little zingers to Mr. Belding like 'Hey, Belding. You want to see a magic trick? Watch me disappear from detention,' and those over-the-top flirt lines he drops that are equal parts confidence and chaos. Those moments capture why he’s so fun: he’s perpetually two steps ahead of trouble and always ready to dial up his charisma. Sometimes the best stuff isn't a single line but how he says it—mouth half-smile, leaning on his locker, practicing a wink. I love watching episodes of 'Saved by the Bell' and pausing to scribble down his lines; they’re perfect for texting friends or lightening the mood. If you want the purest Zack energy, binge the very early seasons where his pranks are endless and his one-liners are at their peak. For a Tuesday night pick-me-up, that works wonders for me.

Watching 'Saved by the Bell' as someone who grew up with the original feels like bumping into an old friend who’s had a total style makeover. The reboot keeps the core setting—Bayside High—but swaps the goofy, self-contained moral-of-the-week sitcom beats for a sharper, more self-aware vibe. Where the 90s show handed out tidy life lessons wrapped in bright synth music and slapstick, the new version tosses in satire, social commentary, and longer story arcs that let characters grow over several episodes. I found myself laughing at familiar gags one moment and then being surprised by scenes that actually poke fun at nostalgia itself the next. The reboot foregrounds a more diverse cast and modern issues—social media pressure, gentrification, identity—so its conflicts feel rooted in today rather than being nostalgic rehashes. And yes, several original faces pop up in guest spots, but the show mostly commits to the new generation, which keeps it feeling alive instead of just polished memory.

Okay, this is one of those pop-culture facts that instantly hits nostalgia: Zack Morris was played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar. Watching reruns of 'Saved by the Bell' as a kid, his grin, the way he’d yell "Time out!" and break the fourth wall—that was all Mark-Paul bringing Zack to life. He actually started the role on 'Good Morning, Miss Bliss' before the show evolved into the high school sitcom everyone associates with Bayside. What I love about rewatching it now is noticing how that early charm translated into later roles—he didn’t just stay a one-note teen star. Over time he took on grittier, adult parts and showed real range, which makes those Zack Morris episodes feel like a snapshot of TV history. If you ever want to show someone the archetypal ’90s teen sitcom lead, pop on an episode of 'Saved by the Bell' and watch Mark-Paul work the camera. It’s goofy, fun, and oddly comforting; I still smile when he freezes time.