It has been three decades since Saved by the Bell aired its final episode, yet the show remains a cornerstone of American sitcom television. Running from 1989 to 1993, the series followed a group of teenagers navigating high school life, tackling issues such as peer pressure, relationships, and privilege.
The show launched the careers of Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Mario Lopez, who were young actors at the time. A reboot aired on Peacock in 2020 for two seasons, bringing back the original cast alongside new faces. Actress Lark Voorhies recently revisited the series in the docuseries After the Bell, which aired on May 4 on Investigation Discovery, exploring the show's origins and the cast's subsequent careers.
Mark-Paul Gosselaar, who played heartthrob Zack Morris, went on to star in Dead Man on Campus (1998), NYPD Blue (2001–2005), Commander in Chief, Raising the Bar, Mixed-ish, and the 2020 reboot as Governor Zack Morris. He also appeared in Will Trent in 2023. He married Lisa Ann Russell in 1996 (divorced 2011), with whom he has two children, and later married Catriona McGinn in 2012, with whom he shares two more children.
Mario Lopez, known as A.C. Slater, worked on The Bold and the Beautiful, Nip/Tuck, and competed on Dancing With the Stars in 2006. He hosted Extra for 11 years and later Access Hollywood, winning two Emmys. He returned for the reboot and now presents the game show Blank Slate. He married Ali Landry in 2004 (separated after two weeks due to infidelity) and later married Courtney Mazza in 2012, with whom he has three children.
Tiffani Thiessen, who played Kelly Kapowski, appeared in Beverly Hills, 90210, Just Shoot Me!, White Collar, and Alexa & Katie, and hosted Dinner at Tiffani's. She returned for the reboot and married Brady Smith in 2005, with whom she has two daughters. Elizabeth Berkley, who played Jessie Spano, starred in films such as Showgirls (1995), The First Wives Club (1996), and Any Given Sunday (1999), and had TV roles in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The L Word, NYPD Blue, New Girl, and Melissa and Joey. She competed on Dancing With the Stars in 2013, authored the advice book Ask Elizabeth, and returned for the reboot. She married Greg Lauren in 2003 and has one child.
Lark Voorhies, who played Lisa Turtle, appeared in Days of Our Lives and The Bold and the Beautiful in the 1990s, and films including How to Be a Player (1997), How High (2001), and Little Creeps (2012). She took a break from acting in the 2010s due to declining mental health, revealing on The Dr. Oz Show in 2020 that she had been diagnosed with schizoaffective thought disorder. She was not invited back for the reboot.
