The cast of Saved by the Bell weren’t friends behind the scenes according to
a new Lifetime TV movie, The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story, which is loosely based on Dustin Diamond’s salacious book Behind the Bell
Co-star Mark-Paul Gosselaar says he had no input in the book and it doesn’t represent his experience.
“It is negative. That I must say,” Gosselaar told the Huffington Post. “Everything I’ve heard about his book is that it is negative, and I don’t remember those things because my experience on the show was very positive.”
The book was written by a ghost writer that took artistic liberties says Diamond, who serves as executive producer on the docudrama.
“So long story short, I think when this movie comes out, it’s going to surprise people because it’s not salacious, it’s not dirty, it’s not negative,” Diamond told the Daily Beast. “It’s embracing all the positive things that happened and clarifying certain things. I think it’s going to be pretty enjoyable. I think everyone’s going to like it, including the other cast members.”
A preview clip show the teenagers flirting and fighting. Diamond (Sam Kindseth) is clearly the odd man out and the only cast member without a personalized chair for a photo shoot. He’s eager to fit in and when Mario Lopez decides to kill time by doing some pushups, the skinny actor tries to join in but can’t keep up and calls him a prick out of embarrassment. Mark-Paul Gosselaar breaks up the fight but does it with such an attitude as thought he’s more concerned about dealing with amateurs. Lark Voorhies (Taylor Russell McKenzie) and Tiffani-Amber Thiessen (Alyssa Lynch) also fight for attention of Gosselaar. The only cast member that doesn’t come off as a jerk is Elizabeth Berkley (Tiera Skovbye), who attempts to make peace but fails. They erupt into a shouting match until the director yells and they put on fake smiles.
“Well, the network didn’t kill us but the hormones might,” he comments.
It’s a reference to the cancellation of Good Morning, Miss Bliss, the first iteration of the show. Lark Voorhies was one few returning characters, which further explains her animosity toward newcomer Tiffani-Amber Thiessen starring as the female lead.
The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story premieres Monday 9 PM, Sept 1 on Lifetime.
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