Peacock’s Saved By The Bell brought back several familiar faces across its two seasons — and quietly proved that Jessie Spano, not Zack Morris, was always the most iconic character among them. One of the key elements of the original Saved By The Bell’s success was that it had an archetype for everyone to latch onto within its core group. There’s the fashionista in Lisa Turtle (Lark Voorhies), the athlete in Slater (Mario Lopez), the cheerleader in Kelly (Tiffani Thiessen), and the lovable weirdo in Screech (the late Dustin Diamond). For many, however, with his classic looks, infinite schemes, and the ability to stop time, Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) was considered the center of the irreverent world. Zack was the one that countless young Saved By The Bell viewers dreamed of being.
Another firm member of the original Bayside gang was, of course, Jessica “Jessie” Spano (Elizabeth Berkley Lauren). For some, their prevailing memory of Jessie was her famous “I’m so excited” meltdown or simply as one half of her romance with Slater. Intensely smart but prone to neuroses, Jessie was frequently characterized as the resident buzzkill by her peers and deemed too self-serious compared to the rest of the Saved By The Bell cast. One of the greatest tricks of the revival series, however, has been recontextualizing Jessie for the modern-day. In the process, it’s become increasingly clear that Jessie was always the true iconic character of Saved By The Bell. She just simply had the misfortune of being born into entirely the wrong generation.
As pointed out by Slater when he belatedly apologized for all the time they’d made fun of her or he’d told her to calm down, Jessie was insanely ahead of her time. Jessie was a passionate and outspoken feminist before most people were even aware of that term. Jessie was a committed activist that battled for equality and a better world at a time and age when precious few had yet to grasp the bigger picture. The list for how unknowingly iconic Jessie actually was in the early '90s could easily go on. Fortunately, right through to the ending of Saved By The Bell season 2, the revival has taken huge strides in making that clear. With the culture shift over the last 30 years, and the concept of "cool" getting redefined, Tracey Wigfield’s Saved By The Bell not only made “Jessie f**king Spano” cool but established that she always was.
As Slater also said during his aforementioned apology, “The world is now full of Jessies.” There’s no longer any telling her to quiet down. In fact, the returning students of Bayside often seek out her wisdom, doing so because Jessie, not Zack, has remained very much ahead of the curve. She’s not only battled for meaningful change in the world but facilitated it within people, too. One doesn’t have to look hard to see just how significant and positive an impact she had on Daisy (Haskiri Velazquez), Lexi (Josie Totah), Kelly, and even Slater himself in Saved By The Bell season 2. There’s a reason that, out of all the rich and privileged Bayside kids, her son Jamie (Belmont Cameli) has perpetually been the kindest, most accepting, and compassionate. Jessie Spano has made people better.
Saved By The Bell season 2 also emphasized that every one of Jessie’s established traits doesn’t preclude her from also being fun and hilariously reckless. If that hadn't been made clear by her panicked 911 call when she realizes she doesn’t know everything about Jamie or the way she eagerly wants to prank and ruin the life of Valley’s principal, it was hammered home in Saved By The Bell season 2, episode 6, “Wrestling with the Future.” As Showgirls was retconned into Jessie’s backstory, and Elizabeth Berkley Lauren unabashedly homaged that infamous role, both character and actress became even more iconic. While some may have their individual favorites or put Zack Morris on a pedestal, there’s no denying that Jessie Spano is and has always been great and her time in the Saved By The Bell spotlight has been long overdue.
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