Mario Lopez talks ‘Saved By the Bell’ reboot success and saying goodbye to Screech

Mario Lopez talks about Saved By the Bell as if it’s an old friend.

The actor, who’s played lovable hunk A.C. Slater on the light-hearted series since the character first made an appearance in 1989, can concede it was a cheesy Saturday morning show while simultaneously listing all the groundbreaking things about it.

The critically successful reboot, now in its second season, has become one of the rare remakes that hits a nerve. With upped diversity, serious issues to tackle and a wicked, updated sense of humour, the new Saved By the Bell has found a whole new audience and tapped into the nostalgia for watchers of the original.

Lopez, along with stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Elizabeth Berkley Warren, appears throughout the new series, with Lopez and Warren’s characters continuing the romantic thread they had throughout the ’90s.

In Episode 1 of Season 2, the original cast reunites at the Max (see photo) to say goodbye to Saved By the Bell mainstay Screech, played by Dustin Diamond, who died earlier this year.

Lopez spoke with Global News over Zoom about Diamond’s passing, the cast reunion and why he thinks this reboot, of all shows from decades ago, managed to resonate.

(You can watch the interview in full, top.)

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New episodes of ‘Saved By the Bell’ air in Canada on Thursdays at 8 and 8:30 p.m. ET on W Network. You can also stream all episodes on the W Network site.