Saved by the Bell: Season 1 (2020)

"The key ingredient to what makes this new series work isn't the majority of the original cast reassembling like the Avengers, but the standout cast of young newcomers that work so well together you barely notice when the OG Baysiders aren't around."

"The relative praise of "for a Saved by the Bell reboot, it's pretty good!" has been fairly earned. Still, a show about the subtle patronization of lowered expectations shouldn't be aspiring to little more than exactly that."

"Some of the actors are able to play both layers at once, but mostly the two modes clash, rather than complementing each other."

"Here we are, in true Zack Morris and Mac Morris fashion, pulling off the kookiest scheme of all: "Saved by the Bell" is now good."

"The returning cast fits the new mood ably. The younger players are first-rate - even better than one might notice at first, given the general air of nuttiness."

"The "human cartoon" approach to sitcoms that 30 Rock and Great News had is a great match for Wigfield's take on Saved by the Bell, which fondly skewers the tropes of the original while recycling them with a self-aware wink."

"It's a very ha-ha-wink-wink approach that, while at times witty, unfairly holds up a mock-up of the original series, indicative of its pop culture era, presumably so that the younger generation can hurl spitballs at it. It's excessive."

"Without minimizing Lexi’s gender identity, Wigfield smartly declines to frame it as Very Special Episode fodder. Less elegant is the revival’s juxtaposition of privileged Baysiders and their bused-in counterparts. The show is thoughtful enough to underline that not every rich kid is white. ... A punchy, intermittently inspired, well-intentioned mishmash."

"As a whole, the show is a nuanced and self-deprecating take with signature fast-paced storytelling and many, many homages (watch for Zack’s famous phone in the premiere) to satiate new and returning viewers alike."

"This single-camera, ten-episode Saved by the Bell, which skewers the original in all the right, incisive ways, is a smart, often hilarious reimagining of a show that is beloved more on ironic terms than sincere ones, a fact that the Peacock sitcom understands down to its Bayside-mocking bones."

"The show mostly sustains the original’s wholesomeness, delivering sweet, tween-friendly lessons about being true to yourself and giving others second chances. But Saved By The Bell is also surprisingly funny, balancing its reverence for the original with satire that will no doubt speak to fans who grew up on the show."