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Mark-Paul Gosselaar: 'Saved by the Bell' Kinda Stunk

The 'Franklin & Bash' star 'fesses up that his launching pad wasn't exactly premium TV

By Kenny Herzog Jun 8, 2012 9:21AM
Oh, the double-edged sword of wealth and worldwide recognition.
 
No matter how many parts Mark-Paul Gosselaar lands as a strapping detective on "NYPD Blue" or eccentric attorney on "Franklin & Bash," he'll never escape the shadow of "Saved by the Bell" teenage muckraker Zack Morris.
 
 
Even after baiting closure with an appearance as his Bayside alter-ego on "Late Night with  Jimmy Fallon," all people ever want to talk with Gosselaar about is Zack, Zack Zack. And at last, MPG (which, if you think about it, is kind of a funny surname acronym) has gone on the offensive. A very mild offensive.

In an interview with Yahoo!, the 38-year-old actor wondered aloud yet again about audiences' fixation on "SBTB," acknowledging, “It’s not a great show." He continued that, “The writing is kind of hokey… it’s very much a piece of that time."
 
And while it's easy to see how MPG (love it) has trouble keeping his sense of humor about forever being associated with work he did a lifetime ago, surely he understands the show's terribleness was its appeal. That, and it airing roughly 47 times a day before and after school when most kids only had a smattering of channels to flip through. But hey, Gosselaar's the fictional lawyer, not us.

"Franklin & Bash" airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on TNT.
16Comments
Sep 13, 2012 8:33AM
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Jun 9, 2012 5:02AM
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You are right Mark, it was a terrible show.

Jun 8, 2012 4:25PM
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I think the "hokey"-ness of SBTB is why people watched it and liked it. It was just stupid fun, much the same as the `80's very stupid, campy show, "You Can't Do that on Television". Now that was hokey.
Jun 8, 2012 2:50PM
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Every actor pays their dues.  Just ask any actor/actress of the Scream movies.  They were very campy, very 90s--I never saw any of them--and yet they owe a lot of their success as actors to crap like that.

Save by the Bell is Mark Paul Gosselar's acting purgatory, and he might as well get used to it.

On the other hand, he should be grateful:  Franklin and Bash has great writing!
Jun 8, 2012 2:40PM
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him and keanu reeves both...did yu know he kind of hates himself for "Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure"  Even Tom Hanks seems to have issues here and there concerning "BIG" ... the problem isnt quite that Actressess have high egos and are prima donnas...many of us get to a certain age and start to develop an attitude that we were stupid as kids...many of us as children rush as fast as we can to grow up and in that we miss out on the most important part of life which is "the experience" there is no shortcut around life...everyone who states that they are 18 and full grown are fooling themselves and they encourage others to be fooled as well...the most extravagent part of growing up is the part that takes actual time and not just experiences so i ask of those children who think they are full grown to appreciate their youth and not take it for granted...one day they will be old and without the knowledge of being a child they will get older without actually have grown up...a person must not skip these steps for they are miles stones and they come cosecutively...time is a factor to age...not just knowledge or information...truly life begins @ 50...when a person will slow down and start listening to others and start looking at the tiny little details insted of just saying the first thing that comes to mind and/or only appreciating things at a "face value" ... life goes by faster and faster as a person gets older ... don't wait until 50 to realize that yu wasted your youth on trying to be an adult...we are all accountable for our actions at any age...when they say "a closed mouth doesnt get fed" it simply means not to be too proud to ask for help when one needs it...it is not an excuse to be blatent and rude and to say "yu are full grown, just do whatever the heck you want to."  fights dont make relationships stronger...they tear them apart and people dont fight because they are so much alike...they fight because they are so different...luuk to your PRINCIPALITIES for answers...knowing the things yu did as a child...if yu were your own parent "would you raise yourself any different"  everyone always says they would but end up making the same mistakes their parents did...are people {is a person} inherently good or inhently wicked?

 

can you answer this very simple riddle:
"How is a raven like a writing desk?" {writing desks are brown and not black...black is an office desk or decor!}

 

maybe people shouldnt be hard on some things they did when they were young...especially things like "saved by the bell" and "bill and ted's excellent adventure" ... whether they like it or not..those shows were very entertaining to us all while they were on...don't let the present future make you look down on things that 'arent trendy' now...they were trendy then and that is what really matters.

Jun 8, 2012 2:12PM
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He should not forget his beginnings in "Saved by the Bell". If not for his being on that show, he might not have gotten the roles he has as an adult. It may not have been the greatest writing, goodness knows that the show was a bit hokey, but it put him out there. Even though he is hunky by Hollywood standards, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of young men who are equally good looking. That show might have given him the edge in getting adult roles (even though many child stars fade away).

Jun 8, 2012 1:33PM
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This genius is just figuring this out?
Jun 8, 2012 12:50PM
Jun 8, 2012 12:32PM
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Let's think about the entire picture here ... you were a CHILD actor during your time at Saved By The Bell ... there wasn't a whole lot of input from the CHILD actors and actresses on the show.  You aged and moved onto bigger and better shows to be on, and we, as the general public, are thankful to have watched you grow as a person. 
Jun 8, 2012 12:23PM
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How come nobody remembers his role in Raising The Bar.  Every bit equal to his NYPD role.  Why did the show fail?

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It's not because it was a great show that people are fixated on it, it's that most of us associate it with our child and teen years.  Get over it MPG, you are going to forever be a part of our history.  Be thankful.  It could be worse, you could have been Screech.
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