With “Saved by the Bell” set to return on Peacock with a new generation of Bayside High students, we look back at one of the breakout characters from the original: Dustin Diamond’s nerdy character Screech, who gave audiences endless laughs from his robot companion to dating his best friend.
In Season 1’s “Screech’s Girl,” the smitten nerd falls in love with Bambi, who is actually just Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) speaking in falsetto on the phone. At one point Screech handcuffs himself to the lockers in protest and won’t let himself go until Bambi shows up. Fortunately she finally does, but in the form of Zack in drag.
Consider this the most unconvincing Afro ever. In Season 1’s “The Gift,” a lightning strike gives Screech the ability to see into the future and a hairstyle that dominated the 1970s. Thankfully, his brownish curls return in no time.
In the Season 2 episode “Dancing to the Max,” Screech pairs some erratic dance moves with Lisa Turtle’s (Lark Voorhies) performance at The Max. Radio host Casey Kasem guest stars and introduces the pair as they debut “The Sprain” for a cheering crowd.
Before Lisa Turtle (Lark Voorhies) broke Screech’s heart, there was Violet Bickerstaff played by Tori Spelling in Season 2’s “The Glee Club.” Screech comes to the rescue of his four-eyed love interest by saving her from stage fright during a performance.
Kelly Kapowski’s (Tiffani Thiessen) swimsuit and A.C. Slater’s (Mario Lopez) drum solo were no match for Screech during the “Miss Bayside” beauty pageant in Season 2. The gender-neutral competition saw Screech win the top prize, despite a black eye thanks to his robot Kevin.
Screech has his shot at becoming the big hero at Bayside High on the Season 3 episode “Check Your Mate,” which sees him squaring off against the resident chess champion from Valley High.
It’s only fitting that a nerd like Screech would have an artificial intelligence sidekick, a robot named Kevin. Voiced by Mike Lavelle, Kevin made appearances throughout the series and in Season 4’s “Screech’s Birthday.” In this episode, Kevin reminds Zack of his best friend’s birthday. When fingered by Screech for helping, Kevin quickly rolls away noting he needs a bathroom break as his excuse.
Screech rips Zack Morris’ shirt, and that’s the most physical damage done in Season 4’s “The Bayside Triangle,” when he stands up for himself after catching his best friend kiss his crush, Lisa Turtle. It’s a serious moment for Screech who’s been the source of comedic relief throughout the series. The friends patch things up, but not before Screech has Zack promise he won’t break Lisa’s heart.
Slater asks Screech to watch his pet lizard Artie on the Season 4 episode “Slater’s Friend.” Unfortunately, Artie kicks the bucket leaving Screech and Zack to scramble for a reptilian replacement. This wreaks havoc on the boys’ consciences, leading them to bad dreams with Slater dressed in a goofy lizard outfit.
