‘Saved by the Bell’ EP Reveals Jessie’s Addiction Was Supposed to Be Speed, Not Caffeine Pills

Peter Engel says he “wasn’t pleased about” the compromise in stimulant

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Don’t worry, “Saved by the Bell” fans; if you always felt that Jessie Spano’s caffeine-pill freakout in the classic episode “Jessie’s Song” came off as a touch melodramatic, you aren’t wrong.

In an excerpt from his new book “I Was Saved by the Bell: Stories of Life, Love and Dreams That Do Come True,” the Saturday-morning show’sย executive producer Peter Engel reveals that Spano (Elizabeth Berkley) was initially supposed to be hooked on something stronger than caffeine, but that network censors put the kibosh onย hisย original idea.

“Today, when I meet fans of the show, ‘Jessie’s Song’ is almost always the episode that comes up first.

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