'Saved by the Bell': Will Dustin Diamond return as fan-favorite Screech in Peacock's sequel?
Peacock's 'Saved By The Bell', a sequel to the hit '90s series of the same name, is highly anticipated by fans of the original series that aired from 1989-1993. The 2020 series will see almost all the actors from the original series reprise their roles, except for one.
Mark-Paul Gosselaar will return as Zach Morris, Mario Lopez returns as AC Slater, Ed Alonzo returns as Max, Tiffani Thiessen returns as Kelly Kapowski, Elizabeth Berkley returns as Dr Jessie Spano, Lark Voorhies returns as Lisa Turtle and Patrick Thomas O'Brien returns as Mr. Dewey — Dustin Diamond who played the iconic role of Samuel "Screech" Powers, will not return in the sequel.
Screech was an audience favorite, the class clown, and the reason that many of the shows' jokes were hilarious. His character was unique when it came to his personality, his outfits, and how he maneuvered situations. Many fans of the series, including us, were disappointed to find out that Diamond won't be reprising his role and joining his castmates in the sequel of the hit series.
In February of this year, Diamond even told TMZ, "How do you have 'Saved by The Bell' without Screech? It seems like there's a missed opportunity there. I think that everyone should probably be thinking the same thing as far as I'm concerned. Everybody should be thinking, ‘We should all be part of this'. You can’t have a 'Saved By The Bell' without a Zack. You can’t have a 'Saved By The Bell' without a Screech, you can’t have a 'Saved By The Bell' without a Kelly or Slater."
"You have to have all the cast members, you know If it's a reboot of the entire series, you should bring back all the staples," he added. While there have been many reports circulating as to why Diamond won't be joining the reunited cast, a definitive reason hasn't been given yet. Although, the history with his co-stars and his legal troubles could have played a role in the decision.
What is to be noted though, is the fact that Diamond does not seem to have a good relationship with his once co-stars. Many may recall that 11 years ago, back in 2009, the actor had released a "tell-all book" titled 'Behind the Bell' where, according to reports, he spoke of "drugs, partying and cast hookups."
His castmates had denied the claims the book had made, but the book was adapted into a Lifetime movie titled 'The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story' (2014) which was directed by Jason Lapeyre and written by Ron McGee. That was not the only commotion when it came to his co-stars though, as in 2016, on the 'The Dr Oz Show', Diamond apologized for the claims that were made in his book.
He had said that he had a ghostwriter at the time that had taken advantage of the situation he was in. He had said to co-stars, "I think you're fantastic, working with you has been just one of the icons of my life and I'm sorry that this has taken advantage of me, the book and other situations I'm sure we'll talk about here. But I'm sure that you've experienced downfalls, as well, in your time and I'm still loving you guys."
In an interview for Extra will his fellow-costar Mario Lopez, Diamond brought up the book again, saying, "Imagine how I feel, I haven't talked to Marc Paul or Elizabeth or Tiffani in ages, so I can't imagine what they think, and I'm hoping this will clear it up. It wasn't me, I didn't write this. I was just as shocked and appalled.” He said that he was to speak with his ghostwriter for 40 hours in total, but only spoke to him for 90 minutes, and that the writer had gone "rogue."
Besides allegedly making up stories in his book, Diamond also had a run-in with the law in 2014 where he was sentenced to four months in jail after he stabbed a man on Christmas at a bar in Wisconsin — he only ended up serving three months of the four-month sentence. According to reports, someone had "sucker-punched" his fiancée Amanda Schutz.
In the interview with Extra, Diamond said, "I opened my pocket knife and said, 'Let my wife go immediately', which worked." He had denied stabbing anyone and had added that the person had "nicked his arm on the tip of" his pocket knife. He was also put in jail in the year 2016 for violating his probation — A CNN article in 2016 revealed that Diamond was arrested in Ozaukee, Wisconsin "on a probation hold."
We don't know if it's a possibility that Diamond might reprise his role in the future of the series or any other upcoming re-union of the cast but we're sure the sequel will feel incomplete without our favorite Screech.
'Saved By the Bell' airs on Wednesday, November 25, 2020, on Peacock.