TVSquad

My sister was addicted to Saved by the Bell, and to the hotness that was Zack Morris in particular. I'm not sure if she checked out Late Night With Jimmy Fallon last night, but if she had she just might have been stunned to see Zack Morris there. And I do mean Zack Morris, because Mark-Paul Gosselaar did his entire interview in character as the coolest guy from Bayside High.

Considering that Gosselaar has been doing pretty well for himself post-Bell, with big roles in NYPD Blue and Raising the Bar, it's a big deal that he was not only willing to poke fun at his own roots (with The Roots as well for a rousing rendition of "Friends Forever"), but he also committed to Fallon's pet project: the Saved by the Bell reunion. Personally, I think a funny take on where those kids are today could be awesome. You could even work Showgirls into Jessie's post high school career path.

Jesse Spano is coming back to TV. After guest appearances on CSI: Miami and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Elizabeth Berkley is ditching the procedurals and heading over to Showtime. The former Saved by the Bell star will be joining Jennifer Beals, her costar in the 2002 film Roger Dodger, on Showtime's The L-Word for a multi-episode arc.

Word is, Berkley's L-Word character has a history with Jennifer Beals' Bette. The two went to college together and Berkley was the straight girl who got away. Perhaps Bette will have better luck the second time around.

My only hope for this pairing is that they can somehow manage to fit a Flashdance: What a Feeling / I'm So Excited dance-off into the plot of the show, thus bringing together the high points of both of these women's careers and officially making this the best casting decision ever.

Natalia Cigliuti has joined the cast of Raising the Bar, a new legal drama from TNT. She will play public defender Roberta "Bobbi" Gilardi. Joining Cigliutti are Mark Paul Gosselaar (NYPD Blue), Gloria Reuben (ER), Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle), Teddy Sears (Ugly Betty), Melissa Sagemiller (Sleeper Cell), Currie Graham (Boston Legal), J. August Richards (Conviction) and Jonathan Scarfe (Into the West).

Cigliuti will co-star with Gosselaar. Her character Bobbi, a Brooklyn native, is brought in to help with the strenuous workload at the public defender's office. Gosselaar flirtatiously calls her "Bobbi from Brooklyn" and takes an interest in his new co-worker.

There's no denying it: we're currently living in a utopia. Not a day goes by that I don't thank my lucky stars that I get to live in the greatest country on earth during the greatest time to be alive. I think even the harshest critic of the current world order would agree with me when I say that there's not a single problem anywhere in the world that anyone is dealing with.

But how did we get here? What was the spark that spurred us from barely cognizant man-apes into the enlightened, elegant creatures that we are today? Look no further than that great black monolith sitting in your living room: your TV. Five VERY SPECIAL EPISODES that saved society after the jump...

While Elizabeth Berkley's TV pedigree was perhaps better received than her feature film debut, it was the notorious Showgirls that made her a household name and launched her into the "Worst Films Ever" hall of fame. Her career began in the teen series Saved by the Bell, which also netted us Dancing with the Star's Mario Lopez, NYPD Blue's Mark Paul Gosselar and Beverly Hills, 90210's Tiffani-Amber Thiessen.

After Showgirls, it took the actress many years to regain credibility and acclaim, working in theater and off-Broadway productions until her return to television in 2002 in a recurring role on Titus. Since then she has guested on several shows, including CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Now, Reuters tells us the 35 year-old Berkley is set to play Horatio Cane's (David Caruso) ex-wife Julia Winston and mother to his recently discovered teenage son (Evan Ellingson) on spin-off CSI: Miami. Miami is known as a "hotter, sexier" CSI, so she should fit right in. She can even try to match Caruso's one-of-a-kind line delivery when they inevitably spar.

It's always interesting going back to see something that you were once fond of again. Sometimes they hold up, and sometimes you are left shaking your head wondering what could have been in the air in 1982 that made you like this pile of crap. That's how I headed into the new Saved By The Bell double feature DVD, which includes "Wedding in Las Vegas" and "Hawaiian Style."

Somewhere along the lines Saved By The Bell ended up rerunning on cable at the perfect time to fit into my daily routine, and I got in the habit of watching it regularly. I'm not positive that I have seen every last episode, but I know I'm pretty close. So, you could say I was a fan of the show. That, or I really should have popped for the more expensive cable plan all those years ago.

In what looks to me to be a desperate attempt to gain viewers any way they can, What About Brian is adding Tiffani Thiessen (Saved By The Bell, 90210, Fastlane) to their cast. She will play Natasha Dylan, who is described as being sexy, manipulative, and a shrewd business woman. Natasha will join the show as Dave's new boss at KC Gaming.

I don't know if adding Thiessen is the best of decisions, but then, it really can't hurt. What About Brian is struggling to keep its head above water at this point. The last original episode finished last in the time slot with only 4.54 million viewers, and that was up against repeats of Studio 60 and CSI: Miami. To put that in perspective, the last episode of Six Degrees that aired before it was pulled had 7.59 million. And the last episode of Smith was good for 8.43 million. Total viewers isn't the be all end all of keeping a show on the air, but someone needs to ask, "What about those ratings, Brian?"

Dustin Diamond is really starting to get on my nerves. First, in order to change his image from the screechy-voiced character he played on the NBC Saturday-morning sitcom Saved by the Bell he became a foul-mouthed comedian (like we don't have those already). Recently, much to the anger of his fans, he decided to sell $20 t-shirts to save his Wisconsin home from being foreclosed upon.. And now, he's giving out sex advice saying, among many things, that he could write a book on the sexual moves that he has tried and tested and that you need to tap your partner so hard they fall asleep.

I don't know if this is some sort of long-term plan of Dustin's to have us forget that he played the role of Screech for nearly a decade. Or, maybe it's just him trying to drum up some new publicity for himself. I can't read his mind, so I don't know the definitive answer. However, I do know one thing . . .

No matter what he does, he'll still be Screech.

According to Michael Ausiello from TV Guide, Mario Lopez, who played A.C. Slater in the NBC Saturday morning classic Saved by the Bell, has signed on to appear in an upcoming episode of next season's Nip/Tuck. Mario will play an infuriatingly fit plastic surgeon who has a homoerotic encounter with plastic surgeon Christian Troy (Julian McMahon) at the gym.

Apparently Screech (Dustin Diamond) was pissed off about not being cast for this homoerotic role. However, he was too busy selling T-shirts to save his home to comment.

Ever since Adult Swim decided to air reruns of Saved by the Bell, albeit only for a couple weeks, it's been a battle between fans who loathe the idea and a network that continues to taunt them. A couple days ago the network announced on the site that it  had managed to do for Saved by the Bell what it had done for Family Guy, and that the series was going back into production with the original cast. This dubious announcement was just one example of the network having fun with what turned out to be an unpopular decision.

But there may be more to it than that. The guys over at Cartoon Brew, who have worked in the animation industry and know people on the inside, have been following what could possibly be a major change in the way Cartoon Network approaches its programming. First, there was this piece in Variety earlier this month which stated the network was opening its doors to ideas for live-action series, and even had one series close to a development deal. Then, a couple days ago Amid at Cartoon Brew posted some e-mails he had received from people close to Cartoon Network. The first e-mail, from a former employee of the network who claims to still be in touch with artists and executives, stated that the decision may be a financial one: "When everyone seems to be completely flummoxed at these changes at the network, I feel compelled to impart what I am quite sure is the real inspiration behind this programming boondoggle: Cartoon Network is simply not bringing in any real money at their channel. There is no merchandise on the market for their shows, there are no fast food toy promos, and there is not any national advertising."

It was about a week ago. Late at night. Insomnia had wretchedly peeled back my eyelids. I forced myself to stay in bed and try to get some sleep, but I allowed the TV to stay on. Adult Swim gently blinked on the screen. After a few more hours, I could feel insomnia letting up. Finally. Sleep. The shadows on my wall danced to the changing images on the screen. Ah. A commercial about Saved By The Bell coming to Adult Swim -- Wait a second. Saved By The Bell? On a late-night cartoon channel? I panicked. The shadows on the wall surrounded me. The commercial was still on the screen. I helplessly flailed my arms. Immediately, my limbs became tangled in my sheets. My mind raced. "Does not compute! Does not compute!" And that was when my spinal column leapt up and throttled my brain. True story.

I wasn't hallucinating, and neither were you. Adult Swim really is going to air a bunch of Saved By The Bell episodes. No joke. They've just announced a schedule (and I see they've put [crappy 1980's live action tv show network] at the bottom right hand corner during some of their programming). I have yet to hear a good explanation as to why they're doing this instead of doing a Venture Bros. marathon and making me a happy girl, but I'm sure it's all part of Adult Swim's master plan to take over the world. Or they're just being silly.