Bayside’s back! Thanks to Jimmy Fallon‘s epic reunion on The Tonight Show, Saved by the Bell is having a major moment. It got Us thinking about all of our favorite episodes from the late ’80s-early ’90s sitcom, which starred Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Tiffani Thiessen, Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Berkley, Dustin Diamond, and Lark Voorhies.
We love every episode, of course — even the ones from The College Years! — but these are the 10 that stand out in our minds 22 years later.
10. Jessie’s Song
“Jessie’s Song” — which features Jessie’s epic caffeine pills freakout — is easily the most infamous episode of Saved by the Bell. And we admit: The message here is a little heavy-handed. But for better or worse, you can’t talk about SBTB without talking about this episode, or that scene. Besides, Lisa, Kelly, and Jessie’s Hot Sundae song-and-dance is just too good to miss.
9. The Mamas and the Papas
Bayside took home economics class to a weird (but wonderfully amusing) new level with this season one ep, in which the gang was split into husband and wife pairs to act out married life. Did you not do that at your high school?
8. The Fight
Zack and Slater gave each other a hard time through the years, but they generally had each other’s backs. In “The Fight,” though, their rivalry — over a girl, natch — took a turn for the serious, and they came to blows in the hallway.
7. Student Teacher Week
Zack walked a mile in Mr. Belding’s shoes when the students and teachers at Bayside switched places for a week. Unrealistic? Yes. Entertaining? Absolutely.
6. Save the Max
When the gang’s favorite hangout, The Max, is in danger of closing, Zack, Kelly, Lisa, Slater, Screech, and Jessie band together to host a telethon on the newly revived Bayside High radio station KKTY. We’d totally tune in to Lisa’s gossip segment!
5. Snow White and the Seven Dorks
Four words: Snow White. With Rapping. (There’s also a weird love square thing with Zack, Kelly, Jessie, and Slater, but the rapping part is really all you need to know.)
4. The Prom
After a season of flirting, Kelly accepted Zack’s invitation to the prom on the season two premiere — only to have to back out when her dad loses his job and she can’t afford a dress. Proving what a softie he really is, Zack stages a private prom outside the school. We’ll take that over an actual prom any day!
3. The Last Dance
In “The Last Dance,” Kelly starts a flirtation with her older (and very handsome) boss, Jeff, and then breaks up with Zack at the costume ball, where they’re crowned king and queen. Seeing their relationship crumble as Jessie and Slater cover Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” broke our hearts, but it made their eventual reunion (and Vegas wedding!) that much sweeter.
2. Pipe Dreams
When oil is discovered under the football field at Bayside, Zack and the gang start dreaming of all the ways the school could spend the money. New pool? Sure! New gym? Obviously! Manicures in study hall? Uh…not so much. Their dreams turn to nightmares, though, when an oil spill endangers the lives of some pond animals, and then (spoiler alert) kills Becky the duck.
1. Rockumentary
This Behind The Music-style episode — narrated by none other than the late radio legend Casey Kasem — details the (fantasy) rise and fall of Zack Attack, complete with an appearance at the Grammys, a band breakup, and a reunion concert. Twenty-two years later, we still can’t get “Friends Forever” out of our heads.
Tell Us: What’s your favorite Saved by the Bell episode?