'Saved By the Bell' Honors Dustin Diamond's Screech with a Sweet Tribute During Its Season Premiere After His Passing
The season two premiere of "Saved By the Bell" revival on Peacock was both an opportunity to welcome back the students of Bayside High and an opportunity to say goodbye to Dustin Diamond, one of the original cast members. The actor, who played the memorable Screech, passed away from carcinoma in February at age 44.
During the season two premiere, the original cast members, sans Diamond, meet up at the Max at the end of the day, where there's a new addition to the menu: Screech's Spaghetti Burger. After Screech's robot Kevin presents the burger to the crew, the actors and their characters are given the chance to think back fondly on Diamond and his character Screech. According to Entertainment Weekly, Mario Lopez's Slater says of the burger, "It's a little weird, but great." "Kinda like Screech," Lark Voorhies' Lisa replies. As the students of Bayside High raise their burgers together in his memory, the episode plays a retrospective compilation of Screech's funniest moments. This sweet tribute was a touching way to honor Diamond and his creation of such an iconic character.
Notably, Diamond was the only original cast member not to appear in the "Saved By the Bell" revival's first season. However, before his passing, Diamond was in talks to appear in season two. Unfortunately, Diamond was unable to appear in "Saved By the Bell"'s season two after succumbing to lung cancer in between the two seasons.
Elizabeth Berkley Lauren, who plays Jessie Spano and serves as a producer on the show, said, "We really wanted to be sensitive to strike a chord between the choice about his actual character passing and honoring the legacy of Dustin himself. No one could have done that role but him - so incredibly well and with his comedic genius. And just figuring out a way to integrate that into the script without it being heavy-handed. It just was [about] striking a balance of honoring, reflecting, celebrating, and mourning together."
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