School is back in session for A.C. Slater. The Saved By the Bell reboot is just weeks away, and now, star Mario Lopez is spilling some details about the upcoming Peacock comedy.
On the Nov. 12 episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the X Factor host revealed how excited he is to return to his old Bayside High stomping grounds, this time, as a mentor figure to a new crop of kids.
"It's been over 30 years, Ellen, and I'd never thought we'd be able to revisit it," Mario shared with host Ellen DeGeneres. "But I thought if we could do it in a fun cool clever way, it would be fun."
In the series, from Great News creator Tracy Wigfield, Zack Morris (played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar) is now the governor of California, who is forced to send low-income students to Bayside High School. Slater is the school's gym teacher and winds up teaching his former best friends' kids. This includes the son of former girlfriend Jessie Spano (Elizabeth Berkley) and the child of Zack and wife Kelly Kapowski (Tiffani Thiessen). Though it's unclear how she'll fit in to the story, Lark Voorhies is also set to return to the show as queen bee Lisa Turtle.
When asked if his character's signature dance moves would make an appearance on the new single-camera comedy, Mario said they certainly will. Plus, there are more surprises in store. "There's a lot of little Easter eggs and throwbacks," he teased. "There's dancing, there's splits."
While Slater was once the cool guy, the actor revealed that his character has changed over time. "In the trailer, one of the kids is like 'I want to be like you when I grow up. Single, parties with kids, no responsibilities,'" he said with a laugh. "It was a lot of fun to revisit."
The Saved By the Bell reboot hits Peacock on Nov. 25. Check out the video above! Plus, keep scrolling for everything we know about the series.
Mark-Paul Gosselaar initially wasn't involved in the series despite Zack Morris factoring into the plot. However, the mixed-ish star ultimately heard from the powers that be and signed on—according to the Hollywood Reporter he'll appear in three episodes and have a producer credit. The best part? Zack is now the governor of California.
Fans were initially uncertain whether or not Tiffani Thiessen would be joining the reboot, but thankfully, Kelly Kapowski is back! Making her return even sweeter is that she's now married to Zack and serving as California's first lady.
Mario Lopez is reprising his role as A.C. Slater, who's now Bayside High's athletic director! He's at a point in his life where he really wants a win, so he sees this new group of kids coming in as that potential opportunity.
Like Slater, Jessie Spano, played by Elizabeth Berkley, is back at Bayside as an employee. She's the school counselor, and her son, Jamie, is a student and current captain of the football team.
Lark Voorhies is set to make a special appearance, reprising her role as Lisa Turtle.
Bye-bye Belding—Principal Toddman, played by John Michael Higgins, is the new sheriff in town, which means he's constantly being pranked by his privileged students and yelled at by their entitled parents. But this all changes when Bayside gets an influx of new students and Toddman gets a second chance to really make a difference.
Mitchell Hoog, whose credits include Harriet and Richard Jewell, will play Zack Morris and Kelly Kapowski's son, Mac. He's described as handsome, charming and privileged.
Belmont Cameili is Jamie Spano, son of Jessie Spano. Jamie is the captain of the Bayside football team and described as a "sensitive man-child." His other credits include Empire and My Evil Stepdad.
Haskiri Velazquez will play Daisy, an ambitious sophomore who is excited to attend Bayside High after her local school gets shut down. Velazquez's other credits include Blue Bloods, The Birch and The 40-Year-old Version.
Dexter Darden, who starred in all three Maze Runner films, is Devante, another new student at Bayside. A bit of a loner, he might just end up using the fresh start as an opportunity to reinvent himself.
Josie Totah is Lexi, the most popular girl and cheerleader at Bayside. She's as loved as much as she's feared. Her other credits include The Other Two, Champions and No Good Nick.
During Peacock's TCA summer press tour, Totah expressed, "Getting to play just a transgender role on screen is obviously very rare. There is almost zero representation of people in the trans community. Which, growing up as a young trans girl, I feel like never seeing myself made me never feel truly accepted by the world."
The trans actress called the role an "incredible opportunity," especially since Lexi's identity isn't all about her being transgender. "My character is so many things. She's in theater, she's like evil. She's the popular girl in school," Totah added. "But she just happens to be transgender."
Alycia Pascual-Pena plays Aisha, Daisy's ultra-competitive best friend who grew up playing on boys' sports teams and causes a stir when she tries to play football at Bayside. Her other credits include MOXIE on Netflix.
Luckily for O.G. fans, it looks like we'll get to see all four original co-stars perform a number together as their group Zack Attack during season one!
Much like the original, the new students at Bayside spend every day eating at Saved By the Bell's favorite hangout The Max! And yes: owner and original co-star Ed Alonzo still works there.