With its corny jokes, clichd premises and ‘aw, shucks’ attitude, ‘Saved by the Bell’ should have been a disaster.

When NBC first aired the Saturday morning sitcom in 1989, no one expected it to be as big of a hit as it was then, and remains to be today, 11 years since the Bayside High gang graduated from high school for the second time (lest anyone has forgotten the Tori season).

‘It was so bad it was good,’ said Robert J. Thompson, director of Syracuse University’s Center for the Study of Popular Television. ‘It was exquisitely executed in its stupidity.’

This week on SU’s campus, many students have had a chance to revel in this stupidity. Two stars of the show, Dennis Haskins, who played Mr. Belding, and Dustin Diamond, who starred as the geeky Samuel ‘Screech’ Powers, have taken the time to visit. While Haskins spent Saturday evening hosting the 2nd Annual Empire Comedy Fest, Diamond was brought in by Hillel to speak at Goldstein Auditorium at 8 tonight.

Jake Goldman, a senior television, radio and film major and president of University Union Comedy, said his organization looked to Haskins, or just ‘Belding’ as Goldman refers to him, because they thought a well-known master of ceremonies would draw a bigger crowd to its event.

‘The college generation right now are suckers for cheese,’ Goldman said. ‘So we got a cheesy host.’

But the fact that Diamond was slated to appear tonight – something UU Comedy hadn’t originally realized – hurt the promotion of Haskins’ presence, mostly because people thought the comedy groups were trying to pull a fast one on the public by poking fun at Hillel’s guest speaker, Goldman said.

Still, more than 600 people showed up to the event, topping last year’s small crowd, and showing the power that ‘Saved by the Bell’ continues to hold over its fans.

‘It just brings back childhood memories,’ said Christine Nappa, a freshman television, radio and film major who owns the first four seasons of the show on DVD.

For Nappa, the show has continued to influence her life since it moved to syndication. At her high school talent show last year, Nappa and a group of friends performed the dance routine from Jessie, Kelly and Lisa’s workout music video in the episode in which Jessie takes a caffeine pill. Nappa and her friends ended up winning the competition, which Nappa said was mostly because ‘almost her entire graduating class’ was a fan of the show. There, she brought her DVDs to school so she and her friends could watch the show during their free blocks. Now, she watches the show on TBS between noon and 1 p.m. on weekdays when she has the time.

Nappa, of course, will be in the crowd for tonight’s speech from Screech, she said.

‘I don’t really know what to expect,’ she said. ‘I just want to see Screech.’

The hoopla surrounding these appearances have come as no surprise to Thompson, who openly admits that were he 20 years younger, he probably would have embraced the show as much as the current college-aged generation.

‘There’s an affection for certain shows that you just don’t expect a lot from,’ he said. ”Saved by the Bell’ is for this generation what ‘The Brady Bunch’ was for its.’

And much like ‘The Brady Bunch’ generation, Thompson said he expects this generation to be equally as devoted to ‘Saved by the Bell’ as it continues to air in reruns, even if its fans have aged.

‘College is the age where nostalgia first starts to kick in,’ Thompson said.

Still, Thompson doesn’t just credit the show’s staying power for its success. He credits the writing.

‘When you’re 11, ‘Saved by the Bell’ is some pretty heady stuff,’ Thompson said, mentioning episodes dealing with dating, drinking and drug abuse (albeit caffeine pills).

That’s why, Thompson said, even young kids are watching ‘Saved by the Bell’ reruns now, appreciating it for its campy feel in the same way that other generations have come to love ‘The Brady Bunch.’

This cheesiness appreciation, even while the show was on the air, Thompson said, is what kept the show from sinking after it continually got ripped by critics, who called the show stupid.

On the other hand, maybe it’s a good thing that at the time the show aired, its fans were young. Reading such negative reviews might not have made for a very pretty sight.

‘I haven’t met people who think it’s stupid,’ Nappa said, almost defensively.

Goldman remains lukewarm on ‘Saved by the Bell,’ despite having brought in Haskins for the performance. He said he’ll watch the show when it’s on, but won’t go out of his way for it. But he definitely won’t be in the audience for tonight’s performance from Diamond.

‘I’ve seen his standup before. It’s not that funny – just a lot of profanity,’ Goldman said. ‘And I’ve already had one ‘Saved by the Bell’ guy this week. That’s enough for me.’

But Nappa, who said she was regrettably in Delaware for Haskins’ appearance, remains excited to check out an appearance from one of the cast members from her favorite show, ‘Saved by the Bell.’

‘It’s not stupid,’ she said, clearly energized at the thought that someone might consider it as such. ‘It’s awesome.’

Published on November 15, 2004 at 12:00 pm