Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Peacock’s "Saved by the Bell” revival has elements of a nostalgia play with multiple original series cast members popping in here and there. But in three episodes sent for review, the new series proves itself more devoted to the next generation of Bayside High students, making this "Bell” closer structurally to the previous 1993-96 spin-off "Saved by the Bell: The New Class,” produced by Pittsburgher Carl Kurlander, than to the original "Bell.” Tonally, the new "Bell” rings cheekier and more meta than any previous iteration. The new show’s premiere features appearances by multiple stars from the original series, including Mark-Paul Gosselaar (as Zack Morris, now California’s dim governor) and Tiffani Thiessen (as Kelly Kapowski, Zack’s wife), but only Mario Lopez (as A.C. Slater, now Bayside’s PE teacher) and Elizabeth Berkeley (as Jessie Spano, Bayside’s guidance counselor) are series regulars. The stories quickly shift to the offspring of the original show’s characters whose personalities tend to mirror their parents’ traits. Gov. Zack — yes, that’s what he goes by — has an education crisis of his own making to deal with, so after shuttering underperforming schools he has the students from lower socio-economic classes bused to Bayside where they are gobsmacked by the sitcom-like hijinx the students engage in reminiscent of plots on the original 1989-92 Saturday morning staple. Bayside newcomer Daisy (Haskiri Velazquez) can’t believe Mac (Mitchell Hoog), Zack’s son, and Jamie (Belmont Cameli), Jessie’s son, don’t realize they’re both interested in dating the same girl when all the warning signs are obvious. These spoofy gags and Daisy’s tendency to break the fourth wall to confer with viewers produce some chuckles, but after a while the gimmick wears thin. Writer Tracey Wigfield ("Great News,” "30 Rock”) gets in some welcome gags related to the original show’s stars — watch for a photo of Zack as a lawyer that is really just a publicity still from Gosselaar’s 2011-14 TNT series "Franklin & Bash” — in a style reminiscent of the affectionate satire in "The Brady Bunch Movie.” Maybe "Saved by the Bell” would have fared better as a one-shot film at least for the benefit of fans of the original. Once this new series homes in on the next gen characters, it’s sure to lose the interest of OG fans except perhaps for scenes featuring the MVP of the new cast. Trans actress Josie Totah, who previously played Mindy Kaling’s gay son on NBC’s "Champions” in 2018, steals focus in every "Bell” scene she’s in playing trans mean girl Lexi, who documents her journey in a fictional E! show, "Becoming Lexi: I Am Me!” The writers clearly love writing for Lexi, who stands out as the most original element in the new "Bell.” She also gets the best lines, including in the premiere when she suggests offhandedly the notion of "holding a fundraiser where they let Rita Wilson sing because then it means Tom Hanks has to come.” More writing like that and this "Bell” might be worth saving. All episodes of the new "Saved by the Bell” debut Nov. 25 on streaming service Peacock. The first episode will be available on the free, ad-supported tier with subsequent episodes available only on Peacock Premium, which is free with ads for Comcast customers or $5 monthly without ads for Comcast customers. (For non-Comcast customers, Peacock Premium costs $5 per month with ads, $10 per month without ads.) In addition to the new series, this month Peacock launched a "Saved by the Bell” channel on its free tier featuring episodes of the original series, follow-up TV movies and prime-time spin-off "Saved by the Bell: The College Years,” albeit not "Saved by the Bell: The New Class.” You can reach TV writer Rob Owen at rowen@triblive.com or 412-380-8559. Follow Rob on Twitter or Facebook. Ask TV questions by email or phone. Please include your first name and location.