Champions star Josie Totah cast as lead in Saved By the Bell reboot
There’s a new student at Bayside High!
Josie Totah has been cast as the lead in the upcoming reboot of beloved ’90s series Saved by the Bell, launching this year on NBCUniversal streaming service Peacock, EW can confirm. Totah is best known for playing Michael Patel on the Mindy Kaling-produced comedy Champions.
Totah joins stars of the original comedy series Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley, who are set to reprise their roles as A.C. Slater and Jessie Spano, respectively. Saved by the Bell ran from 1989 to 1993, spanning four seasons. The 30-minute, single-camera rebooted version from Great News creator Tracey Wigfield, tells the tale of what happens when California Gov. Zack Morris (played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar in the original series) gets into trouble for closing too many low-income high schools and proposes the affected students be sent to the highest-performing schools in the state — including Bayside High. Totah will play beautiful and sharp-tongued cheerleader Lexi who, as the most popular girl at Bayside High, is equal parts admired and feared by her fellow students.
Totah came out as transgender in an emotional essay for Time in August 2018. “In the past, I’ve halfway corrected people by telling them I identify as LGBTQ,” wrote the teen. “I wasn’t ready to be more specific. I was afraid I wouldn’t be accepted, that I would be embarrassed, that the fans who knew me from the time when I acted in a Disney show would be confused. But I realized over the past few years that hiding my true self is not healthy. I know now, more than ever, that I’m finally ready to take this step toward becoming myself. I’m ready to be free. So, listen up y’all: You can jump on or jump off. Either way this is where I’m heading.”
Peacock is set to launch in April 2020. A premiere date for the Saved by the Bell reboot has not yet been announced.
News of Totah’s casting was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
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