Today in TV History: The Excitable, Easily Frightened Elizabeth Berkley Was Born

Of all the great things about television, the greatest is that it’s on every single day. TV history is being made, day in and day out, in ways big and small. In an effort to better appreciate this history, we’re taking a look back, every day, at one particular TV milestone. 

IMPORTANT DATE IN TV HISTORY: July 28, 1972

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: It’s kind of remarkable to think of the staying power of the majority of the Saved by the Bell cast in 2015. Mark-Paul Gosselaar is Franklin and Bash-ing his way around TNT; Tiffani Thiessen just wrapped up six seasons on White Collar and now has her own Food Network show; Mario Lopez is hosting any TV event that will have him (which is actually quite a few). Compare this to the current fortunes of the Beverly Hills 90210 cast and it’s actually pretty impressive.

Then there’s Elizabeth Berkley, whose post-Saved by the Bell career afforded her the most opportunities to leave Jessie Spano behind. And not just Showgirls, though if one were looking to completely eclipse the place that their teen-show beginnings had in their career, Showgirls would be the ideal choice. Even after the apparent disaster of Showgirls (the movie may have been well on its way to becoming a cult classic, but the reviews for Berkley were never less than scathing), Berkley managed to keep a film-acting career afloat, with performances in movies like Roger Dodger and with directors like Oliver Stone and Woody Allen. Still, it was tough to view Berkley as anything but Nomi Malone/Jessie Spano looking for her career’s third act.

A funny thing happened in the last couple years, though. While you would think that the ever-increasing legitimization of Showgirls in the public consciousness—its status as an intentional trash masterpiece is all but cemented now—you’d think that Berkley would spend all her time cashing in on doggy chow references. But it’s actually one shining moment from Saved by the Bell that’s been driving the engine of her nostalgia tour:

The “I’m so excited/I’m so scared” episode of Saved by the Bell was always one of that show’s stickiest nostalgia touchstones, along with Zack Morris’ brick of a cell phone and simply the words “Mr. Belding.” Ironically, it was the one moment from the show where its oversized after-school melodrama approached the over-the-top knowing self-seriousness that Showgirls resides in. And as ’90s nostalgia culture got more and more profitable, Berkley hitched up her wagon. On Dancing with the Stars …

On The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon …

In Inception trailer parodies …

So happy birthday to Elizabeth Berkley. May she continue to cash in on this wave so long as it lasts.

[You can watch Saved by the Bell and Showgirls on Netflix]

Joe Reid (@joereid) is a freelance writer living in Brooklyn. You can find him leaving flowers for Mrs. Landingham at the corner of 18th and Potomac.

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