Elizabeth Berkley Lauren explains the origin of her extended Showgirls homage in Saved by the Bell season 2. The actress has a complicated history with both 90s projects. She originally rose to prominence playing Jessie Spano on the high school sitcom Saved by the Bell, which ran from 1989 to 1993. In 1995, in an attempt to move her career into a more edgy, adult direction, she starred in the erotic exploitation melodrama Showgirls, director Paul Verhoeven's follow-up to Basic Instinct. Although Showgirls has achieved cult status since its premiere, it was generally reviled at the time of its release, leaving Berkley feeling alienated from Hollywood and struggling to keep a foothold on her new career.
In the second season of the Saved by the Bell reboot, which premiered in its entirety on November 24, 2021, there is an extended homage to Elizabeth Berkley Laurens's Showgirls history. Jessie Spano is now divorced and needs to work up the courage to flirt with a cute fireman, so she channels the "couple months" when she lived in Vegas after graduating from college. This involves her dressing up in one of the iconic outfits worn by her Showgirls character Nomi Malone.
Speaking with EW, Elizabeth Berkley explained the origin of that gag and how she felt about its inclusion in the series. The joke was a pitch by the showrunner, who hadn't previously spoken with Berkley about her feelings about Showgirls and wanted to run the idea by her to make sure it was a good fit for her. Berkley explained that her feelings have softened quite a bit with the critical reappraisal of the film, and she wanted to show that, "I'm aware of that and love how it's been embraced and that's a beautiful thing." She also loved the way the gag was built into an important character moment, positioning Nomi Malone as "Jessie's Sasha Fierce" alter ego where she can channel her self-confidence. Read the full quote below:
"The way that [Showgirls] exists today in pop culture is different, of course, than when it came out. I just wanted to acknowledge that, I'm aware of that and love how it's been embraced and that's a beautiful thing…
"[Showrunner Tracey Wigfield] came to me and said, "Listen, we've tossed something around this season. We have this concept. We want to see how you feel about it. If you obviously don't want to do it, we'll just kill it right here…”
"First of all, the outfit had to be just right… We start the season off where Jessie herself is in the middle of a life crisis and a divorce. Her life is a bit of a mess. She's trying to find a sense of self again… But the genius move of all time was that Tracey and the writers came to find that a fun way for Jessie to find her inner strength was a mantra of, what would Nomi do? And so that, that is what birthed this moment. Where would she find that fierceness? Let's say her Sasha Fierce, in a way. Nomi is Jessie's Sasha Fierce. What other genius could come up with that?…
"There are so many iconic looks to Nomi that we just said, "You know what? The genius move would be to do the last hitchhiking scene" because that's where she was her most liberated. And it's an iconic look…
"We knew that the visual cue needed to be strong and not just give a suggestion of it, but [convey], "Oh yeah, we're going there…” It's like, if we're going to go for it, we're going for it…
"There is this generosity towards the film and celebration of the film among a new generation of creatives, and that is exciting. You don't get to experience that often. That full-circle moment with it. For me, the relationship to it is joyful."
Of course, this reference will fly right over the heads of most of the younger audience members. However, those who are watching the series out of nostalgia for the original will certainly be aware. Showgirls was a massive hurdle for Berkley's career and her acknowledgment of the good side of that experience should be a very satisfying moment.
Saved by the Bell's Showgirls homage, which was also complete with one of the film's iconic lines ("Where are you from?" "Different places."), is just one of the show's many Easter eggs. The series is very aware of its history and legacy, using its reboot status as a bridge to the past, reinterpreting and modernizing it. It speaks to the quality of the writers that they manage to do so in such an organic way that it services the character's arc and isn't just a winking gag that takes audiences out of the world of the show.
Source: EW
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