Episode 122 - SAVED BY THE BELL

Saved by the Bell was a high school sitcom that was never really intended for high schoolers. Each episode was a candy-coated PSA asking tweens to imagine that their teenage years would be full of wholesome hijinks, mild predicaments, and overly attentive principals. Today, it's a rich document for cultural archaeologists curious about the style, slang, and sexism of the American teenager circa 1990.

Kristal Bailey and Kevin Taylor join our clique for a reunion at Bayside High, as we examine some of the show's most indelible--and infamous--moments. Go Tigers!

Saved by the Bell (1989-1993)
Created by Sam Bobrick
Produced by Peter Engel
Starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mario Lopez, Dustin Diamond, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Elizabeth Berkeley, Lark Voorhies, Leanna Creel, Ed Alonzo, and Dennis Haskins

Episodes featured in this podcast:
"The Mamas and the Papas" (aired 11/11/1989)
"Save the Max" (aired 9/22/1990)
"Jessie's Song" (aired 11/3/1990)
"Pipe Dreams" (aired 11/26/1991)
"Day of Detention" (aired 10/3/1992)

Episode 111 - DUDE, WHERE'S MY CAR?

The stoner-friendly antics of Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott hit a definitive high when they combined forces in Dude, Where's My Car?, a meandering ode to a new generation of laid-back slacker bros. And much like the actual adventures of unambitious twenty-somethings, the movie combines a zest for frivolous fun with comedic instincts that, shall we say, lean toward the questionable.

Join us as we blaze through this totally dank episode--released entirely by coincidence on April 20--to answer two very nuanced questions: "Dude, what were we watching?" and "What were we watching, dude?"

Dude, Where's My Car? (2000)
Directed by Danny Leiner
Produced by Gil Netter, Broderick Johnson, Andrew Kosove, and Wayne Rice
Written by Philip Stark
Starring Ashton Kutcher, Seann William Scott, Jennifer Garner, Marla Sokoloff, Kristy Swanson, Charlie O'Connell, David Herman, Hal Sparks, Brent Spiner, and Andy Dick

Episode 83 - PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON

Gentleness is a virtue in Puff the Magic Dragon, a touchy-feely cartoon special inspired by what's either one of the most anodyne pop music hits of all time, or a devious Trojan horse planted by the counterculture. That's a pretty unfair legacy for a short film that explores concepts like anxiety and alienation, though its deeply 1970s sensibility doesn't exactly discourage the double entendres.

So with that being said, grab a few buds and enjoy this high flying episode posted on the innocuous date of April 20!

Puff the Magic Dragon (1978)
Directed by Charles Swenson and Fred Wolf
Produced by Charles Swenson, Peter Yarrow, and Romeo Muller
Written by Romeo Muller
Aired by CBS on October 30, 1978
Starring Burgess Meredith, Philip Tanzini, and Robert Ridgely