Does anyone else think this was a real gem?
I was a kid when all the SBTB episodes were new and running. I never saw the college years episodes until they were on syndication in the afternoons in the late 90's.
I was in college from 2001-2006, and there's no way this short 1 season spinoff accurately represents college life. But for me, that was part of what made it so good. I never really watched all the episodes until I was in college and they only played the College Years on Friday mornings when I didn't have class, and like 4-6 episodes at a time so it only took about a month to see them all from the pilot through the wedding.
While the show doesn't represent reality, it touches on it. For example, you get exposed to your RA/RD, dean, fraternity life, professors, dorm life, struggling in a sport or classes, balancing school/work life, jobs, etc that college kids go through. The show "Undeclared" which was cancelled waaaay to early IMO, and is probably the greatest representation of real college life.
But SBTB CY isn't meant to be real. You've got the main characters of SBTB, in Zack, Slater, and Screech, which in all honesty were the real stars of the original SBTB. Kelly joined them, and I think the show was closer to reality than the high school show. Being someone who was in college at the time and now a graduate, I appreciate a show that takes place in college. It's just slightly more real than the high school shows. Add the increased reality (but knowing it's not meant to be true reality), the better setting for a show in college, and in my opinion, better written episodes and plot lines and I think you have a hit. Without Bob Golic as Mike Rogers the RD and Patrick Fabian as Lasky the professor, the show wouldn't have the chemistry it has.
To me, it's just Saved by the Bell, in a better setting, with a better cast, with a slightly more sophisticated story and plot lines, and you've got the type of show that appeals to a lot of people. No, it didn't have the drinking, smoking, drugs, sex, etc that prevalent in all colleges, but there's lots of kids there to study, have fun with friends, and participate in a party or two but are more reserved in their social like is shown in SBTB College Years. I drank and went to quite a few parties, but also probably lived closer to the lifestyle portrayed in the show. Hanging out with buddies, catching each other for lunch, class, and finding stuff to do at other times. I spent more nights hanging out with friends, playing poker, watching movies, going shopping or out to eat, etc than I did a lot of partying and drinking.
Anyway, I know it's not real, but it's got a great compilation of laughs, situations, settings, and just that hint of reality to a teen comedy show that's gone to college and facing new challenges.
I'm not sure how well it would have lasted in additional seasons, but I know it ended b/c the folks were tired of SBTB and wanted to do something different. Mark-Paul didn't want to be Zack Morris forever, which is the same reason why Elizabeth Berkely and and others left and weren't included- they wanted to do different things.
I own this DVD set and would have loved it if there were extras included and if it included the wedding 'movie'. I'd probably trade in my DVDs of the regular SBTB and CY if they came out with a "Complete Series" boxset and could get the cast members and special guests and stuff for some commentary and give us some good extras.
I still catch an episode or two on Friday mornings when I'm getting ready for work, and every few months like to pop some popcorn, order a pizza, and watch the DVD set from start to finish, imagining myself and thinking about the characters at CAL U with Rogers as the RA and fresh out of high school again with the cast trying to navigate my way through freshman year.