Last night Mark-Paul Gosselaar appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to talk about his new show on TNT(well, it's in its second season, so its not that new) Raising the Bar.  Gosselaar proved that he is the epitome of a 'cool guy' by doing the entire Jimmy Fallon interview as a real-life Zac Morris.  The clip is below and its priceless, from Gosselaar talking to the camera to him saying "Time out!" and freezing everyone where they stand.  He even performed with The Roots as Zac Attack at the end, and during the interview he did a Saved By The Bell pop culture test (which he passed with flying colors) and agreed to a Saved By The Bell Reunion!  The only two remaining cast members who haven't agreed now are Tiffani Thiessen and Dustin Diamond.  While Tiffani might be hard to snag, surely Dustin can take some time away from his porn star lifestyle and obscurity for a little reunion tour....right?

Fallon has even launched an online petition for everyone to go and let the world know that we want to see this cheesy 90's after-school series return one more time, even if its just for the laughs of remembering how lame it was, and that we all actually watched it!  Saved By The Bell Reunion Petition

Mark-Paul Gosselaar Becomes Zac Morris For A Night

If the summer-time blues have you down, never fear because TNT is ready to help rescue you back to the land of great television.  Tonight, TNT kicks off season 5 of their celebrated and awarding winning hit The Closer, with Kyra Sedgwick, followed by the sophmore season of Raising the Bar, which stars Mark Paul Gosselaar.  TVOvermind has some episodes synopsis and sneak peaks at tonight's episodes to get you fired up and ready for the fun.

The Closer kicks the night off at 9/8 central when Brenda's squad investigates the quadruple murder of a family, and she accidentally stumbles into the middle of an FBI investigation that may have been a factor in the homicide.  Meanwhile, Provenza's ebullient mood has suddenly turned sour.  The episode guest stars Lee Tergesen (Oz, TNT's Wanted) .  Below are two sneak peek scenes from tonight's episode.

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Immediately following The Closer is Raising the Bar, where Mark-Paul Gosselaar plays idealistic public defender Jerry Kellerman, driven to do everything he can to secure a verdict of not guilty or a decent plea deal for his clients.  The season 2 premiere follows Jerry's defense of a barber charged with allowing his nephew to sell crack out of his barbershop, a crime for which the barber is now being tried.  Hair remains a key focus of the episode as Jerry sheds his long locks for a more "lawerish 'do."  Check out the sneak peek's below!

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"The Closer" & "Raising the Bar" Kick Off Seasons Tonight

"You look like a dirty hippie."

Yes, Ladies, the trademark hair is getting cut in the first episode of the second season of Mark-Paul Gossealaar's legal drama, Raising the Bar, from the creative mind of Steven Bochco, which premiers Monday, June 8, at 10/9 Central on TNT.

Why?  In the first episode, Gossealaar's character, Jerry Kellerman, questions a potential juror about the reason he does not trust him as the public defender, and gets the aforementioned response.  So begins season two and a turn towards Jerry, "working the system a little bit better".  Don't worry, the maverick we grew to love in the first season's ten episode run is still there; he is just learning how to play the game, on the surface, the way his counterparts do.

What new viewers need to know about this legal drama, is it is not one we have seen before.  It is told from the view of the public defenders,the defense attorneys, and the judges and their legal staff.  The show centers around Gossealaar's public defender, and what he wants you to know about what sets this show apart from other legal dramas is this:

You don’t hear too much about public defenders and their clients.  So it’s, you know, these – the stories that they’re coming up with – and a lot of them are true because our co-creator is David Feige, who was a public defender for 15 years.  They’re extremely challenging.  You find yourself as, you know, as an individual going, this really happens?  I mean this isn’t something that you guys completely made up in left field?  And that’s what challenges us to find the compassion in these people, these clients.  These are human beings.

But you know the amazing thing that I found from – that I learned from preparing from this role, is that Jerry isn’t unusual.  There are thousands of passionate, dedicated public defenders out there every day who are fighting against a system that they think is terribly stacked against the poor and the powerless.  So you know this isn’t – we just don’t hear from them because it’s really not a sexy thing to hear about public defenders and their clients.

Later in the interview, Gosselaar wants to expand on the aspect of the show that sets it apart from all the procedurals jam packing out television screens.  He adds:

Well you know the show is not your typical – well, I shouldn’t say it’s not your typical, but it’s unlike the legal dramas that we’ve seen in the past.  You know, we deal – we’re not a 'how' show, and we’re a 'why'.  Why did this person do that?  You know the truth about most crimes is they’re really driven by really basic things; poverty, jealousy, desperation.  You know, and you sort of stick a label on people for their crime.

But what this show does so effectively is tell the story behind the case, you know, allowing the audience, allowing you to see the clients the way their lawyers do, and when that happens, guilty or innocent becomes, you know, much more muddy and less clear.  So that’s basically our show in a nutshell is that it’s allowing you to see the gray in criminal justice system.  And it makes it unlike other legal dramas.

Gosselaar's, Jerry, has an ongoing, complex relationship with Natalia Cigliuti's, Bobbi Gilardi.  Regarding the continuation of the relationship, and how it is going to continue to grow in season two, Gossealaar has this to say:

I mean she still has the divorce as something that she needs to clear up first.  There definitely is a slow boil.  We’re working on episode 6 right now, and it’s still, nothing has you know, it’s just been that – we’re just rolling along.  We ebb and flow just like a relationship, you know, would.

But yes, she has to take care of the divorce first and as of yet, it’s, you know, something that we’re using.  I (do) think it’s very interesting, you know, her relationship with her ex-husband, or wanting-to-be ex-husband, but that makes for some great drama for her character as well as mine.  And it’s (just such) an added bonus for the – for the relationship.  But you know we have 15 episodes, so we’re going to – I think we’re taking our time, which is good.

The second season of Raising the Bar premieres, Monday, June 8, at 10/9 Central on TNT.

Raising the Bar: Mark-Paul Gosselaar Talks Season Two