Bayside High has found its new leading woman.
Josie Totah will play a cheerleader named Lexi in the “Saved By the Bell” sequel series coming to NBC’s upcoming streaming service Peacock.
Lexi is described as “beautiful, sharp-tongued,” and “the most popular girl at Bayside High who is both admired and feared by her fellow students.”
Totah joins returning original cast members Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley, who are slated to reprise their roles as A.C. Slater and Jessie Spano for the reboot. Mark-Paul Gosselaar said in September he has not been approached to join the show.
“Pitch Perfect” alum John Michael Higgins will play Principle Toddman, the successor to Dennis Haskins’ Principal Richard Belding, who was the bane of Zack Morris’ (Gosselaar) existence in the original “Saved By the Bell,” which ran from 1989 to 1993 on NBC.
Totah came out as transgender in a Time magazine essay in August 2018. She is known for roles on Mindy Kaling’s “Champions,” Netflix’s “No Good Nick,” Fox’s “Glee,” and Disney Channel’s “Jessie.” She was also in Chris Kelly’s cancer dramedy “Other People.”
The “Saved by the Bell” reboot was announced in September as part of Peacock’s extensive slate of original programming, which includes reboots of “Battlestar Galactica,” from “Mr. Robot” creator Sam Esmail, and “Punky Brewster.” The streaming service is set to launch in April.