I just read the news that Peter Engel passed away yesterday.  My Retro Television reviews started with four Engel-produced shows, California Dreams, One World, Hang Time, and City Guys.  Right now, I’m reviewing one of his later shows, Malibu CA.  I would be lying if I said all of those reviews have been positive.  I loved California Dreams and Hang Time won me over but the only good thing about Malibu CA is that it’s not Pacific Blue.

But here’s the thing.  Peter Engel, regardless of what I may think of some of his later shows. made pop cultural history with Saved By The Bell.  When I was a kid, you couldn’t turn on a TV without finding Saved By The Bell reruns playing somewhere.  (Myself, I only wish Saved By The Bell: The New Class was as easy to find.)  Today, Saved By The Bell has faded a bit from our collective memory, a relic from the childhoods of many elder millennials and their Gen-X siblings.  That reboot on Peacock was never quite as good as I used to tell myself it was.  But the original show can still be found on Prime, just as California Dreams and Hang Time can be found on YouTube.  The Engelverse will live forever.

Peter Engel, RIP.