Peter Engel, the brains behind coming-of-age ’90s sitcom “Saved by the Bell,” is dead at 88.
The executive producer died at his Santa Monica home on Tuesday, according to Variety. No cause of death was reported.
The New York native is credited with producing more than 1,000 television episodes, including nearly 30 of “Last Comic Standing,” which helped launch the careers of comedians Joe Rogan and Bill Bellamy. But he’ll best be remembered for “Saved by the Bell,” which ran on NBC from 1989 to 1993 and introduced the world to stars like Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mario Lopez and Tiffani Thiessen.
The show also spawned popular spinoffs including “Saved by the Bell: The College Years” and “Saved by the Bell: The New Class.”
Engel called working on the franchise a “fairytale,” according to a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation report on his 2016 memoir, “I Was Saved by the Bell.”
“It was the greatest journey of my life,” Engel recalled.
Born and raised in Manhattan, Engel graduated from New York University and went on to work with NBC, where he enjoyed a lifetime of success. He produced 78 episodes of “California Dreams” starring Kelly Packard, more than 100 episodes of the Manhattan-based high school series “City Guys” and nearly 100 episodes of the teen sitcom “USA High.”
Despite marital woes, drug problems and the professional hits and misses he touched on in his memoir, the 86 episodes he produced of “Saved by the Bell” during the show’s original run, followed by its numerous spinoffs, highlight his legacy.
“I think we impacted a whole generation worldwide,” he said. “We took on topics that no one else was dealing with.”
Engel is survived by his three children and a grandchild, according to Variety.