Photo: Courtesy of Tracey Wigfield
Listen to the full episode here.
Do you remember your favorite television shows growing up––the shows that not only got you through your adolescence, but where you discovered your first ‘tv crush’ or shed a few tears during that ‘one episode’ that tugged on your heart strings and left you wanting more? We’ve all been there. And we bet you can recount those memorable scenes and quotes too. So where do the creators of these newly reimagined television shows even start when they want to reintroduce their beloved show back to the world? And how do they continue to keep their episode topics relevant and trending in an industry where the audience's attention is so quick to jump ship?
Today I’m sitting down with producer and Emmy Award-winning writer, Tracey Wigfield, to discuss exactly that - how she helped create and write the critically-acclaimed and reimagined Saved by the Bell TV series on NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock. We’ll be tapping into the reimagined show, and the path that got her there - including her winning an Emmy alongside co-writer Tina Fey (Hello, amazing partner!) - and how she balances being a working mom in the process. Join the party on social @workparty and stay in-the-know at workparty.com.
Subscribe to WorkParty
and never miss an episode.
On Her Career Journey
“I just kind of spent the first five months after school, I remember feeling like, “Oh my God, I’m floundering, I don’t even have a lead.”
On Being in the Writer’s Room
“It was very intimidating at first, because everybody’s talking really fast and everyone is really funny and pitching jokes and stuff and it felt overwhelming, but multiple people took me under their wing.”
On Working With Tina Fey
“I felt like it took me a year to not be terrified to open my mouth around her because I was just in awe of her.”
On Reimagining Saved By The Bell
“It felt like themes of privilege and wealth disparity and education and equality sort of were right on the table and that seemed really exciting and kind of unexpected for a Saved by the Bell reboot.”
On Finding the Balance When Merging Comedy with Challenging Social Issues
“What exactly do we want the end point of our message to be? And making sure we have these larger conversations about what we want to be saying about harder topics...just so everyone is clear, before you know, making it funny.”
On Advice For Aspiring Show Writers and Content Creators
“The funniest things to me are things and observations that feel true.”
On Balancing Motherhood With Career
“It’s a struggle but I also think I’m very lucky to be in a position where I have some power over my schedule. When you’re the boss...you are able to make your own hours.”
On The Traits That Got Me Where I Am
“I really love my job–I think that’s a big one. I don’t think you can be successful at something if you don’t.”
On Her Best Career Advice
“You know the answer often, and even when you’re in situations where you’re not quite ready to be doing this big job or whatever, you actually do have everything you need to be doing it.”
On What Success Looks Like to Her
“I think it’s making the life for yourself that you want, and then once you do that, using the power you have to empower other people to do the same.”