Mark-Paul Gosselaar's 'Saved By the Bell' Comments Out of Context?

In a recent interview with Yahoo TV, veteran television actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar seemingly slammed "Saved By the Bell" – the 1990s television sitcom that shot the young child star to fame, but the actor later spoke to TMZ to clarify his comments.

"It's not a great show," the actor, who played teenage heartthrob Zack Morris, told Yahoo TV earlier in the week. "The writing is kind of hokey … it's very much a piece of that time."

Gosselaar's comments caused an Internet firestorm when Yahoo TV released the article, but the actor later said that his statements about the show were "taken out of context."

Gosselaar told TMZ that he was "proud" of having been a part of sitcom history with "Saved By the Bell" and added "everything I've ever done after the show has pointed to me having nothing but respect for it."

Despite the fact that Gosselaar said that he didn't think the show was "great" he did tell Yahoo TV that the experience working as a child actor on "Saved By The Bell" instilled in him a strong work ethic.

"It taught me to have a strong work ethic, and to take it very seriously," he said. "Even though we had fun the producers instilled in us that this is a business."

"You can still have all your fun, but you have to do your job, and then you can reap all the benefits in the end."

In 2009, Gosselaar agreed to participate in a reunion show organized by comedian Jimmy Fallon, but the show has yet to happen.

Following his success with "Saved By the Bell," Gosselaar went on to appear in several other television shows, including "NYPD Blue" and TNT's legal drama "Raising the Bar."

The actor and father of two now stars alongside Breckin Meyer in the TNT legal drama "Franklin & Bash."