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Fall 76 MIAMI LIVING Mark-Paul Gosselaar really loves cable. There, at TNT, the erstwhile Zack Morris from Saved by the Bell has found a home as the star of Raising the Bar, a hit legal drama from Emmy Award- winning producer Steven Bochco currently in its second season. The show revolves around a group of law school friends who find themselves working on opposite sides of criminal law — in the case of Gosselaar's character, the longhaired-in-season-one Jerry Kellerman, at the public defender's office, and in others', at the district attorney's office. And then there are the judges who preside over them (such as the imperious Judge Trudy Kessler, played by Malcolm in the Middle's Jane Kaczmarek). Gosselaar, with whom Miami Living spoke before the show's June second-season premiere, says that too often on TV you see the stories the show tells from the perspective of cops and prosecutors, but what makes Raising the Bar compelling is public defenders truly can make a difference in the lives of clients who have the entire legal system stacked against them. "These are the smartest and brightest people in their class, attorneys who went to the top colleges," the actor said, noting that show co-creator David Feige worked as a public defender for more than a decade. "These attorneys become public defenders by choice. That was a perception that changed for me." Gosselaar thought Jerry Kellerman was an extremely powerful character, so he had to take the role. Raising the Bar also provided an exciting platform to explore the differences among this diverse group of friends, which give the show a real sense of relatability, gravitas, and drama. Read on to find out more about why M-PG (that is what I am calling him now) enjoys this show so much — and why he referred to me as "buddy." Oh, and do not miss our sidebar with scoop from Adrian Pasdar, one of the stars of TV's Heroes, and Andrew Shue on whether he will appear on the reboot of Melrose Place. ML: Tell us about your character, Jerry Kellerman. Mark-Paul Gosselaar: Jerry's not unlike the thousands of passionate, dedicated public defenders who fight for their indigent clients all across the country, but Jerry's one of those people who wears his heart on his sleeve. He says things and does things that a more prudent person might keep in, so sometimes he doesn't make a lot of friends on the bench. He's an honest guy coming from a good place, but Jerry's a pit bull. He's a fighter. ML EXCLUSIVE: FALL TV ROUNDUP Legend of the Fall Mark-Paul Gosselaar is back on TNT — and on fire Words by Martin Haro Mark-Paul Gosselaar and co-star Melissa Sagemiller in a scene from Raising the Bar's second season. Photo by Danny Feld.