Saved by the Bell

*Saved by the Bell*
Saved by the Bell
	File:Savedbythebell.jpg
Created by	Sam Bobrick
Starring	Mark-Paul Gosselaar; Lark Voorhies; Dustin Diamond; Mario Lopez; Dennis Haskins; Tiffani-Amber Thiessen (1989–1992); Elizabeth Berkley; (1989–1992); Leanna Creel; (1992–1993)
Country of origin	USA
No. of episodes	87
Production
Executive producer	Peter Engel
Running time	30 minutes (with commercials)
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	November 30, 1988 –; May 22, 1993

Saved by the Bell was an American teen sitcom which originally aired between 1989 and 1992 (with the series finale held over until 1993). The series was a retooled version of the 1987 series Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was later retconned into the history of Saved by the Bell. The series followed the exploits of several students at Bayside High School, along with their principal.

The show starred Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Dustin Diamond, Lark Voorhies and Dennis Haskins, who appeared in Good Morning, Miss Bliss, as well as Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Elizabeth Berkley, and Mario Lopez who joined the cast for Saved by the Bell. The show brought fame to the cast members, and launched most of their careers.

The show was popular enough to spawn two spin-off series: Saved by the Bell: The College Years, which followed several of the characters' college experiences, and Saved by the Bell: The New Class, which followed a new group of students at Bayside High School. The series also spawned two TV movies.

History

Good Morning, Miss Bliss

The show was originally a pilot for NBC entitled Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was inspired by NBC President Brandon Tartikoff's idea for a show about an "inspiring" teacher. NBC decided not to pick up the pilot, but the Disney Channel did, and aired the series for one season.

The series was about a teacher and her students at John F. Kennedy Junior High School in Indianapolis. Unlike the series that followed, the intention was to focus on the life of the teacher as the main character, and the show was intended as a vehicle for star Hayley Mills, who played Miss Carrie Bliss. Her students included Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), Lisa Turtle (Lark Voorhies), Samuel "Screech" Powers (Dustin Diamond), Mikey Gonzalez (Max Battimo), and Nikki Coleman (Heather Hopper). The show also featured Mylo Williams (T.K. Carter) who was the school janitor, and Tina Paladrino (Joan Ryan), another teacher. Dennis Haskins played the principal of John F. Kennedy Junior High, Mr. Belding. The show was cancelled after 13 episodes, and the rights were acquired by NBC.

NBC reconsidered the matter, seeing that the show had merit, and decided to revamp and recreate the series. Executive Producer Peter Engel wanted the show to be called When the Bell Rings, but Brandon Tartikoff, then President of NBC, convinced him to go with the title Saved by the Bell. In the United Kingdom, the show was seen on Channel 4.

NBC rebirth - Saved by the Bell

Three of the teens from the original cast, Gosselaar, Diamond and Voorhies, remained on the show, as the same characters with only minor changes to things like their backstories. Haskins also remained as Mr. Belding, but the setting was changed to Bayside High School in Pacific Palisades, California. The two students dropped from the original series were replaced by three new additions. Kelly Kapowski (Tiffani-Amber Thiessen) and Jessie Spano (Elizabeth Berkley) were introduced as longtime friends of the original three characters, and new transfer student AC Slater (Mario Lopez) rounded out the group. Max (Ed Alonzo), the proprietor of the local restaurant hangout ("The Max") was also a cast member in early episodes.

The focus of the show was shifted towards the exploits of the students themselves, and Zack became the show's lead character. Several teachers recurred over the course of the series, but Mr. Belding was the only school authority figure to ever be in the main cast, and was typically the only one that the students ever had to answer to.

The show performed well for NBC, and at the end of the show's first season, NBC boldly sold the series off into syndication with the Good Morning, Miss Bliss episodes included to pad out the syndication package, despite the continuity problems and production changes. At the height of its popularity, the show did many road tours to different malls and places for the cast to make appearances and sign autographs. The episodes were edited to include openings to match the Saved by the Bell episodes, as well as introductions by Zack explaining that the episodes occurred in junior high (these episodes are sometimes billed as Saved by the Bell: The Junior High Years).

The show often dealt with "real teen social issues", such as drug use, drinking and driving, homelessness, financial issues, divorce, first love and love lost, graduating, college, sibling rivalry, taking responsibilities for one's actions, being bullied, death, and environmental issues.

The show's popularity on Saturday morning is what led NBC to shift from airing cartoons to live action teen-oriented shows instead (California Dreams, Hang Time, etc.) under the TNBC banner.^{[citation needed]} Each season of the series essentially represented a year of high school for the students, culminating in their graduation. In the show's final season, NBC doubled the number of episodes ordered, despite the fact that they would have to re-sign the entire cast to new contracts in order to film them. Thiessen and Berkley refused to sign a new contract for these new episodes, resulting in a block of episodes that feature a new character, Tori Scott (Leanna Creel) in their place. Thiessen would return for several final episodes under a deal that she made with NBC which included several made-for-TV movies that the actress would star in.

The final episode of the series aired in prime time on May 22, 1993. The episode, in which the cast graduated from high school, was filmed before Thiessen and Berkley left the show. The series finale was followed by a special airing of the Saved by the Bell: The College Years pilot episode, to set up the next phase of the characters' lives.

Main characters

Zack Morris

Played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Zack is a charming and manipulative schemer in the mold of Ferris Bueller. Early episodes of the series feature Zack engaging in Bueller-esque, fourth wall-breaking addresses to the audience as well as freezing everyone around him in their tracks while he offers plot exposition. His best friends since grade school have been Lisa Turtle and next-door neighbor Jessie Spano; Screech Powers has also been tagging along with Zack since they were little.

Kelly Kapowski

Played by Tiffani Thiessen, Kelly is a cheerleader and love interest for Zack and Slater in the first season. Considered the most popular girl in school, Kelly is introduced as an outsider to the show's core clique. Zack's pursuit of Kelly (he has a cardboard cutout of her in his bedroom) causes her to join the gang before too much time passes. She is on the volleyball and swim teams.

AC Slater

Played by Mario Lopez, Albert Clifford Slater is the token "jock" of the group. An army brat, he was an outsider, having transferred to Bayside in the first filmed episode (though it was aired later as a flashback). He becomes the school's star athlete in such fields as wrestling, football, and basketball. Slater was originally written as Zack's rival for Kelly's affection before becoming Zack's best friend in the show's second season, and developing an attraction to strong-willed feminist Jessie Spano. Lopez is a drummer and dancer, and some episodes include Slater showcasing these "hidden talents." Slater has a sister who makes an appearance in one episode. His father appears in two episodes, but his mother, though mentioned throughout the series, never appears.

Jessie Spano

Played by Elizabeth Berkley, Jessie is the show's resident know-it-all crusader. She's often seen pursuing a variety of causes (many of which are feminist in nature) while keeping up her position as Student Body President and one of the smartest students in her class. Like Lisa and Screech, Jessie is Zack's childhood friend (despite discontinuity with Good Morning, Miss Bliss), and he routinely climbs into her room via a tree outside her window. From the second season onwards, her main love interest is Slater, who disagrees with her feminist views. Jesse's parents are divorced. She has a step-brother named Eric from New York.

Samuel "Screech" Powers

Played by Dustin Diamond, Screech (whose real name is Samuel) is the awkward nerd. Screech has been tagging along with Zack since they were in elementary school and is extremely loyal to him. In exchange for doing Zack's homework and being roped into Zack's various stunts, Screech receives protection from school bullies and a general boost in his confidence; but Zack's affection for Screech is evident in spite of this. He's very comfortable with his geekiness and fancies himself a ladies' man. The rest of the gang simultaneously picks on and humors Screech for his eccentricities (e.g. hiding in his locker, wearing extremely loud and mismatched clothes, and obsessing over science and chess). Though clumsy and goofy, Screech is very smart. A recurring gag in the series is his unrequited love for Lisa Turtle. In several early episodes of the series, Screech has a robot named Kevin. Diamond was three years younger than most of the cast who he was supposed to be the same age as. He also was the only cast member to star in every incarnation of Saved by the Bell.

Lisa Turtle

Played by Lark Voorhies, Lisa is trendy and intelligent. She is the clique's fashion expert and the gossip queen of Bayside High. She comes from a wealthy African American family, though the character was originally supposed to be white and Jewish; her father and mother are shown to be surgeons. Because of her upbringing, Lisa always has access to the latest fashions and knows when something is in and when it's over. Like Jessie and Screech, Lisa has been Zack's best friend since grade school. Lisa's goal is to become a world famous fashion designer. For the majority of the gang's years at Bayside, one of the running gags was Screech's fruitless attempts to woo Lisa. While his romantic feelings for her were never returned, and often rejected with insults and jokes, eventually she realized she had developed a soft spot for Screech.

Richard Belding

Played by Dennis Haskins, Mr. Belding is the principal of Bayside High School and the show's resident authority figure. He's known for his catchphrase "Hey, hey, hey, what is going on here?" as well as his high-pitched laugh. Belding has frequent run-ins with Zack and his friends as either a foe to be outwitted or a friend to turn to for help. Mr. Belding seems to genuinely care about what the students, particularly Zack, think of him.

Other characters

Max, played by magician/comedian Ed Alonzo, is the owner of The Max, the favorite hangout of the gang. He is known for his quirky sense of humor and his array of magic tricks. He starred in the first season, and recurred in the second, and then stopped appearing without explanation. The Max continued to be featured without him.

Tori Scott, played by Leanna Creel, was introduced near the end of the series as the new girl at Bayside High. She is initially portrayed as a "tough girl" and is seldom seen without her leather jacket.

Good Morning, Miss Bliss characters

Miss Bliss was played by Hayley Mills. She was often put into morally difficult situations by her work, and often served as the only person her students could turn to (a role similar to that of Mr. Belding in the later series).

Two students joined Zack, Lisa and Screech in Good Morning, Miss Bliss. Mikey Gonzalez was played by Max Battimo, and was Zack's best friend. While not as awkward as Screech, he would become quite shy around girls. Nikki Coleman, played by Heather Hopper, was outspoken, and often advocated the moral course of action when the others decided to do something mischievous.

Two staff members were also featured in the series. Mylo Williams, played by T.K. Carter, was the professional janitor who would take care of menial tasks that needed to be done. Tina Paladrino, played by Joan Ryan, was a teacher and a friend to Miss Bliss. They would often discuss their personal lives, and Miss Paladrino would often act as a sounding board.

Original Pilot

The pilot for Good Morning, Miss Bliss aired on July 11, 1987 on NBC (in The Facts of Life's timeslot). It featured up and comers Brian Austin Green, Jaleel White, and Jonathan Brandis. Brian Austin Green was, in essence, the "lead" student in the pilot, playing Adam Montcrief; a particularly serious student, who wore business suits. Several other characters from the series existed in the pilot but were played by different actors. Although Hayley Mills was the only actor to survive beyond the pilot, her character in the pilot was named Mrs. Davis. Other characters survived to the series, but were ultimately portrayed by different actors. Mr. Gerald Belding was played by Oliver Clark, and Tina Paladrino was played by Maria O'Brien.

Spin-offs

The show was popular enough to warrant two spin-offs, both of which premiered in 1993.

Saved by the Bell: The College Years

Saved by the Bell: The College Years continued with several of the characters dealing with college life. It aired in the season following the original series' last, and was also set in the following school year. The series sported a continuity problem in that the characters who ended up at the fictional California University were set to go off to different universities at the end of the original Saved By The Bell.

Due to low ratings, Saved by the Bell: The College Years only lasted one season. Unlike the original series which aired on Saturday mornings, The College Years was shown in prime time. The series aired from September 14, 1993 (though the original pilot aired on May 22, 1993) to February 8, 1994.

Saved by the Bell: The New Class

Saved by the Bell: The New Class was created to continue the story of Bayside High School in the Saturday morning timeslot after the original cast graduated. The series featured a new set of students anchored by Dennis Haskins, and later Dustin Diamond, whose character Screech became Principal Belding's administrative assistant on a work study program from California University (a reference to Screech's college in "The College Years"). While Saved by the Bell: The New Class ran for seven seasons, it suffered numerous cast changes (including a second season cast purge that only left Haskins and three other cast members) and never gained the popularity of the original series. The New Class aired from September 11, 1993 to July 29, 2000. Many of the New Class episodes were actually "recycled" plots from the original Saved by the Bell. The Max remained as the hangout for the Bayside High students. The New Class is the only Saved by the Bell incarnation not to be syndicated.

Made-for-TV movies

In 1992, Saved by the Bell's first made for TV movie, Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style aired. This movie occurred during the continuity of the original series, during a summer holiday. Template:Spoiler In the movie, Kelly's grandfather, played by Dean Jones, invites the kids to stay at his hotel in Hawaii. However, someone else is out to buy his land and build a hotel/resort complex, and the group has to save it. Template:Endspoiler

After the College Years spin-off was completed, a second movie was aired entitled Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas. Template:Spoiler The plot of the film was based upon the wedding of Zack and Kelly, which had been set up at the end of the spin-off series. The movie included most of the cast members from both the original series and the College Years series. This was the final appearance for most of the series' characters, aside from Mr. Belding and Screech who continued their roles on The New Class, and Slater who made a cameo appearance. Template:Endspoiler

Syndication

Saved by the Bell is syndicated in what appears to be two syndication packages:

The original series, with the repackaged Good Morning, Miss Bliss episodes, and the Hawaiian Style TV movie, broken down into four standard-length episodes.
The College Years and the Wedding in Las Vegas TV movie, broken down into four standard-length episodes).

In the United States, the show is syndicated via NBC Universal Television Distribution. Until recently, it was distributed by Rysher Entertainment, and later CBS Paramount Television. The series is syndicated on individual television stations around the country (depending on the market) and is shown for two hours daily starting at 7:00 A.M. ET/PT on TBS with the College Years episodes airing on Fridays.

As of July 2006, Saved by the Bell has been rerun more than 2 million times.^{[citation needed]} According to TBS, it has been rerun on that station 1068 times.

In the United Kingdom, the series is broadcast on cable television network Nickelodeon UK.

On April 9, 2006, Cartoon Network's Adult Swim announced that Saved by the Bell would air at midnight as a two week special starting April 17. On April 19, 2006, Adult Swim also posted on their website that Saved by the Bell was back in production due to "[t]he popularity of the show thanks to the fans of Adult Swim."[1] A week later, the announcement was exposed as a joke. [2]

Continuity errors

The series was generally not one to take itself too seriously, and as a result, it contains a significant number of continuity errors, due to oversight or plot convenience. The former were less common, and less noticeable than the prominence of the latter type. It might be most noticeable in character traits. For example, in one episode, the boys might be championing women's rights, while in another they might be berating women's sports, both as a major plot points.

Some of the biggest continuity errors are between Saved by the Bell and Good Morning, Miss Bliss. In an episode of Good Morning, Miss Bliss, Zack's father is a single, swinging bachelor named Peter with a laid-back attitude. On Saved by the Bell, Zack's dad, Derek, is married and is a lot more serious and mature, and is played by a different actor. In one episode of Good Morning, Miss Bliss, it's also mentioned that Zack has a sister and Screech has a brother. But neither has siblings in the Saved by the Bell series.

Template:Spoiler In one two-part episode ("Wicked Stepbrother"), Jessie's stepbrother Eric (Joshua Hoffman) is introduced; although he makes a menace of himself and intends to return to his home in New York, the gang convinces him to stay in Palisades. He is never seen again. In another episode ("Miss Bayside"), Kelly performs a song at the rehearsals for the Miss Bayside pageant, and her singing is way off-key. However, in other episodes, especially "Jessie's Song", Kelly can sing very well. She's even shown as one of the lead singers of the band Zack Attack.

Another continuity error involves the relationship of Zack and Lisa, who in one episode ("The Bayside Triangle") wind up kissing each other and decide to become a couple. This upsets Screech when he sees them kissing before a fashion show that Lisa organized to get into a fashion school. Screech decides to fight for Lisa's heart but is convinced by Zack (and more effectively, by Lisa herself) to get over her. Lisa and Zack become a couple, but it is never again referenced. The reason for the relationship never blossoming is unknown.

Saved by the Bell: The College Years also has continuity errors. In the episode "Wedding Plans", Leslie, Lisa, and Alex vie to be the maid of honor at Zack and Kelly's wedding, but in the movie Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas, only Alex and Lisa attend the wedding. Similarly, in one of the Saved By the Bell episodes where the gang all have summer jobs at a beach resort ("Boss Lady"), Slater translates on behalf of the Spanish-speaking kitchen staff, but in the episode of The College Years "Slater's War", he tells his activist classmate Theresa that he doesn't speak it because he took French, "the language of love."

The character Tori was added in later episodes as an annoyance and later girlfriend for Zack. She was meant to be a replacement for Kelly and Jessie during their senior year after Kelly and Jessie left the show. However, the last episode of the show featured the gang graduating with Kelly and Jessie while Tori was neither seen nor mentioned. This is due to the fact that the graduation episode was shot earlier with Kelly and Jessie, but the network ordered more episodes. At that point, Kelly and Jessie had already left the show. Hence the need for a new love interest for Zack. Template:Endspoiler

DVD releases

In the United States, Region 1, the first two seasons of Saved by the Bell were released on September 2, 2003. Seasons 3 and 4 were released on April 27, 2004, and Season 5 (the 'Tori episodes') was released on July 19, 2005.

Saved by the Bell: The College Years was released on DVD on August 17, 2004. Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style and Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas are currently available in Britain - however, they are not currently available in the United States (as of July 2006).

The first season of Saved by the Bell: The New Class was released on January 25, 2005. Season 2 was released on March 8, 2005. Season 3 was released on June 14, 2005. Season 4 was released August 16, 2005. Season 5 was released on October 18, 2005, and Seasons 6 and 7 were released on December 6, 2005.

Cultural references

The episode "Jessie's Song" was parodied in an episode of the short-lived NBC sketch comedy The Rerun Show (2001). "Miss Bayside" was also parodied on the series in a Star Wars-themed sketch.
In his 2004 collection of essays on popular culture Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto, writer Chuck Klosterman devoted a chapter to Saved by the Bell entitled "Being Zach Morris." He wrote that the show "is like this little generational secret that's hyperfamiliar to people born between 1970 and 1977, yet generally unremarkable to anyone born after (and completely alien to all those born before.)"
Popular freeform hardcore producer and DJ AC Slater took his name from the Saved by the Bell character of the same name.
Bayside High is the same school that Raven, Eddie, and Chelsea go to on That's So Raven.
On December 1, 2002, the E! network used the show's history as a segment for its E! True Hollywood Story. The special revealed facts and contained interviews with the cast and crew. It is still being shown on the network.
Details magazine reunited Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Tiffani Thiessen for a special-edition photoshoot in the August 2006 issue.

Trivia

Scott Wolf, of Party of Five fame, appeared as an un-credited member of the Bayside glee club.
The Bayside Tigers school logo was actually a knockoff of the Detroit Tigers logo from the 1980s (it was colored maroon and said "Bayside" instead of "Detroit").
At the end of the opening credits Kelly completely misses the group high five. However, it was only done on one take.
Slater frequently spontaneously breaks into dance. This can be evidenced during an episode where Zack pours punch down Slater's shirt; Slater shows his surprise by pop-locking as the punch runs down his back. Another example of this is when Zack dumps ants down Slater's back in Study Hall.
Berkley and Thiessen (as well as Jennie Garth) both auditioned for the role of Kelly Kapowski. The execs behind the show wanted both girls on the show, so they wrote the role of Jessica Spano for Berkley.^{[citation needed]}
Popular radio DJ and personality Casey Kasem made two separate guest appearances on the show ("Dancing to the Max" and "Rockumentary").
Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Tiffiani Thiessen had a relationship in real life.
One of the degrees in Mr. Belding's office is for kung fu. It is above the filing cabinet next to his desk.
The nerd characters usually have a last name that contains the word "nerd" or some synonym of it. ("Nerdstrom", "Poindexter", "Geekman", etc.)
Two classroom sets were used; each set was rearranged based on the subject of the class.
The exterior of Bayside High School is seldom seen throughout the series. It was shown in a hand-drawn form in the opening credits and the whole exterior is shown in "Wedding In Las Vegas", before the gang immediately left to Vegas. The parking lot of Bayside is seen in the two-part episode "Wicked Stepbrother" when Mr. Belding buys a new car for his wife and asks Zack and Slater to install a CD player for him.
The episode "Day of Detention" was the last to be filmed for the original series.
Mr. Belding's wife, Becky Belding, appears in one episode: "Earthquake!"
In the episode "The Election" when AC Slater finds Mr. Belding working out in the locker room, they can both be seen wearing shirts that say "Bayside Jr. High School", even though Bayside is a High School. The mascot on the shirt is also a bird instead of a tiger.
The three video games at The Max are Mr. Do! (1982), Time Pilot '84 (1984), and Pulsar (1981). The ___location of the games against the wall changes throughout the episodes.
Actor Mark Clayman played a Bayside football player named "Moose" in multiple episodes. However, in the episode "Save That Tiger", he played Stan Clegg, a student who attended Valley instead of Bayside.
According to his 2006 interview with Howard Stern, Dustin Diamond never got along with the main cast and his only friend in the studio was Dennis Haskins.
In an alternate script, Zack was scheduled to come out of the closet, however this was denied by producers, saying "this will only be cool later."
In Season 3, in the episodes where the characters work at a beach resort, exterior scenes were mostly shot on film.^{[citation needed]}
Despite the fact that his door opens directly to the hallway, Mr. Belding is often contacted by a secretary via intercom who announces his visitors.
Due to the addition episodes with Tori, the gang actually had two final senior proms.
In the College Years episode "Slater's War", Slater reveals that his real last name is actually Sanchez. He says that his dad changed it to get into the Army.

External links