Saved By The Bell ( TV Series 1989 - 1993 )





 

Plot

Saved by the Bell originated in an NBC pilot entitled Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was inspired by then NBC president Brandon Tartikoff's teachers from his past. The show was set in Indianapolis, Indiana. NBC decided not to pick up the pilot, but Disney Channel did and aired the series for one season. Unlike the series that followed, the intention was to focus on the life of the teacher Miss Bliss, played by Hayley Mills, as the main character. The characters of Zack Morris, Samuel "Screech" Powers, Lisa Turtle, and Mr. Richard Belding all originated on the series; other main characters, including other classmates Nikki Coleman (Heather Hopper), Mikey Gonzalez (Max Battimo), and maintenance supervisor Mylo Williams (T. K. Carter) were discontinued when the show changed direction. Jaleel White, Brian Austin Green, and Jonathan Brandis all had roles in the pilot episode.



 

The show was canceled after 13 episodes and the rights were acquired by NBC, which had reconsidered the matter. Seeing that it had merit, they decided to revamp and recreate the series (their second live-action youth series in a five-year period). Executive Producer Peter Engel wanted the show to be called When the Bell Rings, but Tartikoff convinced him to go with the title Saved by the Bell.



Three of the teens from the original cast  Gosselaar, Diamond, and Voorhies  remained on the show, playing the same characters with only minor changes to their backstories. Haskins also stayed on as Mr. Belding. However, the setting was changed from Indianapolis, Indiana to the fictional Bayside High School in the Palisades in Los Angeles, California. The two students dropped from the original series were replaced by three new additions. Kelly Kapowski (Tiffani Thiessen) and Jessie Spano (Elizabeth Berkley) were introduced as longtime friends of the original three characters and new transfer student A.C. 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 toward the exploits of the students themselves and Zack Morris became the show's lead character. Several teachers recurred over the course of the series, but Mr. Belding was the only school authority figure ever to be in the main cast.



After the show's second season, NBC 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. The Good Morning, Miss Bliss episodes were edited to include openings to match the Saved by the Bell episodes. These episodes are sometimes billed as Saved by the Bell: The Junior High Years. Mark-Paul Gosselaar would do in-character commentaries addressed to viewers before each of the earlier episodes, explaining that the episodes occurred in junior high.



 

The show performed extremely well for NBC and despite being trashed by TV critics, quickly became the highest rated show on Saturday mornings. At the height of its popularity, the cast of the show did many road tours to malls and other places where they would interact with fans and sign autographs. The show's popularity on Saturday morning is what led NBC to shift from airing cartoons to live action teen-oriented shows (California Dreams, Hang Time, etc.) under the TNBC banner. Each season of the series essentially represented a year of high school for the students, culminating in their graduation.



In the fall of 1991 at the start of the third season, the series was expanded to an hour with all new back-to-back episodes.

 

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.



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. No mention is made as to what happened to Tori Scott. 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. In addition, a special series finale titled "Wedding in Las Vegas" had four parts in which Zack Morris and Kelly Kapowski got married, capping their on-again, off-again relationship.

 

Today, reruns air weekday mornings on TBS, as well as in local syndication, either once or twice a week depending on market.

Characters

 

Zachary "Zack" Morris
Zack, played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar, is often referred to as "Preppy" by his friend AC Slater. He is a charming schemer who often breaks the fourth wall by addressing the audience, sometimes temporarily freezing all of the characters around him in the process by calling, "Time out!". Zack's schemes, though amusing, often backfire, resulting in unexpected outcomes. Zack's best friends since grade school have been Lisa Turtle and next-door neighbor Jessie Spano; Samuel "Screech" Powers has also been tagging along with Zack since they were little.

Zack was also constantly pining for Kelly, coming up with new ways to try to win her over in many episodes and often battling for her affections with his on-again, off-again best friend A.C. Slater. This rivalry ended as the show decided that Zack and Slater were better suited as good friends, not least because of the close friendship between the actors who played them.



 

Zack's father is a hot-shot computer salesman (with whom his relationship was, for a time, rather distant) who has been played by two different actors. His mother is a kind, but overly permissive homemaker. Upon graduation, Zack was slated to go to Yale, having scored 1502 on the SAT, the highest of the gang (despite his slacker reputation) but he ultimately attended Cal U with Slater, Screech, and Kelly.



Kelly Kapowski
Played by Tiffani-Amber Thiessen (now known as Tiffani Thiessen), Kelly is a cheerleader and has been described by creator Peter Engel as the quintessential "All-American Girl." She served as a love interest for both Zack and Slater in the first season, but it was Zack who would eventually win her heart and end up marrying her.[6] Much of the show's storylines revolved around their on-and-off relationship. Considered the most popular girl in school and despite the stereotypes of cheerleaders, Kelly was one of the kindest and most squeaky clean (though she did have to serve a couple of detentions during high school). She was introduced as an outsider to the show's core clique.

 

At times, Kelly and Jessie had arguments due to their differences. Jessie believed that cheerleading was demeaning to women although she was a cheerleader in several episodes. Zack had been obsessively in love with Kelly for years, as evidenced by a cardboard cutout of her in his bedroom. His pursuit of Kelly led to her eventually joining the gang. She is on the volleyball, cheerleading, and swim teams and is also a trained lifeguard. Upon graduation, she did not have enough money for college so she attended community college, but later transferred to Cal U with Zack, Slater, and Screech. Both Elizabeth Berkley and Thiessen, as well as Jennie Garth, auditioned for the role of Kelly Kapowski. Thiessen and Garth would later work together on Beverly Hills, 90210 as unfriendly rivals Valerie Malone and Kelly Taylor, respectively (the actresses became best friends in real life).



Lisa Marie Turtle
Played by Lark Voorhies, Lisa is trendy and talkative. She is the clique's fashion expert and the gossip queen of Bayside High. She comes from a wealthy family; her father and mother are surgeons. Originally, her character was written to be white and Jewish; however, Lark aced the audition and they awarded her the role. Because of her upbringing, Lisa always has access to the latest fashions and knows when something is in and when it is not. Like Jessie and Screech, Lisa has been Zack's friend since grade school and some episodes hinted that she harbored a small crush on him. Lisa's goal is to become a world famous fashion designer (Voorhies would later play fashion designer Jasmine Malone on The Bold and the Beautiful). 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 and even attended the Bayside Senior Prom with him. Upon graduation, she receives acceptance into the Fashion Institute of Technology after a successful fashion show.



 

Samuel "Screech" Powers
Played by Dustin Diamond, Screech Powers (whose given name is Samuel) is the school nerd who has an undying love for Lisa Turtle. 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 is 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). A recurring storyline in the series is his unrequited love for Lisa Turtle. During the show, Screech had a girlfriend named Violet (played by Tori Spelling); it was never made clear why the two broke up. He also dated Kelly Kapowski briefly in one episode of Season 1 as he helped her study for a science test. In several early episodes of the series, Screech has an anthropomorphized robot named Kevin, which he programmed. Screech was class valedictorian, but gave that title to Jessie as he knew how much it meant to her. However, Jessie learned what Screech had done for her and returned the honor on graduation day. He received acceptance to The Barbizon School of Modeling and Acting, Duke University; Emerson College; Clemson University; University of California, Berkeley; the California Institute of Technology; Emory University; University of Southern California; and Princeton University.[citation needed] He is rejected from an all-women school that was his number one choice. He chose to go to the fictional Cal U after graduation and shared a dormitory suite with Zack, Slater, and Kelly. He also became the only character to appear in every incarnation of Saved by the Bell when he joined the cast of The New Class as an aide to Mr. Belding. Diamond was three years younger than most of the cast though his character was the same age as them.



Albert Clifford "A.C." Slater
Played by Mario Lopez, Slater is the token "jock" of the group. An army brat, he was an outsider, having transferred to Bayside in the first filmed episode (which aired later as a flashback). A.C. mentions that he has been to Bolivia, Italy, Iceland, and Berlin among other places. He becomes the school's star athlete, excelling as a wrestler and the quarterback of the football team. He is on the basketball team in one episode, even though the basketball season coincides with the wrestling season. 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. A common theme occurs when Jessie constantly bickers with A.C. over his insensitive remarks, particularly about women.

 

He refers to Zack as "Preppy" and when he starts dating Jessie, calls her "Mama". Lopez is a drummer and dancer and some episodes include Slater showcasing these "hidden talents." His father (a Major) appears in two episodes, but his mother, though mentioned throughout the series, never appears. He also has a younger sister named JB whom Zack briefly dated, much to Slater's chagrin. In the season 4 episode "Love Machine," his ex-girlfriend from Berlin visits and calls him by his real name, "Albert Clifford", but the meaning of the abbreviation "A.C." periodically served as comedic fodder during the show's run. During an episode in which Zack was dealing with Gem Diamond to purchase class rings, the A.C. was stated as meaning "abnormally cruel." During an episode where the six core characters used fake I.D.'s to get into an "over 18" dance club called "The Attic," the A.C. was stated as meaning "absolutely charmed."



Much like Voorhies, Lopez was able to captivate the show's producers into casting him into a role that was originally written to be Caucasian. This issue of Slater's ethnicity is addressed in an episode from The College Years, where it is revealed that 25 years earlier A.C.'s father changed his last name from Sanchez to Slater so he could get into the military academy. Although the episode reveals that A.C. does not fluently understand Spanish, he is seen speaking broken Spanish to the kitchen staff of the Malibu Sands Beach club. Slater receives a wrestling scholarship to the University of Iowa, but ends up going to Cal U. with Zack, Screech, and Kelly.



 

Jessica "Jessie" Myrtle Spano
Played by Elizabeth Berkley, Jessica Myrtle ("Jessie") Spano is the show's resident know-it-all crusader. She's often seen pursuing a variety of environmental and generally liberal causes while keeping up her position as class president and one of the smartest students in her class. Like Lisa and Screech, Jessie is Zack's childhood friend (despite the lack of continuity with Good Morning, Miss Bliss). She and Zack live next door to each other and he routinely climbs into her room via a tree outside her window. From the second season onward, her main love interest is A.C. Slater, who disagrees with her feminist views. Jessie's parents are divorced and both are remarried during Season 3. Her mother's remarriage introduces a conniving stepbrother from New York named Eric (played by Joshua Hoffman) in a 2-part episode, although neither her mother nor stepfather are featured. In another 2-part episode, her father marries a much younger aerobics instructor named Leslie, whom Jessie initially disfavors. Jessie also struggled with drug addiction at one point on the series, taking caffeine pills in order to stay awake for longer study hours. Jessie fully expected to be crowned valedictorian, but finished a fraction of a point behind Screech. The race between the two figured as a significant plot point in the episode, with Screech yielding the honor to Jessie, knowing its significance to her. Jessie, however, finds out about her second-place status and uses the opportunity to highlight the caring relationships between the show's core group of characters. Upon graduation, Jessie attends Columbia University, although she long expressed a desire to attend Stanford University and likewise displayed interest in the fictional Stansbury College, as well as various other elite universities.



Richard Belding
Played by Dennis Haskins, Richard Belding is the principal of Bayside High School and the show's resident authority figure. However, when he attended high school he was an anti-authority hippie whom, in one episode, Jessie described as "The Zack Morris of the 60s". According to an old copy of the school paper, he once mooned the school board. Although rarely alluded to, he is known to be a hero of the Vietnam War. He once mentioned that had he been allowed to return for a fourth tour of duty, "the war would've been won in a week". He's known for his catch phrase "Hey, hey, 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. Despite being a responsible authority figure, Mr. Belding is unique as he genuinely seems to care what his students, particularly Zack, think of him. He is married to Rebecca "Becky" Belding (née Flugelman) and has an irresponsible younger brother Rod. Rod Belding appeared in one episode, volunteering to take the class on a rafting trip but backing out at the last minute to go on a date with a stewardess. The resulting argument was overheard by Zack, who had initially liked Rod's lighthearted manner, but came to appreciate Richard's more responsible manner more than before. Belding remained the principal at Bayside (along with Screech as his assistant) until he left to become dean of students at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (Haskins' alma mater in real life) in the final episode of Saved By The Bell: The New Class. He is also known for his love of The Beach Boys classic "California Girls".



 

Max, played by magician/comedian Ed Alonzo, is the owner of The Max, the favorite hangout of the gang. He acted as a sort of liaison between the adult and kid worldsserving as both a guide and a friend to the gang. Max is known for his quirky sense of humor and his array of magic tricks. He starred in the first season and appeared only once in the second and then stopped appearing due to The Max being bought by a new owner. Under this new management two new Max employees were introduced: Jeff, who split up Zack and Kelly, and James, the actor. The Max burned down in the New Class episode Fire at The Max.
Violet Anne Bickerstaff, played by Tori Spelling had a recurring role as Screech's girlfriend during Seasons 2 and 3. She played Violet for only three episodes on the show: episode #21, "House Party", wherein Screech's parents leave for Graceland and the gang accidentally breaks his mother's Elvis statue, episode #34, "Glee Club" and her last episode, #41, "Check Your Mate".

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" who rides a motorcycle to school and is seldom seen without her leather jacket. At first, she is an antagonist to Zack, often getting the better of him, but the two eventually develop romantic interest in each other. Tori only appears in approximately half the episodes of the final season.
Stacey Carosi, played by Leah Remini, was introduced in the Malibu Sands Beach Club episodes where the gang took jobs over the summer (except Lisa, who was a club member). Stacey attends school on the East Coast and the owner of the club is her father, Leon Carosi, played by Ernie Sabella. Stacey is initially disgusted by Zack and refers to him sarcastically as "Dude" and often remarks that his being "Californian" is quite annoying, yet later becomes Zack's love interest. They must hide their affair from Leon, as Zack and Leon are at odds from the beginning of the summer. Their romance ends when Stacey must go back to New York for school and in the final summer episode, even Leon, who finds out about the romance, grows like Zack.



Episode Guide



 

Season 1

1      1-01      6318      20/Aug/89   Dancing to the Maxx
2      1-02      6315      28/Aug/89   The Lisa Card
3      1-03      6314      08/Sep/89   The Gift
4      1-04      6312      09/Sep/89   Fatal Distraction
5      1-05      6313      16/Sep/89   Screech's Woman
6      1-06      6317      23/Sep/89   Aloha Slater
7      1-07      6319      30/Sep/89   The Substitute
8      1-08      6320      07/Oct/89   Cream for a Day
9      1-09      6323      14/Oct/89   Pinned to the Mat
10     1-10      6324      21/Oct/89   Beauty and the Screech
11     1-11      6326      04/Nov/89   The Friendship Business
12     1-12      6321      11/Nov/89   The Mamas and the Papas
13     1-13      6316      18/Nov/89   The Election
14     1-14      6325      02/Dec/89   The Zack Tapes
15     1-15      6311      09/Dec/89   King of the Hill
16     1-16      6329      16/Dec/89   Save That Tiger



 

Season 2

17     2-01      6332      08/Sep/90   The Prom
18     2-02      6339      15/Sep/90   Zack's War
19     2-03      6334      22/Sep/90   Save the Max
20     2-04      6336      29/Sep/90   Driver's Education
21     2-05      6342      06/Oct/90   House Party
22     2-06      6331      13/Oct/90   Blind Dates
23     2-07      6337      20/Oct/90   Rent-a-Pop
24     2-08      6338      27/Oct/90   Miss Bayside
24     2-09      6343      03/Nov/90   Jessie's Song
26     2-10      6340      10/Nov/90   Model Students
27     2-11      6335      17/Nov/90   1-900-CRUSHED
28     2-12      6327      23/Nov/90   Close Encounters of the Nerd Kind
29     2-13      6341      24/Nov/90   Running Zack
30     2-14      6322      01/Dec/90   The Babysitters
31     2-15      6344      09/Dec/90   The Fabulous Belding Boys
32     2-16      6333      15/Dec/90   From Nurse to Worse
34     2-18      6345      23/Dec/90   Glee Club
36     2-17      6346      16/Dec/90   Breaking Up is Hard to Undo



 

Season 3

35     3-01      6349      14/Sep/91   The Last Dance (1)
36     3-02      6366      14/Sep/91   Zack's Birthday Party
37     3-03      6350      21/Sep/91   The Aftermath (2)
38     3-04      6367      21/Sep/91   The Game
39     3-05      6358      28/Sep/91   Operation Zack
40     3-06      6368      28/Sep/91   Fourth of July
41     3-07      6360      05/Oct/91   Check Your Mate
42     3-08      6370      05/Oct/91   My Boyfriend's Back
43     3-09      6353      19/Oct/91   Fake I.D.'s
44     3-10      6369      19/Oct/91   Boss Lady
45     3-11      6361      26/Oct/91   Pipe Dreams
46     3-12      6371      26/Oct/91   The Last Weekend
47     3-13      6351      02/Nov/91   The Wicked Stepbrother (1)
48     3-14      6352      02/Nov/91   The Wicked Stepbrother (2)
49     3-15      15        09/Nov/91   Date Auction
50     3-16      6365      09/Nov/91   All in the Mall
51     3-17      6356      16/Nov/91   S.A.T.'s
52     3-18      6372      16/Nov/91   Palm Springs Weekend (1)
53     3-19      6373      23/Nov/91   Palm Springs Weekend (2)
54     3-20      6355      23/Nov/91   Hold Me Tight
55     3-21      6362      30/Nov/91   No Hope With Dope
56     3-22      6364      30/Nov/91   Rockumentary
57     3-23      6359      07/Dec/91   Cut Day
58     3-24      6374      07/Dec/91   Home For Christmas (1)
59     3-25      6375      14/Dec/91   Home for Christmas (2)
60     3-26      6363      21/Dec/91   Mystery Weekend



 

Season 4

61     4-01      6376      12/Sep/92   The Fight
62     4-02      6379      12/Sep/92   Student-Teacher Week
63     4-03      6382      19/Sep/92   Screech's Spaghetti Sauce
64     4-04      6451      19/Sep/92   The New Girl
65     4-05      6377      26/Sep/92   The Bayside Triangle
66     4-06      6452      26/Sep/92   Teen-Line
67     4-07      6453      03/Oct/92   Masquerade Ball
68     4-08      6461      03/Oct/92   Day of Detention
69     4-09      6378      10/Oct/92   Wrestling with the Future
70     4-10      6454      10/Oct/92   Drinking and Driving
71     4-11      6357      17/Oct/92   Love Machine
72     4-12      6458      17/Oct/92   Class Rings
73     4-13      6384      24/Oct/92   Isn't it Romantic?
74     4-14      6457      24/Oct/92   The Will
75     4-15      6380      31/Oct/92   The Teacher's Strike
76     4-16      6456      31/Oct/92   Slater's Sister
77     4-17      6381      07/Nov/92   The Senior Prom
78     4-18      6347      07/Nov/92   The Video Yearbook
79     4-19      6330      14/Nov/92   Screech's Birthday
80     4-20      6348      14/Nov/92   Snow White and the Seven Dorks
81     4-21      6455      21/Nov/92   Earthquake
82     4-22      6460      21/Nov/92   Best Summer of My Life
83     4-23      6328      28/Nov/92   Slater's Friend
84     4-24      6459      28/Nov/92   School Song
85     4-25      6385      05/Dec/92   The Time Capsule
86     4-26      6383      22/May/93   Graduation

 

Other Episodes

Featured Movie S4            27/Nov/92    Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style
Featured Movie S4            07/Oct/94    Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas