Saved By The Bell
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Saved by the Bell was a popular American teen sitcom that is known under varying titles, all episodes of which were originally aired between 1988 and 2000. Its original incarnation in 1987 as Good Morning, Miss Bliss starred Hayley Mills as the good-natured Miss Carrie Bliss, who oversaw cast members Lark Voorhies, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, and Dustin Diamond, as well as other students. Dennis Haskins portrayed Principal Richard Belding throughout the entire series.
While the popular series brought fame to these cast members, 1989 saw the introduction of three additional cast members: Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Elizabeth Berkley, and Mario Lopez. Mark-Paul Gosselaar became a teen idol, making the cover of Tiger Beat and a number of other teen publications. While there were many different actors and seasons and even a different cast once the characters of these actors graduated Bayside High, these actors were the stars of the show during its prime.
The show was created by Sam Bobrick, a writer of several TV shows such as Get Smart, The Flinstones, Gomer Pyle, and The Andy Griffith Show.
About the show
The show's original incarnation, Good Morning, Miss Bliss, was about a teacher and her students at John F. Kennedy Junior High School in Indianapolis. The show starred Hayley Mills as Miss Carrie Bliss, who taught 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. Dennis Haskins played the principal of John F. Kennedy Junior High Mr. Belding, a role which he continued throughout the series as principal of Bayside High School. At the end of the show's first season, NBC boldly sold the series off into syndication with the "Miss Bliss" episodes included to pad out the syndication package. The Miss Bliss episodes featured a new opening sequence in line with the Saved by the Bell opening sequence and included introductions by Zack that established the show as part of the Saved by the Bell universe despite the numerous continuity problems and differences.
The reason for the change in setting is because Good Morning, Miss Bliss was originally on The Disney Channel. When the show was cancelled by Disney, NBC acquired the rights of all 13 episodes; and the show was reborn as Saved by the Bell. 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.
Because of this, the only Miss Bliss cast members to appear on Saved by the Bell were Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Lark Voorhies, Dustin Diamond, and Dennis Haskins. When the show returned, it was set at the fictional Bayside High School in California.
In Season 3, Saved by the Bell had the characters work at a resort by the beach and it was mostly shot on film for exterior scenes. Characters specific to these episodes were:
- Leon Carosi, played by Ernie Sabella
- Stacey Carosi, played by Leah Remini
In the episode "Jessie's Song", a stressed-out Jessie resorts to caffeine pill abuse in order to manage her school work and commitment to the singing trio with Kelly and Lisa. Ever the concerned boyfriend, Slater tries to convince her to stop, but only after an emotional (and again, unintentionally comedic) breakdown does Jessie recognize that she has a problem. This episode set the standard for unintentional comedy and has gained notoriety from both Bill Simmons and Collegehumor.com. The episode has been 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 , 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.)"
Characters
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.
Played by Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Kelly is the cheerleader of the group 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 and was crowned homecoming queen in the first season. She has been revealed to be poor.
Played by Mario Lopez, Slater is the token "jock" of the group. He originally was written as Zack's rival for Kelly's affection before becoming Zack's best friend in the show's second season. An army brat, Slater transfers to Bayside at the start of the series and becomes the school's star wrestler/football/basketball player. Originally a suitor for Kelly, Slater later develops an attraction to strong-willed feminist Jessie Spano. The two become a fairly stable couple despite a very rocky start due to their clashing attitudes towards members of the opposite sex. Slater also has a younger sister, J.B., that, due to Zack's attraction to her, almost put a rift in his friendship with Zack.
It was revealed that Slater's real last name was Sanchez, but his father legally changed it in order to be enlisted in the army. Also revealed through his father is AC's real name, "Albert Clifford."
Played by Elizabeth Berkley, Jessie is the show's resident know-it-all crusader. She's often seen pursuing a variety of causes (most 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 (though the first season took place in Indianapolis, not Pacific Palisades) and he routinely climbs into her room via a tree outside their windows. From the second season onwards, her main love interest is Slater, who disagrees with her feminist views. The two routinely fight over this yet remain committed to each other in spite of their views. By the end of the series, Jessie is bound for Columbia University and misses becoming valedictorian by a tenth of a point. However, she is given Valedictorianship, and subsequentially Co-Valedictorianship, after Screech refuses to accept the award over Jessie.
Played by Dustin Diamond, Screech (whose real name is Samuel) is the skinny and rubbery-faced nerd who benefits a great deal from hanging out with Zack's clique. 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 and finished as the top student at Bayside his senior year. A recurring gag in the series is his unrequited love for Lisa Turtle. His love interest for a few episodes is Violet, played by Tori Spelling. In early episodes of the series, Screech has a robot named Kevin, but he only makes a limited number of appearances. Despite Screech's knack for not being able to fend for himself, he did gain some confidence to confront Zack about his blooming relationship with Lisa.
Played by Lark Voorhies, Lisa is beautiful, 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's been Zack's best friend since they were in grade school. Lisa's goal is to become a world famous fashion designer. Lisa's on the cheerleading squad and swim team with Kelly and is elected homecoming queen during senior year. 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, Lisa did care for him deep down. Screech finally gave up on Lisa when she began dating Zack in one episode. Lisa's and Zack's relationship was never referenced or mentioned again, so it's presumed it was ended mutually. Lisa went on to fashion school in New York and returned for Zack and Kelly's wedding in Vegas.
Played by Leanna Creel, Tori is introduced midway through season five as the new girl at Bayside High. Tori likes Zack, and they become a couple briefly. She is seldom seen without her trademark leather jacket. Kelly and Jessie are absent and are never mentioned by any of the other characters throughout the 'Tori episodes'.
Max
Played by magician/comedian Ed Alonzo, Max was initially a main character when the show began its first season on NBC. He 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 always was willing to be of help to the gang, whether it was providing a burger, a listening ear, or advice. Max was a starring role for only one season before he became a recurring character for some early second season episodes. His last episode was "Save the Max." Though the gang still frequented The Max until the finale, he was never seen or heard of after that episode and there was no explanation for his disappearance.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. Dennis Haskins, as Mr. Belding, is the only character to make appearances in all Bell shows (Good Morning, Miss Bliss pilot, Good Morning Miss Bliss, Saved By the Bell junior high (8th grade), Saved By the Bell high school years, Saved By the Bell: Hawaiian Style, Saved By the Bell: The College Years (as guest star), Saved By the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas, and ).Cast changes
1987
The pilot for Good Morning, Miss Bliss aired on July 11, 1987 on NBC (in The Facts of Lifes timeslot). It featured up and comers Brian Austin Green, Jaleel White, and Jonathan Brandis. Although Brian Austin Green was in essence, the "lead" student in the pilot, he didn't play Zack Morris. Instead, Green played Adam Montcrief, a a super-serious student, who always wore business suits. Another interesting tidbit is that the Mr. Belding character was in the pilot, but Dennis Haskins didn't portray him (instead, the role went to Oliver Clark). In addition, Mr. Belding's first name was Gerald instead of Richard. The character of Tina Paladrino was in the pilot but instead of being portrayed by Joan Ryan (as she did on the subsequent series), she was portrayed by Maria O'Brien. Ironically, although Hayley Mills was the only actor to survive beyond the pilot, her character in the pilot wasn't even named Miss Bliss. Instead, Mills' character was named Mrs. Davis'.Full Cast
- Jonathan Brandis .... Michael Thompson
- Oliver Clark .... Mr. Gerald Belding
- Gabriel Damon .... Bradley
- Brian Austin Green .... Adam Montcrief
- Hayley Mills .... Mrs. Davis
- Samantha Mills .... Wendy
- Maria O'Brien .... Tina Paladrino
- Julie Ronnie .... Lonnie Maple
- Matt Shakman .... Georgie Winslow
- Charles Siebert .... Charlie Davis
- Jaleel White .... Bobby Wilson
- Britton Elliott .... Janet Hillhurst(?)
- Josh Goddard .... Steven(?)
- Andrea Messersmith .... Laurie
- Sarah Jo Martin .... (Unnamed Student)(?)
- Danielle Rioux .... (Unnamed Student)(?)
- Gary Werntz .... Moving Man #1(?)
- Ren Meyerson .... Moving Man #2(?)
1989
When the original incarnation Good Morning, Miss Bliss was cancelled by The Disney Channel in 1989, it was adopted by NBC and underwent various alterations in production. For one, the title was changed to Saved by the Bell, and all episodes prior to 1989 were retitled Saved by the Bell (the original Good Morning, Miss Bliss titles are now lost). Also, all cast members were replaced, with the exceptions of Lark Voorhies, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Dustin Diamond, and Dennis Haskins.In 1989, the new cast members introduced were Elizabeth Berkley (Jessie), Mario Lopez (A.C.), and Tiffani-Amber Thiessen (Kelly). There were no prominent teachers like Miss Bliss, but there were various teachers shown briefly in certain episodes. The setting for the series also changed; the students now attend Bayside High School in Pacific Palisades, California rather than John F. Kennedy Junior High School in Indiana, but Belding remains the principal.
1992
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 featured Zack, Slater, Screech, Lisa, and a new character played by actress Leanna Creel called Tori Scott. Ultimately, 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, on which the cast graduated high school, was filmed before Thiessen and Berkeley 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.
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
When the actors from the original series got too old to be playing high school students, a spin-off series was created, titled , which showed the cast dealing with college life at the fictional California University.
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.
Originally, the six main characters on The College Years were Zack Morris, A.C. Slater, Screech Powers, Leslie Burke (Anne Tremko), Alex Tabor (Kiersten Warren), and Danielle Marks (Essence Atkins). After the pilot, Tiffani Thiessen decided to return to play the role of Kelly Kapowski. Essence Atkins' character was written out of the show as having transferred to another college.
Zack's original love interest was Leslie at the beginning of the series, but after Kelly transferred to "Cal U." Zack later developed feelings for both girls. Eventually, Kelly became Zack's sole love interest. However, his plans to win Kelly back were put to a halt somewhat when Kelly started dating her professor Jeremiah Lasky (Patrick Fabian). The gang's dorm advisor was Mike Rogers (Bob Golic), a former San Francisco 49ers player who came to college, and during the latter part of the series, Dean Susan McMann (Holland Taylor) joined the series.Saved by the Bell: The New Class
When the show ended with the main characters graduating from high school, NBC created a spin-off called , which featured a new set of characters anchored by Dennis Haskins, and later Dustin Diamond, whose character Screech became Principal Belding's personal assistant. 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 Saved by the Bell. The series aired from September 11, 1993 to July 29, 2000.
Many of the New Class episodes were actually "recycled" versions of episodes from the original Saved by the Bell. The Max remained as the hangout for the Bayside High students. But in one episode, the place accidentally caught fire and burnt down but was rebuilt. The New Class is the only one of Saved by the Bell incarnations not to currently be syndicated.Made-for-TV movies
In 1992, ''Saved by the Bells first made for TV movie, ' aired. 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. The show ended with a two hour movie , in which Zack and Kelly got married. The movie included cast members from both the original series and the College Years series, sans Anne Tremko. Elizabeth Berkeley has a brief cameo appearance at the end of the film with one of the outfits from her now infamous film, Showgirls.Syndication
In the United States, Saved by the Bell, along with the repackaged Good Morning, Miss Bliss series and Saved by the Bell: The College Years are syndicated via NBC Universal Television Distribution. Until recently, it was distributed by CBS Paramount Television. However, the closing logos shown after the closing credits state that it's still distributed by Rysher Entertainment (which was owned by Cox Enterprises until Paramount absorbed the company in the late 1990s). 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.In the United Kingdom, the series is broadcast on cable television network Nickelodeon UK.
Adult Swim
On April 9, 2006, Cartoon Network's Adult Swim announced that Saved by the Bell would air starting April 17 at midnight as a two week special, despite being a live-action show for kids. The channel temporarily changed their onscreen logo from "[adult swim]" to "[crappy 1980s live action tv show network]", by "request" from an irate viewer.
On April 19, 2006, Adult Swim also posted on their website stating that Saved by the Bell was back in production with 30 new episodes due to "[t]he popularity of the show thanks to the fans of Adult Swim."[link] A week later, the announcement was exposed as a joke. [link]
Continuity errors
Some of the biggest continuity errors are between Saved by the Bell and its Good Morning, Miss Bliss series. In an episode of Good Morning, Miss Bliss, Zack's father is a single, swinging bachelor with a laid-back attitude. On Saved by the Bell, Zack's dad is married and is a lot more serious and mature. In one episode of Good Morning, Miss Bliss, it's also mentioned that Zack has a sister and Screech has a brother. But they're only children in the Saved by the Bell series.The name of Zack's father also changes from Good Morning, Miss Bliss to Saved by the Bell. On Good Morning, Miss Bliss, his name is Peter, while on Saved by the Bell, it is Derek. In addition, the actors who portrayed his dad had changed.
In another example, in one two-part episode ("Wicked Stepbrother"), Jessie's stepbrother Eric 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, but it might've been due to the controversial nature of having an interracial relationship on the show or the running gag becoming boring with fans.
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 "Bayside High era" 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.
Despite the fact that his door opens directly to the hallway, Mr. Belding is often contacted by a secretary who announces his visitors.
Each SBTB-related series had different writers.
Internet phenomenon?
On YouTube, many users began to post up edited clips of Saved by the Bell except its other incarnations. Many clips include:- Zack and Slater assaulting each other with heavy metal music.
- Clips of Zack and Slater in a PG-13 Brokeback Mountain parody.
- Episodes of SBTB dubbed by a person with the original lines, with added profanity. The music and laugh track remains the same and the original voices are partially audible.
- Mario Lopez's trademark smile and flamboyant personality as a guest star in Mind of Mencia in Wetback Mountain.
- A Mario Lopez look-a-like in a series from Tiger Team Awesome called 28 Days Slater, a play on the title 28 Days Later. The series features Lopez (played by a look-alike) claiming to actually be the character he played on Saved by the Bell while thinking he's stuck in the studio in which that program was produced.
- "Jessie's Song" gained more attention on CollegeHumor due to Elizabeth Berkley being odd and completely silly.
- A shortened version of the anti-drug episode, which makes it more serious looking yet there is some repeated clips.
DVD releases
All four versions of the Saved by the Bell series are available on DVD. 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 May 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.
Trivia
- The origin of the English idiom "saved by the bell" is the sport of boxing.http://www.snopes2.com/horrors/gruesome/buried.asp
- The Good Morning Miss Bliss episodes are sometimes shown in reruns as Saved by the Bell: The Junior High Years.
- The Bayside Tigers school logo was actually a cheap knockoff of the Detroit Tigers logo from the 1980s (it was colored maroon and said "Bayside" instead of "Detroit").
- At every possible opportunity, Slater spontaneously breaks into dance. This can be evidenced during an episode where Zack and Slater are both pursuing the new girl in school and later get into an altercation at The Max over a bowl of punch. When 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 Zach dumps ants down Slater's back in Study Hall.
- Berkeley 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 Berkeley.
- Fans were shocked that Tori Spelling was a beautiful actress instead of an unattractive girl on the show.
- Zack often breaks the fourth wall, ostensibly freezing time by proclaiming, "Time out!" and making a "T" gesture with his hands. The other characters on screen "freeze" while Zack directly addresses the audience on whatever is happening and even occasionally manipulates the scene. One instance involves him using his cell phone to order flowers, seemingly suggesting that time only freezes for those present in the room.
- Popular freeform hardcore producer and DJ AC Slater took his name from the Saved by the Bell character of the same name. He likes the name but he doesn't watch the show.
- Although it is never explained, Slater's mom never appears on any episodes.
- Brian Austin Green, Jonathan Brandis, Jaleel White, and Jennie Garth were all considered for main character roles during initial casting. Green and Brandis appeared in the Saved by the Bell: The College Years episode "A Thanksgiving Story."
- When the show was 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.
- Dustin 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 and almost every episode.
- Mario Lopez is a talented drummer and dancer, and some episodes center around his character A.C. Slater showcasing these "hidden talents."
- The show's popularity on Saturday morning is what led NBC to inevitably cancel cartoons on Saturday mornings and run live action teen-oriented shows instead (California Dreams, Hang Time, etc.) under the TNBC banner.
- Popular radio DJ and personality Casey Kasem made two separate guest appearances on the show ("Dancing to the Max" and "Rockumentary").
- On December 1, 2002, the E! network used the show's history as a segment for its E! True Hollywood Story. The special revealed interesting facts and interviews with the cast and crew. On occasion, it's still being shown on the network.
- In an episode where Screech participates in a chess championship ("Check Your Mate"), he plays a foreign opponent portrayed by Mark-Paul Gosselaar (the only actor to have another role). While playing the opponent, Gosselaar's character mumbles in Dutch. Gosselaar speaks fluent Dutch.
- Mark-Paul Gosselaar's and Tiffiani Thiessen's characters of Zack and Kelly are a couple on screen; they also 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.
- Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Dustin Diamond are the only actors to have another role as a Dutch chess player and Skippy, an angel version of Screech respectively.
- During an episode where the girls talk to Kelly about going to France, Jesse mentions "And you will meet cute guys named Mark-Paul." Mark-Paul Gosselaar is the actor that plays Zack.
- Throughout the show, Screech has different lockers. In the first two seasons, his locker is near Belding's office; in the later seasons his locker is near the stairs. However, many schools change the locker assignments every year, which could explain this.
- 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.
- During the episode where Screech invents a secret sauce ("Screech's Spaghetti Sauce"), the gang is seen filming a commercial for the product. In the commercial, Jessie, Zack, Lisa, Kelly and Slater play an Italian family. Slater's character is called "Mario" which happens to be the actor's real name. Also during this commercial, the doorbell rings and Slater remarks "Hey, we're saved by the bell!"
- The exterior of Bayside High School is never seen throughout the series. It was only 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.
- Bayside High is the same school that Raven, Eddie and Chelsea go to on That's So Raven.
- At the end of the first episode starring Tori Scott ("The New Girl"), Slater can be seen in the background dancing with a tree during the Fall Ball dance.
- The episode "Day of Detention" was the last to be filmed for the high school series.
- Mr. Belding's wife, Becky Belding, appears in one episode: "Earthquake!"
- In the episode "Earthquake!", Slater is in the locker room wearing shorts when the earthquake occurs. When he later enters the hallways, he is wrapped in a towel (implying he is not wearing any shorts).
- In the episode "Screech's Spaghetti Sauce", the flasks used to hold the sauce are made of "easy break" glass. You can see this when Screech picks up the last bottle on the conveyor after it starts moving very fast. When Screech gently sets the bottom down, it breaks on the conveyor belt.
- 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 (old) video games shown in 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.
- Dustin Diamond never got along with the main cast and his only friend in the studio was Dennis Haskins.
See also
External links
- [Mr. Belding (Dennis Haskins) Interview]
- [TV.com entry of Saved by the Bell]
- [Saved by the Bell at SitcomsOnline.com]
- [SavedByTheBellNow.Com Updated informations on what the actors/actresses are doing now]
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