29 Saved By The Bell Facts That You Might Know About The Show

'Saved By The Bell' is a show created by Sam Bobrick.

It is an American teen sitcom that aired on NBC from August 20, 1989, to May 22, 1993. The show focused primarily on light-hearted hilarious situations between a principal and some high school friends.

The show was a big hit for NBC. It was even called one of the '20th Best School Shows of all Time'.

It was such a big show that three spin-offs were made from it. They are 'Saved By The Bell: The College Years' in 1993, 'Saved By The Bell: The New Class' in 1993, and 'Saved By The Bell' in 2020.

There were also two spin-off movies made from the show, 'Saved By The Bell: Hawaiian Style' and 'Saved By The Bell: Wedding In Las Vegas'.

The Storyline Of Saved By The Bell TV show

'Saved By The Bell' on NBC is regarded as one of the best shows to not just focus on the daily life of some high schoolers and their principal but also to bring awareness regarding some of the social problems in the world. Learn about the show here.

The show was named 'Good Morning, Miss Bliss' at first. It was based at a junior high school in Indianapolis. But this was made as an entirely different show. The producers also suggested the name 'When The Bell Rings', but the name you all love was chosen later.

The story follows a principal and his group of high schoolers. The show focuses on Zack Morris and his five best friends.

The show is mostly about their daily interactions throughout their school life and their principal, Mr. Belding. The characters and the show also focus on severe problems like homelessness, drug use, women's rights, and death. Although it is a teen-comedy show, it is heartfelt and educational.

The character of Lisa Turtle was created to be a Jewish princess based in Long Island who had recently moved to California.

According to Peter Engel, Miss Bliss was based on Brandon Tartikoff's sixth-grade teacher with the same name.

Zack and his best friend Screech are the only characters in the show that appear in every episode. They were also part of the most number of scenes in the show.

Towards the end, when the show was about to be completed and having shot the graduation, Tiffani got an offer to go for '90210' with Aaron Spelling, and Elizabeth wanted to work in movies. Therefore, they were not part of the scenes and weren't re-signed.

To keep the finale impactful, the story pretended that Jessie and Kelly were somewhere else doing their own things while Tori took the lead in the show. The graduation show aired later, with Kelly and Jessie as it was shot earlier.

Facts About The Cast

The cast and crew members of any show in the world work as a tight-knit group to bring the viewers the best content related to the project. This show's cast members also have their fair share of stories. Learn about them here.

The show's original pilot didn't have any of the original cast members. The show was to star Hayley Mills in the lead.

The cast seen in the pilot was not in the 13 episodes of 'Good Morning, Miss Bliss', the show's original name. Only Mills remained constant. Brian Austin Green and Jaleel White were in that opening episode of the show.

In the show, Mark-Paul Gosselaar plays Zack Morris, Elizabeth Berkley as Jessie Spano, Tiffani Thiessen as Kelly Kapowski, Leah Remini as Stacey Carosi, Dennis Haskins as Richard Belding, Ed Alonzo as Max, Tori Spelling as Violet Anne Bickerstaff, Mario Lopez plays A.C. Slater, Dustin Diamond as Screech Powers, Lark Voorhies as Lisa Turtle, Leanna Creel as Tori Scott, and Ernie Sabella as Leon Carosi.

The iconic blonde hair of Zack Morris was not natural. Mark-Paul Gosselaar had to color his hair for the role. Similarly, since Mario Lopez wanted to look similar to Mel Gibson, he wore acid-washed jeans and neon tank tops. Slater said he liked his hair long as he wanted to look like Mel Gibson in 'Lethal Weapon'.

Dennis Haskins played Principal Belding in the show. The laugh Mr. Belding is famous for in the show is actually Dennis Haskins' laughter in real life. He was called upon in the audition and asked to laugh. Hearing his trademark laugh, the writers asked him to do it again, and the rest is history.

Ed Alonzo played the character of the owner of the Max restaurant. Ed also assisted in creating illusions for the 2009 world tour of Brittney Spears.

Elizabeth Berkley was also shortlisted for the role of Kelly Kapowski, along with Tiffani Thiessen. However, the show's creator fought for the selection of Tiffani, and the rest is history.

Engel got Dustin Diamond on board for filming without knowing he was younger than any of the other actors. When he was cast, Dustin was 11 years old.

This made him at least three years younger than the other actors. The characters and actors were like a family on the set. Lark Voorhies could not go to her prom or graduation ceremony as she was filming the show.

Johnny Dakota, the actor and hunk that attempted to get Kelly to smoke, was a backup dancer for Janet Jackson.

Before they turned into big stars, Scott Wolf, Tori Spelling, Denise Richards, and Soleil Moon Frye appeared in cameo roles in the show.

Dustin Diamond's father played the role of a science teacher in two episodes of the show. The name of the character was Mr. Bennett.

Most of the names of the characters in the show came from people Engel knew in his life. Screech Washington was a producer he knew in real life.

His name was used in the series for a significant character. Slater was his son's kindergarten classmate, Zack was the name of his friend - John DeLorean's son, Lisa Turtle was a girl Engel knew, and Richard Belding was his editor when he worked at Universal.

Little Known Facts

Every show and movie in the world has some behind-the-scene facts that no one knows about. Here are some little-known facts about 'Saved By The Bell'.

In 1990, the Children's Television Act was passed by Congress, which increased the amount of educational programming for children. 'Saved By The Bell' was added by NBC to this list as it dealt with issues like drug use, peer pressure, and drinking and driving.

Scott Gale wrote the iconic theme song of the show. He also wrote 'Friends Forever' and 'Did We Ever Have A Chance?' from the show. 

Gale was known as the music coordinator/music supervisor of the 'Golden Girls'. However, he did not compose their theme song. 

Peter Engel banned swearing on the set, according to many sources. He is the creator of the show.

The Malibu Sands Beach Club in the show is the same plot used in 'Beverly Hills 90210'. The actual location of the beach club seen in the show is Annenberg Community Beach House, located in Santa Monica, California. It has been remodeled and looks nothing like the series presently.

In 1992, the show was nominated for 'Outstanding Achievement In Lighting Direction' in Daytime Emmy. It was the only nomination in its four-year run. 

The heart at the end of the show's final season was made by Peter Engel's sons when they were kids. His kids inspired him to make the show.

The same classroom was used in every show. Only the room was rearranged for filming. The set of the school was never destroyed and was even used in other projects like 'That's So Raven' and 'iCarly'.

The cast and team behind the show tried to keep the hype moving forward by bringing 'Saved By The Bell: The College Years'. However, the new show lasted for only 18 episodes, even though almost everyone was back for it.

NBC only used the pilot of 'Good Morning, Miss Bliss'. The show doesn't get picked up by the channel. Disney Channel aired the first season of the show which was produced by NBC. The show, then later changed to 'Saved By The Bells'; however, went back to NBC. Disney played the show for a 13-episode season.

In the show, Mr. Belding's office has a lot of certificates and degrees hanging around. Did you know one of those degrees is a degree in Kung Fu? We just got unlucky that we didn't get to witness his skills in Kung Fu.

'Saved By The Bell' is one of the most famous shows of the '80s and '90s. Before people could get their hands on 'Seinfield' and 'FRIENDS', they used to binge-watch the stories of Baywatch High and the adventures within.

The outrageous approach to fundamental issues in the world worked with 'Saved By The Bell' and people worldwide, making it a defining watch for teenagers. If you haven't watched the show yet, this is the right time to start, and maybe wish for a reboot in the future!

FAQ

Did anyone from Saved by the Bell die?
Dustin Diamond died of lung cancer at the age of 44.

Why did Kelly and Jessie leave Saved by the Bell?
Tiffani, who played Kelly, got a chance to work in '90210', and Elizabeth, who played Jessie, wanted to do movies.

Who played Lisa on Saved by the Bell?
Lark Voorhies played Lisa in the show.

Where did Saved by the Bell take place?
The characters went to Bayside High School in Palisades, California.

What happened to the Saved by the Bell cast?
They continued to have successful careers after the show ended.

Who died from Saved by the Bell?
Dustin Diamond died from the show.

What happened to Screech from Saved by the Bell?
The actor, Dustin, died in 2021.