Saved by the Bell was an institution for a generation of fans, and continues to be a beloved franchise to this day. Characters like Zack Morris, Kelly Kapwoski, Lisa Turtle, and Screech became household names, and the show’s zany adventures in the middle of a typical High School day also became entrenched in pop culture. What might surprise you is that Saved by the Bell only exists because another Disney sitcom was cancelled after just 13 episodes, and it actually featured the same characters.
Before Saved by the Bell took TV by storm, a show titled Good Morning, Miss Bliss debuted on Disney Channel on November 30th, 1988. The show revolved around the Junior High School class taught by Miss Bliss (played by Hayley Mills), and she taught a class that included Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), Lisa Turtle (Lark Voorhies), and Samuel Screech Powers (Dustin Diamond), and even Richard Belding (Dennis Haskins) was part of the show. Then the show was cancelled after just 13 episodes, but the studio wasn’t done with the premise just yet.
How Good Morning, Miss Bliss Became Saved by the Bell
Good Morning, Miss Bliss didn’t just include Zack, Lisa, and Screech as part of the class, as it also included Mikey Gonzalez (Max Battimo), who was Zack’s best friend, as well as Nikki Coleman (Heather Hopper), who was more outspoken in class and by the book.
Then there were the other adult characters, including Mylo Williams (T.K. Carter), Mr. Belding, and Miss Bliss’ friend Tina Paladrino (Joan Ryan). As you can see in that balance of characters, there was more of a split between the focus on the students and the teachers in the original series, but after it was cancelled, there was a major change in focus.
After the cancellation of the show, NBC reclaimed the rights, and so they brought over Zack, Lisa, Screech, and Mr. Belding to a new series titled Saved by the Bell, and instead of a school set in Indianapolis, the location was changed to Bayside, which was set in California.
The changes weren’t done though, as the show brought in new characters to round out the group. A.C. Slater (Mario Lopez) was brought in as an almost antagonist for Zack, and then they would become best friends over the course of the show. Jessie Spano (Elizabeth Berkley) and Kelly Kapowski (Tiffani Thiessen) were also brought in to create an evenly split group of 6, and they would become just as vital to the group as the series progressed.
While other characters would come and go, these 6 would be the main group throughout the show’s run, and while other teachers and external adult characters would get the occasional spotlight, Mr. Belding was primarily the only adult who commanded any substantial screen time, as the main focus was primarily on the students and their adventures. It ultimately worked, as the show is now in pop culture icon status, and even enjoyed a successful reboot that was unfortunately cancelled far too soon. The franchise is still adored, but it wouldn’t exist without Good Morning, Miss Bliss.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!