Saved by the Bell is an American teen sitcom created by Sam Bobrick. The series aired on NBC during the period of August 20, 1989 – May 22, 1993, and primarily focused on light-hearted comedic situations between high school friends and their principal.
Saved by the Bell was a hit for NBC, and was named one of the "20th Best School Shows of all Time". The series spawned three spin-offs, Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Saved by the Bell: The New Class and Saved by the Bell (2020). The series also gave rise to two spin-off movies, Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style and Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas.
Plot[]
Following a group of high schoolers and their principal, the series primarily focused around Zack Morris and five of his best friends. The series focuses around their daily interactions throughout high-school and their relationship with their principal, Mr. Belding, but also focuses on serious issues including drug use, homelessness, death and women's rights. Whilst a comedic teen sitcom, the series is also educational and heartfelt.
Cast and Characters[]
Main Cast[]
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Other Cast[]
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Episodes[]
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired (U.S. dates) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season premiere | Season finale | |||
| Good Morning, Miss Bliss | Pilot | July 11, 1987 | ||
| 13 | November 30, 1988 | March 18, 1989 | ||
| 1 | 16 | August 20, 1989 | December 16, 1989 | |
| 2 | 18 | September 8, 1990 | December 23, 1990 | |
| 3 | 26 | September 14, 1991 | December 21, 1991 | |
| 4 | 26 | September 21, 1992 | May 22, 1993 | |
| Hawaiian Style | 4 | November 27, 1992 | ||
| The College Years | 19 | May 22, 1993 | February 8, 1994 | |
| Wedding in Las Vegas | 4 | October 7, 1994 | ||
Real world issues[]
The Saved by the Bell franchise highlighted, and dealt with, numerous real world issues faced by teenagers throughout high school. These include, but are not limited to:
- Underage Drinking: Season 2 of Saved by the Bell: The New Class, dealt with the students of Bayside High experimenting with alcohol. Lindsay Warner gets drunk at a frat party and so does Tommy D. To make matters worse, Tommy D. gets into a accident while drunk. But this wasn't the last time we see Mr. Belding's students hitting the bottle in the seventh and final season, we see their successors drink alcohol during finals week and they pay the price for getting drunk. Resulting in Katie Peterson insulting Liz Miller and kissing another guy. Tony Dillon injures his arm as he ran from the police. Maria Lopez spending the night in jail. Eric Little is arrested but bailed out by his parents. Liz was not arrested because she was puking in a bush. Years before the New Class experienced with alcohol, Zack Morris and his friends experienced underage drinking during Homecoming and they get into a car accident. Like Tommy D. and Tony, Slater was injured involving alcohol. This was the biggest serious issue in the franchise, all reminding viewers not to drink and drive... or not drink during your teens.
- Cheating on a Test
- Dating Abuse: The episode of The New Class entitled "Boundaries" explored a serious issue: ABUSE. Case in point, when Rachel Meyers goes on a date with a popular Cal U student, he shows off his temper towards her. But on their next date, he grabs her arms and she fights off to escape, leaving bruises on her arm. This was the first time Saved by the Bell tackled this very serious issue. Eventually, Rachel revealed his true colors and ended the relationship.
- Drugs: Jessie Spano abused pills during finals weeks in Jessie's Song. But in The New Class, Jessie's successor, Katie Peterson abused pills to heal her shoulder injury so she can swim for the biggest meet. She was saved by boyfriend Nicky Farina. Which shows every Bayside student the price drug abuse pays.
Revival[]
It was announced on September 17, 2019 that a revival was in the works at NBC with preparations for the revival to air on NBC's video streaming service, Peacock. Except for Dustin Diamond and Dennis Haskins, all member of the original main cast have appeared, with Elizabeth Berkley and Mario López returning as main cast members.
Merchandise[]
External links[]
- Wikipedia article
- IMDb
- Television Wiki