33 Years Ago Today, Saved by the Bell Released 2 Episodes That Highlighted One of Its Weirdest Issues

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No TV show is flawless. Even the best shows, with great writing, acting, and a large fanbase, always have some minor mistakes or problems. These can be small things, like a modern object accidentally appearing in a historical scene – remember the coffee cup in Game of Thrones? – which can become a memorable moment and even a popular meme. Sometimes, changes made during broadcasting can alter how a show is seen, as happened with Firefly. And then there’s the case of Saved By the Bell.

Though Saved By the Bell is generally well-made, it has a few oddities. Interestingly, the show actually began as a different series called Good Morning, Miss Bliss on the Disney Channel. Later, Saved By the Bell re-used episodes from Good Morning, Miss Bliss in its reruns, even though the shows had different characters and took place in different locations. But perhaps the strangest thing about the show was that episodes often aired out of order. In fact, on November 14, 1992, two episodes aired back-to-back that really showed how jumbled the order could be.

A Birthday Out of Time (And It’s Obvious)

On November 14, 1992, Saved By the Bell broadcast two episodes: “Screech’s Birthday” and “Snow White and the Seven Dorks.” These episodes were part of the show’s fourth and final season. “Screech’s Birthday” focuses on the friends realizing they forgot Screech’s birthday and scrambling to throw him a party, while “Snow White and the Seven Dorks” features a rap-style adaptation of the classic fairytale, prompting Jessie and Zack to wonder if their feelings for each other might be more than just friendship. Although Saved By the Bell sometimes aired two unrelated episodes back-to-back, this pairing was unusual because the episodes weren’t even filmed during the same season – definitely not Season 4.

Both episodes originally filmed for earlier seasons— “Screech’s Birthday” for season one and “Snow White and the Seven Dorks” for season two. The difference in timing is especially obvious in “Screech’s Birthday,” where the actors look much younger. “Snow White and the Seven Dorks” also shows the characters appearing younger, but unlike “Screech’s Birthday,” which was simply held back, this episode was initially planned as the season two finale. It eventually aired in that order during syndication, which broadcasts episodes based on their production date.

Saved By the Bell’s Season 4 Episode Timeline is Kind of a Mess

It’s unusual that “Screech’s Birthday” and “Snow White and the Seven Dorks” aired when they did within the Saved By the Bell timeline. Just a week earlier, on November 7, 1992, the show broadcast “Video Yearbook,” which was also an episode originally made for season two. This means three episodes from that earlier season were shown together – though with a week’s gap between two of them – years after they were initially filmed, disrupting the show’s normal order.

There’s a lot of debate about why certain episodes of Saved By the Bell were aired out of order, particularly in season 4. One popular theory is that the showrunners were trying to reach 100 episodes, but even including the Good Morning, Miss Bliss season, they fell short at 99. Some believe episodes were delayed due to production issues, while others point out that it was common for shows at the time to film many episodes and then let the network decide how many to air each season, saving the best for then and holding others back. Regardless of the reason, the show frequently aired episodes out of sequence, creating continuity problems, especially with character relationships. Interestingly, watching the show now, with episodes often presented in their original production order, offers a unique experience.

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2025-11-15 04:11