For many, Saved by the Bell defined a generation and remains popular today. Characters like Zack Morris, Kelly Kapowski, Lisa Turtle, and Screech became instantly recognizable, and the show’s funny, fast-paced stories about high school life became a part of pop culture. Interestingly, Saved by the Bell came about because another Disney show was cancelled early – and it actually used the same characters!
Before Saved by the Bell became a hit, a show called Good Morning, Miss Bliss first appeared on the Disney Channel on November 30, 1988. It followed a junior high class taught by Miss Bliss (Hayley Mills), and featured early appearances by familiar faces like Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), Lisa Turtle (Lark Voorhies), and Screech Powers (Dustin Diamond)—even Principal Belding (Dennis Haskins) was on the show! Although it was canceled after only 13 episodes, the idea wasn’t completely abandoned.
How Good Morning, Miss Bliss Became Saved by the Bell
The show Good Morning, Miss Bliss featured not only Zack, Lisa, and Screech, but also two other students: Mikey Gonzalez, Zack’s best friend, and Nikki Coleman, who was known for being direct and following the rules.
The show also featured adult characters like Mylo Williams (T.K. Carter), Principal Belding, and Miss Bliss’ friend Tina Paladrino (Joan Ryan). The original series balanced its attention between the students and teachers, but that changed significantly after the show was cancelled, with a greater focus on the students.
When the original show ended, NBC regained the rights and decided to continue the story with Zack, Lisa, Screech, and Mr. Belding in a new series called Saved by the Bell. The setting moved from Indianapolis to a California high school called Bayside.
Despite initial plans, the show didn’t actually make any changes to the original characters. Instead, it added new faces to expand the group. A.C. Slater, played by Mario Lopez, was first introduced as a rival to Zack, but they quickly became close friends. Elizabeth Berkley as Jessie Spano and Tiffani Thiessen as Kelly Kapowski also joined the cast, bringing the total to six and becoming essential members of the group as the series went on.
Throughout the show’s entire run, six characters formed the core group. Though other teachers and adults appeared from time to time, Mr. Belding was the only adult consistently featured. The show primarily focused on the students and their experiences, and this approach clearly worked – it became a pop culture classic and even had a recent reboot, though that was sadly cut short. The franchise remains popular today, and it all started with Good Morning, Miss Bliss.
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2026-02-01 19:12