Saved by the Bell
Series, 1989, TNBC, Set in Bayside High
Saved by the Bell is #13 of 16 in release order and #13 of 16 in chronological order in the NBC Saturday Morning Cartoons.
The story
Lovable schemer Zack Morris leads his pals on adventures at California's Bayside High School. The friends navigate relationships, final exams, school dances, breakups and more while frequently frustrating their principal, Mr. Richard Belding, who does his best to keep them in check.
Saved by the Bell recap
Saved by the Bell (1989) follows a group of friends at Bayside High School in California and their exasperated principal, Mr. Belding. Created by Sam Bobrick and produced by Peter Engel, it grew out of Good Morning, Miss Bliss, a 1987 pilot that became a Disney Channel series in 1988 and 1989; NBC dropped the teacher and moved the focus to the students. Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) is the scheming charmer who talks to the camera and can freeze time; A.C. Slater (Mario Lopez) is the jock and his rival; Samuel "Screech" Powers (Dustin Diamond) is the nerdy inventor; Kelly Kapowski (Tiffani-Amber Thiessen) is the popular girl Zack loves; Jessie Spano (Elizabeth Berkley) is the activist and top student; and Lisa Turtle (Lark Voorhies) is the fashion-minded gossip. Mr. Belding (Dennis Haskins) runs the school, and the gang hangs out at The Max, run by Max (Ed Alonzo). Comedy plots mix with occasional serious issues. Late in the final season, Kelly and Jessie drop out of some episodes and Tori Scott (Leanna Creel) appears instead. The show became the flagship of NBC's TNBC block and ran four seasons and 86 episodes from August 20, 1989, to May 22, 1993, with a TV film, Hawaiian Style, in 1992.
Saved by the Bell ending explained
Saved by the Bell ends with "Graduation", aired May 22, 1993. Zack finds he is one credit short and joins the school ballet recital to earn it, Screech steps aside so Jessie can be valedictorian, and Zack gives a speech about friendship before Mr. Belding hands out diplomas to the class of 1993. The College Years followed Zack, Slater, Screech and Kelly to university for one season, Wedding in Las Vegas (1994) married Zack and Kelly, The New Class ran from 1993 to 2000, and a Peacock revival in 2020 brought back much of the original cast.
Where to watch Saved by the Bell
Saved by the Bell isn't on a US streaming service right now. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.1/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after Camp Candy, before The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3.
- Chronological order: after Camp Candy, before The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3.
Cast
- Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Zack Morris
- Mario López as A.C. Slater
- Dustin Diamond as Samuel 'Screech' Powers
- Lark Voorhies as Lisa Turtle
- Dennis Haskins as Richard Belding
- Elizabeth Berkley as Jessie Spano
- Tiffani Thiessen as Kelly Kapowski
- Ed Alonzo as Max
- D. Danny Warhol as Irwin Consodine (uncredited)
- Leanna Creel as Tori Scott
- Troy Fromin as Ox
- Scott Wolf as Glee Club Member (uncredited)
Created by Sam Bobrick.