Saved by the Bell

Saved by the Bell
by Jaclyn Sutherby
PLOT/SETTING
→ Set in Palisades, California at Bayside High School in the late 80’s/early 90’s
→ Centered around Zack Morris and his group of friends’ crazy antics/pranks
and struggles with being a high school teen
→ Touched on women’s rights, school, social, drug, environmental, health, and
relationship issues
→ The tight-knit friend group dealt with everything together and shared
hundreds of laughs along the way
CAST
Mark Paul Gosselaar as Zack Morris
Tiffani Amber Thiessen as Kelly Kapowski
Mario Lopez as A.C. Slater
Lark Voorhies as Lisa Turtle
Dustin Diamond as Screech Powers
Elizabeth Berkley as Jessie Spano
RECURRING/MEMORABLE CHARACTERS
Dennis Haskins as Principal Belding
Ed Alonzo as Max
Tori Spelling as Violet Bickerstaff
Leah Remini as Stacey Corosi
AUDIENCE/NETWORK/ETC
→ Targeted towards tweens and teens
→ Aired on NBC from August 1989 to May
1993 -- was originally called “Good Morning
Miss Bliss” for its 1st season
→ Peter Engel and Michael Poryes were the
main writers
→ Peter Engel was also the Executive
Producer
HOW WAS THE SHOW RECEIVED?
→ At first, people thought that there would be no
hope for the show & that it wouldn’t last long
→ Once seasons 2 and 3 picked up, teens became
obsessed and wanted to be more like the characters
→ Was nominated for several awards like “Best Casting for TV Daytime” &
“Best Off-Primetime Family Series,” and won many others such as a Daytime
Emmy
WHAT WAS GOING ON AT THE TIME IT WAS ON THE AIR?
→ Several other sitcoms were being introduced by
different networks such as Seinfeld, Full House,
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, & Family Matters
→ However, not many shows focused on teens as its
main characters
→ SBTB had to compete with the “Saturday
Morning Lineups” of the 90’s with shows such as
Bugs Bunny, Alvin & The Chipmunks, and Guys
Next Door
HOW WAS “SBTB” INFLUENTIAL?
→ Many of the episodes featured common teen issues relating to school, drug
use, and relationships that the gang had to deal with, & each one ended with a
life lesson
→ The young viewers looked up to the characters b/c they taught them how to
stick up for your friends, be true to yourself, and try your best in school (even
when it can be tough)
MOST MEMORABLE EPISODES
WHO WOULD BE DRAWN TO THIS SHOW TODAY?
→ High school teens -- because the cast dealt
with common teen obstacles
→ Today’s teenagers can still relate to what
was portrayed on screen since they all
involved dating, school, friendships, and
stress-related issues
HOW DID IT INFLUENCE TV BEYOND ITS TIME?
→ It was one of the first live-action TV
shows to focus on just kids with limited
adult roles -- many shows were created on
the basis of this
→ New TV shows began to teach their
audiences lessons and showcase real-life
problems
→ Sitcoms became more informative and
entertaining b/c of the life advice and how
the characters resolved their issues
THE END
WORKS CITED
"Saved by the Bell." TV.com. CBS Interactive Inc., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.
"Saved by the Bell." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.
Ebbitt, Kathleen. "Back to the 90s! How Saved By the Bell Made Me a Better Global Citizen." Global Citizen. Global Poverty Project, 9
Feb. 2015. Web. 6 Nov. 2015.
Snetiker, Marc. "'Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story': 100 Things That Maybe Happened." Entertainment Weekly's EW.com.
Entertainment Weekly Inc., 2 Sept. 2014. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.