The Untold Truth Of Saved By The Bell
By Isabella Wilson
You may be surprised to learn that Bell started off as a completely different show called Good Morning, Miss Bliss. The pilot episode aired in 1988, starring Hayley Mills, a British actress, as the titular Miss Bliss. The show lasted for 13 episodes on the Disney Channel before it got canceled.
When Miss Bliss didn't make it in the ratings, executive producer Peter Engel went back to the drawing board. The series was retooled into Saved By the Bell, taking four cast members with it: Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Zachary "Zack" Morris, Dustin Diamond as Samuel "Screech" Powers, Lark Voorhies as Lisa Turtle, and Dennis Haskins as Mr. Belding. Brian Austin Green and Jaleel White, AKA Urkel, also appeared in an early episode of Miss Bliss, but did not make the jump to Saved by the Bell.
Though Miss Bliss takes place in Indianapolis, Engel decided to move the kids to California. He also changed the age range of the show: The kids on Miss Bliss are in the eighth grade, but the protagonists of Saved by the Bell are full blown high-schoolers.
