Good Morning…most of you won’t be back for season 2!
Ms. Bliss (Hayley Mills) is the best teacher you could ever ask for. She’s devoted, listens to her students, and isn’t afraid to get involved. That’s fortunate with a class like hers, she’ll need more than patience. Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) is always scheming, his best friend Mikey Gonzales (Max Battimo) goes along with him, Lisa Turtle (Lark Voorhies) is the beauty, Nikki Coleman (Heather Hopper) is the advocate, and Screech (Dustin Diamond) is the geek. As Ms. Bliss navigates the world of teachers, she and Principal Belding (Dennis Haskins) will just try to make it through the year.
Good Morning, Miss Bliss—Season 1 pilot aired on July 11, 1987 in place of a Facts of Life episode. The series was retooled, recast, and picked up. It was produced by NBC but aired on Disney. The series eventually transformed into Saved by the Bell and returned to NBC. The Miss Bliss episodes were retrofitted with Save by the Bell opening credits and also often contained intros by Mark-Paul Gosselaar.
Who has Screech Mania? Everyone, I’m guessing…
I have never been part of the cult of Saved by the Bell. I rarely saw the series and felt it was always pretty cheesy, poorly acted, and just not very good. Despite this my generation really latched on to it. I decided to try to sit and watch it beginning with this series…which I found odd and fun in its oddness.
The show originally was much more like a Head of the Class for kids or what Boy Meets World became. The stories generally featured a Ms. Bliss story and a story focusing around Zack and the students. Being from Indiana, it was fun to see multiple Indiana references (especially in the pilot) and some goofed up references (“going up to Bloomington” from Indianapolis). The series dropped the teacher aspect however for the relaunch and shifted the show to California…if it had been set in Indy, I might have had more interest.
Remember when Jem (or Hannah Montana) came for a visit?
Hayley Mills kind of got the raw end of the deal when it came to Saved by the Bell. She wasn’t bad as the caring teacher and I kind of wish she had made the transition, but by then they decided to stick with the kids as the focus. Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Lark Voorhies, and Duston Diamond made the cut but other characters like Nikki and Mikey were left in Indiana. Principal Belding was a carryover but T.K. Carter who played the wise maintenance man thankfully didn’t make the move.
The story is pretty standard sitcom shooting with sitcom plots. You have the lying to friends episode, frog dissection episode, and singer guest-star (which was a very Gem and the Holograms episode of the series). It is probably pretty jarring to watch these episodes when compared to Saved by the Bell.
Saved by the Bell is a very late ’80s/early ’90s series. For that reason it connected to people of my generation, but I wasn’t one of them. If I’m going to watch a bad sitcom, I’d rather watch Facts of Life or Diff’rent Strokes which had a similar tone. It is kind of fun to go back in time with some of the references…I just think you can find better.
Good Morning, Miss Bliss—Season 1 Complete Episode Guide:
“Pilot”
1.1 Pilot Airdate: 07/11/87
Ms. Bliss (Hayley Mills) is back for her first day of school with a new husband (Charles Siebert) and a new group of students. When transfer student Michael Thompson (Jonathan Brandis) demonstrates something is wrong, Ms. Bliss must step into action to help.
“Summer Love”
1.2 Summer Love Airdate: 11/30/88
It’s a new school year, and Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) has had a summer romance with a girl named Karen (Carla Gugino). Unfortunately, Zach lied about being in the ninth grade and Karen could find out his secret. Miss Bliss (Hayley Mills) butts heads with Principal Richard Belding (Dennis Haskins) when she has a date on a night she needs him.
“Love Letters”
1.3 Love Letters Airdate: 12/07/88
Sam “Screech” Powers (Dustin Diamond) finds himself in love with Lisa Turtle (Lark Voorhies). Zack wants Screech to help him with a paper and Screech demands he hook him up with Lisa. When Ms. Bliss gets accidentally gets ahold of Zack’s letter to Lisa, she thinks the new teacher (Randy Hamilton) wrote it to her…or Mr. Belding!
“Wall Street”
1.4 Wall Street Airdate: 12/14/88
Miss Bliss’s stock market lesson has the class seeing dollar signs when they pick a winning stock. When Zack and Mikey Gonzalez (Max Battimo) convince the class to secretly buy stock in potatoes, they could cost Ms. Bliss her new car.
“Leaping to Conclusion”
1.5 Leaping to Conclusion Airdate: 12/21/88
Mr. Belding tries to give Ms. Bliss her financial requests when he worries that Ms. Bliss is being courted by a private school. Nikki Coleman (Heather Hopper) learns that they are going to be dissecting frogs…and sets out to stop the slaughter.
“Parents and Teachers”
1.6 Parents and Teachers Airdate: 12/28/88
It’s Parent/Teacher week and Ms. Bliss is in for a surprise when she learns the man she met on a rafting weekend was Zack’s father…and Zack decides to use it to his advantage.
“Showdown”
1.7 Showdown Airdate: 01/04/89
There’s a new student in school and Deke Simmons (Andras Jones) is a bully. Deke Simmons forces Screech to do his work for him as Ms. Bliss tries to find out what is wrong.
“Save the Last Dance for Me”
1.8 Save the Last Dance for Me Airdate: 02/04/89
Ms. Bliss’s students get the 8th grade dance back, but Zack finds himself at odds with Mikey when he asks Shana (Alexondra Lee) to the dance.
“The Boy Who Cried Rat”
1.9 The Boy Who Cried Rat Airdate: 02/11/89
Zack needs to get a B on final exam to guarantee a skiing trip. When he releases Screech’s rats in the school, he risks Ms. Bliss’s chance at being Indiana’s Teacher of the Year.
“Let’s Get Together”
1.10 Let’s Get Together Airdate: 02/18/89
Zack and Nikki are at odds and forced to work together on a project while Ms. Bliss deals with the sudden arrival of Tina (Joan Ryan) as a roommate when she’s dumped by her boyfriend.
“Practical Jokes”
1.11 Practical Jokes Airdate: 02/25/89
It’s Hoosier Harvest practical joke week and everyone is out to get Ms. Bliss for the first time. When Screech appears to get Ms. Bliss, he goes on trial to defend his innocence.
“Stevie”
1.12 Stevie Airdate: 03/04/89
Former alumni Stevie (Suzanne Tara) is coming to the school for her farewell concert before college. When Zack bets Nikki he can get Stevie to kiss him, Zack will try anything to win.
“Clubs and Cliques”
1.13 Clubs and Cliques Airdate: 03/11/89
Zack is asked to be part of the elite Rigmas…and he’s told to leave his old friends behind. Ms. Bliss has to step in as temporary principal.
“The Mentor”
1.14 The Mentor Airdate: 03/18/89
Miss Bliss’s teacher James Lyman (Robert Donner) comes to visit…but his style of teaching might not in line with the schools.
Good Morning Miss Bliss Is Better than saved by the bell