Brian of Pizzaspotz
Written by Brian of the PizzaSpotz staff
One of the best sitcoms ever? One of the best Saturday mornings teen shows ever? We’ll wait for your answers. One thing for certain, this is one of the favorite shows for anyone growing up in the early to mid-1990s. This show became famous with re-runs on cable TV stations of all sorts, especially on TBS and WGN. For many of us, we were happy to watch the show for two straight hours every day. Okay, am I revealing a bit too much about my 90s TV watching habits? Well, I know I’m not alone.
We hope you enjoy our Saved by the Bell list below.
P.S. After posting this list, we’ve had some input on Twitter (@pizzaspotz) – Dennis Haskins (@MrBelding) let us know his fave episodes were The Earthquake and The Fabulous Belding Boys. Mr. Belding’s favorite pizza? It’s Pepperoni and Black Olives. Also, @AndyPortico reminded us that Mr. Belding and the boys actually hang out and eat pizza in the episode titled Breaking Up is Hard to Undo.
Now… onto our list
10. S.A.T’s
Original Airdate: November 16, 1991
Jessie wants to go to Stansbury – the fictional Stanford – but her SAT score was too low. She only scored a 1205. Meanwhile, Zack scored a 1502. He’s the darling of the school. Girls want to study with him for his brains, not his looks. Mr. Belding puts him in all honors classes and Stansbury longs to convince him to pick their school. Well, James, a waiter at The Max, a budding actor, comes to the rescue.
9. Showdown
Original Airdate: January 4, 1989
Deke is a new student in school. He’s a bully too. Of all the kids he could pick on, he chooses Screech. Of course, this bully is a bully for a reason. He’s always been made fun of because of his illiteracy. Miss Bliss finds out and agrees to help him. Screech and the gang also help out in their own way, they refuse to laugh at him because of his problem.
Check This Out: Saved By the Bell : Seasons 1,2,3,4,5 Complete Series
8. Stevie
Original Airdate: March 4, 1989
Teen hearthrob Stevie performs her last concert at JFK. Zack pretends to be dying so he can get a kiss on stage from Stevie. He almost fools everyone except for Miss Bliss. It looks like he’ll lose his bet with Nikki that he could kiss Stevie. On a visit to see Miss Bliss at her home to apologize about the gimmick, he meets a friend of Miss Bliss’ named Colleen or is this friend really Stevie?
7. Wall Street
Original Airdate: December 14, 1988
Zack breaks his dad’s video camera and needs money fast. Miss Bliss has a school project where the students are learning about the stock market. Not only are they doing book learning, they are also learning first hand. The class has used some money from Miss Bliss and bought stock. Zack causes a big problem when he buys potato futures. Miss Bliss is not so blissful after that fiasco.
6. Miss Bayside
Original Airdate: October 27, 1990
Zack makes a bet. He bets that Screech will win the Miss Bayside contest. Getting him to enter is half the problem. Doubt arises about his ability to win after A.C. Slater enters the scene. He too will compete for Miss Bayside. One of the most memorable parts is when Jessie, competing in the sexist swim suit competition, wears one, but is covered by a knee length trench coat.
5. Screech’s Spaghetti Sauce
Original Airdate: September 19, 1992
Screech and the gang get rich by mass producing Screech’s own spaghetti sauce. His new found riches get the attention of a gold digging girl who sees dollar signs in Schreech’s eyes. Robin uses Screech for all he has and when the gang finds out, they plan a way to get back all the money Screech has wasted on her. You’ll definitely recognize the gold digger in this episode.
4. Teen-Line
Original Airdate: September 26, 1992
This is arguably the best episode featuring Tori (Leanna Creel). Yes, this is good, but also, this is one of the most sad episodes to watch. The sad part comes from the way Zack treats a disabled girl he meets while working with the teen line. Zack has lived a very sheltered life and must have never met a disabled person in his life. Melissa, his wheelchair bound new friend, is embarrassed time and again by Zack. This episode is extremely hard to watch at times. Good acting.
3. Beauty and the Screech
Original Airdate: October 21, 1989
Zack always gets the girl. Well, not this time. After Screech begins tutoring Kelly in science, the two members of this odd couple develop a crush on one another. To say this surprises A.C. Slater and Zack is a major understatement. Not much of a plot in this one, but the laughter is non-stop.
2. The Last Dance
Original Airdate: September 14, 1991
Kelly has a new boss at The Max. He’s good looking and the two form a bond that leaves Zack out in the cold. Kelly goes through a gamut of emotions as she considers her feelings for her boss Jeff. What’s she going to do with Zack? They dance at the annual costume ball and as Jessie and A.C. sing to the crowd inside, outside, Kelly is breaking Zack’s heart. Did you cry when you first saw this episode?
1. Jessie’s Song
Original Airdate: November 3, 1990
This is one of the more message oriented Saved by the Bell episodes. After all, not everything can be about how much mousse Zack uses on his hair or about Lisa going shopping. In this episode, Jessie, along with Kelly and Lisa make up the new signing group Hot Sundae. But with all her school work, the pressure of the singing group is just too much. Jessie begins taking caffeine pills to help her cope. Her friend Zack saves her from what could become a serious drug habit down the line. Even with a heavy message, there is plenty of humor in this episode.
We hope you enjoyed this Saved by the Bell themed list. If you have any favorite episodes we missed, please let us know. If you have any other favorite television shows which would make good fodder for a top ten pizza list, leave their names in the comments below. We will try to write up a list or do it yourself and earn points toward a free pizza. If you want information about how we award free pizzas, please send us an email.
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What about The After Math? Zack goes on a bunch of dates since Kelly broke up with him.