Expert: Deanne - 5/8/2005

Question
Both my sister & I remember a Saved by the Bell pilot for the high school years. It involved Zack (& other main characters, I think) being sucked into a television program or something, & Mr. Belding threatening to suspend him if he didn't get there in time (I think one of the girls was at school trying to give Mr. Belding excuses). He got out of the TV just before the bell rang (thus the title "Saved by the Bell." I think he even said something along the lines of "guess I was saved by the bell" at the end). For years after never seeing it again, I began to think that maybe I had dreamed it or confused it with another show (altho I clearly remember it was Mr. Belding counting down before the bell rang). It does seem a little out of place since it's slightly fantasy based (unless you take into account Zack's time-outs, which he occasionally did things during) Then a couple of years ago my sister mentioned to me that she wondered why they never showed that episode. Does this episode/movie actually exist & if so what happened to it? Except for my sister & I, I've never been able to find proof that it even existed.

Answer
As far as I know, there was never an episode exactly as you describe, though it's possible there was a promo (commercial) that had that theme.  There were at least a few episodes that had at least some sequences taking place in a fantasy, though, but none that involve Zack and friends being sucked into a TV program.

However, there was a pilot TV movie for Saved by the Bell made which actually starred Brian Austin Green (from BH 90210) and Jaleel White (Urkel from Family Matters). I have never seen this TV movie, though, and I do not know the theme or story from it.  However, there was no Zack in this episode, so it's probably not the one you remember.  (I can't recall if Mr. Belding was in it or not.)  This pilot movie was made for NBC and aired on NBC.

Later it was retooled to become a show titled Good Morning Miss Bliss.  Thirteen episodes of Good Morning Miss Bliss were produced for the Disney Channel.  (These are often shown in syndication with SBTB as the Junior High years.) After the Disney Channel decided not to pick it up for another year, the creators and producers shopped it back to NBC.  Brandon Tartikoff was then the president of NBC (and the original pilot movie mentioned above was one of his "babies"), so he was receptive to once again retooling the show for NBC for Saturday mornings.  

This third incarnation of the show is what became known as Saved by the Bell. The pilot episode was King of the Hill, which is about the day Slater showed up at school and everyone coming back from the summer.  Even though this was the pilot, it did not air first on NBC, but it did air later and in syndication, they often show this one in order (first).