10 TV Spin-Offs Better Than The Original

3. Saved By The Bell

Saved By The Bell Zack Slater Time out
NBC

Original Show: Good Morning, Miss Bliss

A sitcom centred on the life and career of high school teacher Miss Bliss, and set in Indianapolis, the Disney Channel show had some of what would eventually become Saved by the Bell, but lacked the focus and writing to really make it work.

It was cancelled after just one season, after which NBC took back the rights and threw out a lot of it, but kept a few key ingredients. Most importantly, they retained Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Lark Voorhies, Dustin Diamond, and Dennis Haskins, with Zack, Lisa, Screech, and Mr Belding making the leap to Bayside High, California.

They were joined by A.C. Slater (Mario Lopez), Jessie Spano (Elizabeth Berkley), and Kelly Kapowski (Tiffani-Amber Thiessen), and the focus shifted more to be on their friendships, relationships, and bending of the school rules, with Zack becoming the face of the show and his fourth-wall breaking adding a new dimension. Miss Bliss episodes were later woven into the series, but Saved by the Bell essentially started as a spin-off, and it actually realises the potential Miss Bliss had. It touches on generational themes that affect most teenagers, but is mostly a lighthearted, funny, and sweet portrayal of high-school life.

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NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.