The 20 Most Memorable Moments from ‘Saved by the Bell’

Let’s get this out of the way. Yes, Jessie Spano accidentally got herself addicted to caffeine pills. But you know what? If you had to balance school with the pressures of being thrust into a successful girl group because your best friend ordered your mutual friend to dress in drag and secretly record you singing in the girls’ locker room, you might turn to the deceptively dangerous world of over-the-counter drugs too.

It was the scene that launched a million memes.

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Am I occasionally prone to hyperbole? Sure. But may lightning strike my worst enemy if the above gif isn’t the single coolest moment in television history. Yes, Jessie’s “I’m so excited” meltdown is more popular, but true Bellheads recognize “The Fabulous Belding Boys” as perhaps the most iconic Saved by the Bell episode of all time.

Mr. Belding’s cool brother Rod (Edward Blatchford) takes a temp job as a substitute teacher at Bayside. He immediately convinces the gang to forgo their Mr. Belding-led class trip to Yosemite for a whitewater rafting adventure. He eventually cancels last minute to hook up with a stewardess named Inga, the most first drafty ’90s hot babe name/vocation combos in all the land.

At the end of the episode, Zack learns a valuable lesson about the true measure of a man and, presumably, the fundamental rules of whitewater rafting.

Study question for the class: Which of the below photos should I hang in my study?

Trick question. I don’t have a study, but if I did, the answer would be both.

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But seriously, Saved by the Bell, tell us how you really feel.

This memorable episode centers on Bayside striking oil… literally! But the impending wealth comes at a grave cost: the life of a duck (Becky) whom Zack has grown attached to.

Zack makes an impassioned speech at the end of the episode, and his words are so stirring that Mr. Belding’s like “I guess we don’t even need to vote on this multi-million dollar decision!” “Pipe Dreams” also features the best freeze-frame ending in Saved by the Bell history.

“Stop the drilling! Stop the oil!”

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It’s official: Love is dead. The Mash finale, the mystery of who shot J.R., and the devastating Kelly/Zack breakup are, in some order, the most important TV moments in the history of the medium… and maybe life in general.

I don’t have the words to express my feelings on the matter, so I’ll instead turn it over to Swedish soft rock duo Roxette, who memorably performed the 1987 hit “It Must Have Been Love.”

“It must have been love, but it’s over now
It must have been good, but I lost it somehow
It must have been love, but it’s over now
From the moment we touched, till the time had run out”

RIP Love:
Born: August 20, 1989
Died: September 14, 1991

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The Saved by the Bell theme song slaps. It slaps now, it slapped then, and it will slap forever. The video is aggressively ’90s, implementing a visual aesthetic best described as “give a sociopath a paintbrush and tell them to draw 1991.”

Is there a heaven? Gosh, I don’t know. But if there is a divine afterlife, the Saved by the Bell intro is absolutely available on the jukebox (along with the Hang Time intro).

Remember Shania Twain’s late ’90s song “That Don’t Impress Me Much”? It was about a list of things that don’t impress Twain (much). That song comes to mind when I think of Kevin the robot, who I believe debuted in the episode “Beauty and the Screech.”

This episode is classic Saved by the Bell. Zack asks Screech to tutor Kelly but gets jealous when she develops a crush on the lovable nerd. Eventually, Zack and Slater hatch a truly nonsensical plan (tricking Mr. Belding into thinking Screech and Kelly are getting married) to break them up. All of this happens despite the revelation that Screech has created a fully functioning robot capable of producing sarcasm and making cocoa.

MAYBE TALK ABOUT THAT FOR FIVE MINUTES?!

Kevin would make a few appearances on the show, most notably as an assistant hall monitor in Season 4, which is without exaggeration the worst, most unexciting use of a robot in recorded history.

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Throughout the series, Zack Morris would literally freeze time by turning to the camera and saying “time out.” No biggie, right? Wrong.

For reasons unknown, many fans, scholars, and scientists have questioned how a human high school student possessed the ability to freeze time. I never understood this inquiry. The answer is deceptively simple: Zack Morris could freeze time because he was cool. End of story.

No followup questions will be accepted at this time.

This is my favorite plot in SBTB history. Not only do I love the details (like the fact that Slater owns a mini chameleon leash for Artie), but in an example of Saved by the Bell being Saved by the Bell, this Season 1 original didn’t air until Season 4, a full two years later, leaving viewers (okay leaving me) baffled by the lack of continuity.

RIP, Artie.

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Saved by the Bell dealt with relatable teen issues like homework, dating, and accidentally convincing the government that your best friend is an alien. To the best of my recollection, this was the plot of the episode:

1. The gang accidentally breaks the school camera, which costs $1,200.

2. They discover that a newspaper titled “The Babbler” is paying $1,500 for the best picture of an alien.

3. They send the paper a picture of Screech dressed like an alien.

4. A man whom Zack believes to be from the The Babbler shows up at The Max. He mentions how he’d pay $10,000 to see the alien. Turns out the man is actually from the Air Force’s UFO Investigation unit.

5. The kids tell Max, an adult who loves magic and hamburgers, that they plan to scam this “reporter” out of $10,000. Max, who again I must stress is an actual adult, is like, “Great! Here are a few pointers!”

6. The gang tries to convince the “reporter” that Screech is an alien. It doesn’t work. Screech then says he was just pretending to be an alien… before... but now he is in fact an actual alien, Zorch. The reporter admits that he’s actually a special agent for the UFO division. He believes Zorch (Screech) is a genuine alien, and he’s taking him to Washington for tests. All of that happens in about two minutes.

7. Mr. Belding and Zack team up to convince the buffoonish agent that Screech is a human being. The end.

Related, “Close Encounters of the Nerd Kind” received zero Emmy nominations.

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This seems like as good a place as any to inform you that the Saved by the Bell Wikipedia page states that the show has been recently classified as “educational and informational.”

Counterpoint: no

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This one is memorable for all the wrong reasons.

After finding a photo of a Native American at his house, Zack delivers a racist presentation at school for his family heritage project. Eventually, Zack sees the error of his way, but to say that “Running Zack” aged poorly would be an understatement.

In 2016, Mark-Paul Gosselaar issued an apology for the episode.

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Immediately after the Zack and Kelly breakup heard round the world, Saved by the Bell introduced the divisive “Malibu Sands” storyline. Personally? I’m a fan, but my opinion’s skewed because I was in love with Stacey Carosi (Leah Remini).

Similar to 90210’s Beach Club episodes, this six-episode arc was meant to capitalize on SBTB’s popularity, but the episodes ran concurrently with the normal installments featuring the kids at school. It was confusing, but not as confusing as…

You gotta respect the bravado of Saved by the Bell. The story of the great Tori debacle is that Tiffani Amber Thiessen and Elizabeth Berkley already decided to leave the show when NBC ordered additional episodes for Season 4. The solution? Just add a new character and air all the episodes in one confusing jumble!

Each week, viewers would be treated to one episode featuring the original cast followed by another installment starring Tori.

What happens when Zack and Slater make a gross $50 wager on who Tori will kiss first? If you answered shenanigans, you’ve been paying attention!

Tori bamboozles Zack and Slater into kissing one another, but due to a comical mix-up, it’s Slater and Screech who end up smooching. Rumor has it the term “and then hilarity ensues” was born from this very episode.

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This whole episode is such a rollercoaster of insanity that I wrote a whole separate article about it.

I’m well aware of the Bell’s tenuous relationship with both reality and morality, but this particular episode is B-A-N-A-N-A-S. In “Model Students,” high school rascal Zack Morris asks genius robotics guru Screech Powers to sneak into the school pool and snap illicit photos of the swim team. Unconscionable, right? Hold onto your hat because there’s one more stop on this morally corrupt train. Zack then turns said photos into a Girls of Bayside swimsuit calendar, which he then mass produces and sells at the student store. The same student store he recently stole from a gaggle of nerds. That’s right, a gaggle of neeeeeerds!

Fun fact: This episode is rated TV Y7, which means it’s intended for children age seven and older. The more you know.

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Out of the innumerable consequence-free felonies perpetrated by Zack Morris over the years, perhaps it’s the felony of the heart that’s the most treacherous.

Nah. It was still probably taking those unauthorized bathing suit pics of his friends, but kissing the girl your best friend loves is still a dick move, Morris. Since the Bell plays fast and loose with continuity, logic, and the general laws of physics, this romance is ignored throughout the rest of the season.

The following week, Zack pursues a romantic relationship with Tori because Saved by the Bell is a nihilistic wonderland of delicious anarchy.

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Saved by the Bell contained multitudes. The same show that aired an episode about Zack spreading a rumor that Slater was dying (“Aloha Slater) also tackles the dangers of smoking pot. Huh. Maybe SBTB is “educational and informational.”

“No Hope with Dope” is top-to-bottom insanity, but the most egregious piece of lunacy is the convenient revelation that Mr. Belding is somehow lifelong friends with former NBC Chairman of Entertainment Brandon Tartikoff.

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The idea that Zack Morris is a true-blue sociopath has been written about many times. If you’re gathering evidence for Morris’ defense, this… well… this isn’t going to help.

In the first episode of Saved by the Bell proper (which was aired out of order, naturally), Zack introduces the viewing audience to his love interest via a hidden poster he controls with a remote control. You know, normal teen stuff.

My guess is that production wanted Zack to look like a Ferris Bueller type, but in hindsight he’s giving off some serious young Patrick Bateman vibes.

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There’s an entire generation of children who were introduced to the cell phone via Zack Morris. Zack’s giant brick phone was such a memorable part of the sitcom that it made an appearance when the cast reunited on The Tonight Show back in 2015.

We end our list by celebrating the second greatest band in TNBC history: the Zack Attack.

In the Season 3 episode “Rockumentary,” SBTB superfan (or more likely, reluctant but contractually-obligated performer) Casey Kasem returns to host a fictional mockumentary that features Zack as a selfish Vanilla Ice type, Lisa as a U.S. Gladiator, and Kelly as a soap opera actress.

“Friends Forever” indeed.

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