Saved By The Bell got its start as Good Morning, Miss Bliss, but not all its characters made it to Bayside. When Good Morning, Miss Bliss was retooled as Saved By The Bell, it shifted its focus to the students. However, Good Morning, Miss Bliss featured two students who didn’t appear in the new show: Nikki and Mikey. Though it was ultimately good that Good Morning, Miss Bliss became Saved By The Bell, it was unclear why Nikki and Mikey didn’t transition to the new show.

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Saved By The Bell centered around Zack Morris and his friends, but Good Morning, Miss Bliss was about the titular teacher and her students, namely Zack, Screech, Lisa, Nikki, and Mikey. The show performed poorly, and it was resurrected as Saved By The Bell. The new series took characters Zack, Screech, Lisa, and Mr. Belding and moved them to Bayside High, leaving behind Miss Bliss, Nikki, Mikey, and the show’s junior high setting.

Given that Saved By The Bell focused on the lives of the students rather than the teachers, it was bizarre that Nikki and Mikey were left behind. However, despite Saved By The Bell’s success, Good Morning, Miss Bliss had fewer redeeming qualities. Its premise didn’t work for its target demographic, and much of its cast were outshone by breakout characters like Zack, Screech, and Lisa. Good Morning, Miss Bliss’s best features ended up in its successive series, unfortunately at the peril of characters like Nikki and Mikey.

Why Saved By The Bell Ignored So Much Of Good Morning, Miss Bliss

Despite being a spin-off of Good Morning, Miss Bliss, Saved By The Bell ended up ignoring much of its predecessor’s story, and for good reason. The premise of Good Morning, Miss Bliss, a show about the work-life balance of an influential junior high teacher, wasn’t suited to the preteen demographic of Disney Channel. Additionally, the majority of the show took place at school, which limited the kinds of stories that could be told. Saved By The Bell remedied this by expanding its universe to include the main characters’ homes and their frequent hangout The Max in addition to the school.

The most successful parts of Good Morning, Miss Bliss were those that focused on the students’ lives, particularly Zack Morris. The creators recognized this and made the decision to center Saved By The Bell around Zack. While Zack was possibly the show’s most iconic character, Screech and Lisa proved to have potential as well. Although Nikki and Mikey had equal billing alongside the other teen stars, their characters’ most defining characteristics were that they were best friends with Lisa and Zack, respectively, and thus faded into the background. Saved By The Bell added new characters Slater, Kelly, and Jessie, the latter of which inhabited many of Nikki’s interests in activism. Among the stronger personalities of Zack, Screech, and Lisa as well as the cast’s new additions, there simply wasn’t room for Nikki and Mikey in Saved By The Bell.

Though it meant that some characters like Nikki and Mikey were left behind, Good Morning, Miss Bliss becoming Saved By The Bell was ultimately for the best. The most compelling parts of Good Morning, Miss Bliss, such as its breakout characters, were the ones that made the transition to Bayside, leaving no place for Saved By The Bell‘s discarded characters or plot points. However, despite being discontinued after only 13 episodes, Good Morning, Miss Bliss was still syndicated alongside Saved By The Bell, so although characters like Nikki and Mikey were absent from Saved By The Bell, they were never truly forgotten.