Good Morning, Miss Bliss

Infobox Television
show_name = Good Morning, Miss Bliss


caption = "Good Morning, Miss Bliss" title card
show_name_2 = "Saved by the Bell: The Junior High Years"
genre = Teen sitcom
creator = Sam Bobrick
starring = Hayley Mills
Dennis Haskins
Joan Ryan
Max Battimo
Dustin Diamond
Mark-Paul Gosselaar
Heather Hopper
Lark Voorhies
T.K. Carter
theme_music_composer =
opentheme = "The Best of Times"
endtheme =
composer =
country = USA
language = English
num_seasons = 1
num_episodes = 13
list_episodes =
executive_producer = Peter Engel
camera =
runtime =
network = Disney Channel
picture_format = NTSC (480i)
audio_format =
first_aired = November 30, 1988
last_aired = March 18, 1989
preceded_by =
followed_by = "Saved by the Bell"
related =
imdb_id = 0092363
tv_com_id = 2121

"Good Morning, Miss Bliss" is an American teen sitcom that aired from 1988 to 1989 (and later in syndication as part of the "Saved by the Bell" rerun package), starring Hayley Mills as a teacher at John F. Kennedy Junior High School in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The show was originally a pilot for NBC, which was inspired by NBC president Brandon Tartikoff's idea for a show about an "inspiring" teacher. NBC decided not to pick up the pilot, but Disney Channel did, premiering the show on November 30, 1988, and airing it for one season. The show was later retooled as "Saved by the Bell", with much of the same cast but without Mills, and with a different setting. The latter show focused on the students rather than the teacher, and had a much more successful run.

=Plot= The series focused on the life of junior high school teacher Miss Carrie Bliss (Hayley Mills). She was often put into morally difficult situations by her work, and often served as the only person her students could turn to. Her eighth grade students included Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), a charming, manipulative scamp; Lisa Turtle (Lark Voorhies), a rich shopaholic; Samuel "Screech" Powers (Dustin Diamond), an awkward "nerd" with a crush on Lisa; Mikey Gonzalez (Max Battimo), Zack's best friend, who, while not as awkward as Screech, would become quite shy around girls; and Nikki Coleman (Heather Hopper) who was outspoken and often advocated the moral course of action when the others decided to do something mischievous. The show also featured Mylo Williams (T.K. Carter), a maintenance supervisor, and Miss Tina Paladrino (Joan Ryan), a quirky teacher and friend of Miss Bliss, with whom she would often discuss her personal life, with Miss Paladrino acting as sounding board. Dennis Haskins played the principal of John F. Kennedy Junior High, Mr. Richard Belding.

The show was cancelled after 13 episodes, and the rights were acquired by NBC, who reformatted "Good Morning, Miss Bliss" into "Saved by the Bell". The series was integrated into the "Saved by the Bell" syndicated rerun package; episodes from this series were later introduced with a cold open by Mark-Paul Gosselaar explaining that these were from an earlier time frame than the rest of the series (despite the fact that the previous series was, for all intents and purposes, a different continuity), along with a retrofitted version of the regular "Saved by the Bell" opening theme.

Cast

*Hayley Mills as Miss Bliss
*Dennis Haskins as Mr. Richard Belding
*Joan Ryan as Miss Tina Paladrino
*Max Battimo as Mikey Gonzalez
*Dustin Diamond as Samuel "Screech" Powers
*Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Zachary "Zack" Morris
*Heather Hopper as Nicole "Nikki" Coleman
*Lark Voorhies as Lisa Turtle
*T.K. Carter as Mylo Williams

Episodes

*As of October 2007, all 13 episodes can be viewed by Netflix members through their "Watch Instantly" feature.

Original pilot

The original pilot for "Good Morning, Miss Bliss" aired on July 11, 1987, on NBC (in "The Facts of Life"'s timeslot). It featured up-and-comers Brian Austin Green (who later got his big break on Beverly Hills 90210) as Adam Montcrief, Jaleel White as Bobby Wilson, and Jonathan Brandis as Michael Thompson. Brian Austin Green was, in essence, the "lead" student in the pilot, as Adam Montcrief, a particularly serious student, who wore business suits. Several other characters from the series existed in the pilot but were played by different actors; Mr. "Gerald" Belding was played by Oliver Clark, and Miss Tina Paladrino was played by Maria O'Brien. Although Hayley Mills was the only actor to survive beyond the pilot, her character in the pilot was named Mrs. Davis. Other characters include Gabriel Damon as Bradley; Samantha Mills as Wendy; Julie Ronnie as Lonnie Maple; Matt Shakman as Georgie Winslow; Charles Siebert as Charlie Davis; Britton Elliott as Janet Hillhurst; Josh Goddard as Steven; and Andrea Messersmith as Laurie.

References

* [http://homepage.mac.com/ijball/SbtB/GMMB-guide.html "Good Morning, Miss Bliss": The Episode Guide]