From 1989 to 1993, a generation of teenagers watched as Zack, Jessie, Slater, Lisa, Screech, Kelly, and Mr. Belding bounced off the walls of Bayside High. The sitcom, Saved By The Bell, was created after an earlier show, Good Morning, Miss Bliss, was rejected by NBC and retooled by Disney. When it reemerged, mashed together with tidbits snatched from Ferris Bueller and John Hughes, all of the archetypes were there: the hustler, the revolutionary, the beefcake, the princess, the nerd, and the cheerleader.
In the title sequence, a framed-face opener designed by Penelope Gottlieb, each character is given their own moment and shape in which to shine. Notably, the shape for Dustin Diamond’s character is, of course, a diamond. As the hand-drawn credits dart around and the colourful shapes and patterns swirl in and out of frame, that undeniably catchy theme scampers by, looping itself out and around. It’s alright, ’cause you’re saved by the—
Title Designer: Penelope Gottlieb
Music: "Saved by the Bell" by Scott Gale