Saved by the Bell

Saved by the Bell is an American television sitcom that aired between 1989 and 1993. The series is a retooled version of the 1988 series Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was itself later folded into the history of Saved by the Bell. The series followed the exploits of several students along with their principal at Bayside High School.
The show stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Dustin Diamond, Lark Voorhies, and Dennis Haskins, who appeared in Good Morning, Miss Bliss, as well as Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Elizabeth Berkley, and Mario Lopez, who joined the cast for Saved by the Bell. The show brought fame to the cast members and launched most of their careers; however, many were typecast into their Saved by the Bell roles for many years.
The show often incorporated dramatic elements into episodes by dealing with real teen social issues, such as friendship, drug use, driving under the influence, homelessness, financial issues, divorce, graduation, college, sibling rivalry, taking responsibilities for one's actions, bullying, death, and environmental issues. This made it a precursor (with other teen sitcoms of the time like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) for networks of more recent shows such as Beverly Hills, 90210, Dawson's Creek and The O.C. to introduce young target audiences to critical moral matters. Notably, sexual relationships were alluded to but not actually dealt with.
The show's popularity allowed for two spin-off series: Saved by the Bell: The College Years, a prime time series which followed several of the original characters' college experiences, and Saved by the Bell: The New Class, a Saturday Morning series which followed a new group of students at Bayside High School. The series also spawned two TV movies and a short-lived comic book series.