The names of the characters didn’t just come out of thin air. The show had plenty of unique names that helped them stick in the viewer’s minds, but they were often inspired by people that producer Peter Engel knew in real life. For instance, Engel once met a producer by the name of Screech Washington.
Zack was the name one of Engel’s friends called his son, Lisa Turtle was one of his classmates while he was in high school, and Slater was the name of someone Engel’s son went to school with. Finally, Mr. Belding came from the name of an editor that Engel worked with.
The First of its Kind
The show got so popular, so fast, that it marked an immense shift in Saturday-morning programming. Originally it was the only non-animated show on NBC's Saturday-morning lineup, but before long it became known that fully half of the teenaged girls watched it every week. In addition to the failure of a number of animated shows such as ProStars and Yo Yogi! , NBC shifted to a lineup dominated by "Saved by the Bell," a bunch of clones of the now-famous high school show, and a Saturday morning version of Today.
This was all the way back in 1992, and the network has stuck with this format ever since.
Minimum Wage Actors
Despite the fact that the show was one of the most popular kid's shows of all time – even kids these days will know the name, though if they're interested they usually have to seek the episodes out other ways – the actors never brought in big paychecks. The producers had no idea how much of a hit it would be, which led to the actors not requesting better deals.
In fact, they barely got paid even during the show's syndication. Mark-Paul once said: “[The cast] made really bad deals. It is what it is. You move on, you learn. Great experience.”
Another Namesake
One of the most legendary producers in television history was Aaron Spelling – we've already mentioned one of his most famous productions, "Beverly Hills, 90210." Spelling's daughter, Tori – who also appeared on "Beverly Hills, 90210" as one of the lead characters, Donna Martin – had small parts in a few episodes of Bell, and it's even been thought that, out of respect to Aaron, the new Bell character Tori Scott was named after his daughter.
It's never been confirmed, but Spelling had so much TV clout, it seems like a good idea for any burgeoning producer to get on his good side.
Doing Time
The late Dustin Diamond, playing the nerdy and mostly-innocent Screech Powers, was a bright spot for many viewers, but Diamond himself has remained anything but innocent. In fact, the actor did time in 2015, spending four months in jail for a number of misdemeanors, including second-degree recklessly endangering safety, carrying a concealed weapon, and disorderly conduct.
According to Diamond's statement, he was defending his girlfriend after she was insulted and assaulted in a bar brawl. The wounds from the brawl weren't serious, which probably helped Diamond avoid a longer jail stay. Diamond has been ostracized from the cast, and his jail time isn't the only reason.