I’m bouncing off the walls with anticipation, waiting for The Fantastic Four: First Steps to hit the 2025 movie schedule. One of the biggest superhero movies of the year, the debut of “Marvel’s First Family” in the MCU is a long time coming, and I can’t wait to see what director Matt Shakman is going to do with the comic book adaptation. I am also eager to see how the movie connects to the MCU in general, especially as we start gearing up for the Russos’ Avengers: Doomsday.
Speaking of connections… During one of my recent fits of insomnia, I discovered a strange factoid that connects The Fantastic Four: First Steps with Saved by the Bell, at least an early version of the popular high school-centric sitcom many of us grew up watching. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since, and I have to talk it out.
I Didn't Know This Until Recently, But Matt Shakman Was In The Good Morning, Miss Bliss Pilot
Some of you might not remember, but Saved by the Bell started as Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was set in Indiana opposed to the fictional town of Bayside, California. Though mainstays like Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), Screech (the late Dustin Diamond), Lisa Turtle (Lark Voorhies), and Mr. Belding (Dennis Haskins) were a part of both versions, Miss Bliss was a much different show.
The pilot, which premiered on NBC back in 1987 before the series was retooled and broadcast on the Disney Channel, had a completely different cast, with only Hayley Mills’ titular character being in both versions. But you know who was there in the pilot? None other than Matt Shakman, who played middle schooler Georgie Winslow. If you go back and watch the Good Morning, Miss Bliss pilot, he’s one of the first students introduced.
Watching The Original Pilot Is Like Stumbling Across An Alternate Universe
If you do go back and watch the Good Morning, Miss Bliss pilot, be warned, as it feels like it’s from an alternate universe or a fever dream. You won’t find Zach or Screech or other familiar faces, but you will find characters played by Brian Austin Green, Jonathan Brandis, and Jalelle White, two years before he started causing problems for the Winslow family on Family Matters. The show seems familiar yet different, like something is missing.
It’s almost as if Miss Bliss stepped through some portal at the end of the pilot and ended up in the familiar version of the show that lasted for one season before being retooled as Saved by the Bell.
I Was Fully Aware Shakman Was A TV Director, But Had No Idea He Was A Former Child Actor
I’ve long been familiar with Matt Shakman’s work as a prolific director on the small screen, with shows like The Boys, Succession, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (he helmed some of the show’s best episodes) before he made his MCU debut with WandaVision back in 2021. However, I had no idea that he was a former child actor before finding success behind the camera.
In addition to appearing in the Good Morning, Miss Bliss pilot, Shakman showed up on Just the Ten of Us, The Facts of Life, Webster, and Night Court, to name a few.
Though this is kind of random, and admittedly a little silly, I can’t help but laugh at the fact that The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Good Morning, Miss Bliss have this off-the-wall connection.
