Brian Austin Green Recounts Filming Pilot for Show that Would Later Become “Saved by the Bell” with Jonathan Brandis, Jaleel White
Brian Austin Green Recounts Filming Pilot for Show that Would Later Become “Saved by the Bell” with Jonathan Brandis, Jaleel White
Virginia ChamleeWed, March 18, 2026 at 6:31 PM UTC
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From left: Jaleel White, Jonathan Brandis, Brian Austin GreenCredit: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty; Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis/VCG via Getty; Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty -
Brian Austin Green is sharing what it was like filming the pilot for the show that would become Saved by the Bell
In a new interview, he shares that he filmed the pilot episode of a show titled Good Morning, Miss Bliss
That show starred Hayley Mills and featured child actors Green, Jonathan Brandis and Jaleel White
Brian Austin Green is remembering the early days of his career — which included shooting a pilot for the television show that would ultimately be known as Saved by the Bell.
On the March 16 episode of Pod Meets World, Green, 52, spoke to former Boy Meets World stars and current podcast co-hosts Danielle Fishel, (who played Topanga) , Rider Strong (Shawn) and Will Friedle (Eric) about his history in television.
As Green noted on the podcast, he filmed the pilot episode of a show titled Good Morning, Miss Bliss and starring Hayley Mills as a middle school teacher. He played one of her students, alongside other young actors including Jaleel White and Jonathan Brandis.
Good Morning, Miss Bliss aired from 1988-89, and was later retooled as the hit Saved by the Bell.
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'Saved by the Bell' castCredit: NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
"So Hayley Mills was the star of [the show]," Green explained. "So the initial show — Good Morning, Miss Bliss, it was called — she was a teacher within this school. So it was about her. We just happened to be kids in the class."
But when higher-ups decided to continue filming the show — but in a different location — Green opted out."So we did the pilot for that show, and then they decided, 'Hey. We wanna pick this up and shoot it in Florida.' And I was like, 'Nope. I'm good. I live in the valley. I love my life. I really like skateboarding, and I really love still having my feet when I go past bodies of water,'" Green said with a laugh.
He continued: "So I stayed, and the show went out there. And then it kinda reformulated itself and came back as Saved by the Bell."
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Green noted that the television industry was different in the 1980s and 1990s, when "pilot season" was still a standard time of year for actors. The period would take place in late winter and spring and see television networks and studios heavily cast test episodes for potential new series.
"That was the business back then," the actor acknowledged. "Like, you did commercials. You did as many national commercials as you could because they paid well, and then you booked a pilot. And you would go shoot a pilot, and there were only three networks at that time. And so they were each doing, like, 15 pilots a year, and you had pilot season."
He continued: "And so you would try and book a pilot, and then probably 98% of the pilots never got picked up. So you'd you'd book a pilot, you'd shoot it, and you'd go, 'Cool. Nice meeting everybody.' And then you would go guest on other shows and, you know, do as much stuff as you could."
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Filming Good Morning, Miss Bliss, he said, was fun due in large part to his young age.
"I remember we were all excited about it because it was fun," he said. "It was a bunch of kids. And it was a live audience, which I had never really done before that. But, yeah, we did the the pilot, and then it was like, that was sort of it. Like, I didn't understand that pilots get picked up, and then they become shows that are on consistently."
All three of the actors who didn't continue in the pilot's core cast would still go on to see success — Green in Beverly Hills, 90210, White as Urkel in Family Matters, and Brandis in a string of television and film roles, including The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter and the 1992 Rodney Dangerfield-helmed film, Ladybugs.
Brandis died by suicide in November 2003.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
