RIP: 'Saved By The Bell' Creator Sam Bobrick Dies At 87
Oct. 15 2019, Published 8:33 p.m. ET
Sam Bobrick, the creator of seminal teen sitcom Saved by the Bell, has died
Bobrick, who also wrote dozens of stage plays, including four comedies that played on Broadway, suffered a stroke and passed away Friday in Northridge, Calif. He was 87.
Born in Chicago in 1932, Bobrick created the TV show Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which aired for just one season on the Disney Channel in 1988. Hayley Mills, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Dustin Diamond starred on the show.
A year later, the classic comedy jumped over to NBC and was renamed Saved by the Bell. Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Berkley and Tiffani Amber Thiessen joined the group, which was on TV from 1989 to 1993. A revival is currently in development for NBC’s new streaming platform, Peacock.
Bobrick’s other TV credits included Captain Kangaroo, The Andy Griffith Show, Bewitched, The Flintstones, and Get Smart.
“Sam was, more than anything, a mensch of the highest order,” Adam Carl, an actor and friend of Bobrick’s, penned a remembrance published last Friday. “He was a writer who absolutely adored actors (not always a given), and appreciated the contributions they brought to the table.
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“He was never precious or defensive about suggestions or notes; he wanted the work to be the best it could be, and cherished a good idea from no matter where it came. He was a delightful raconteur, a thoughtful and generous host, and never saw milk he couldn’t turn into a shake. He was also wickedly and darkly funny. His humor was sometimes barbed, sometimes silly, sometimes absurdist, often self-deprecating. But this above all — he was never ever not funny.”
He is survived by his wife, Julie; children Lori (and her husband, Caleb), Stefanie (Geoff) and Joey (Linda); grandchildren Ariel and Josh.