Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This review will not focus on the merits of this enduring TV series since anyone visiting this page already likes it enough to possibly buy it on DVD. Rather, this review will hopefully clear up the confusion regarding exactly what is being offered with the two separate Complete Series Collections by Lionsgate and Shout Factory. Lionsgate originally released SEASONS 1 & 2, SEASONS 3 & 4, and SEASON 5 on DVD from 2003 to 2005. The 2013 SAVED BY THE BELL: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION simply repackaged the exact same DVDs from the previous sets, with no additional re-mastering done. The picture was in its original full frame 1.33:1 aspect ratio while the audio is in 2.0 Dolby digital stereo, with the episodes arranged in order of air date and not storyline order. There are 13 discs total spanning all 5 seasons of 86 episodes, including a bonus disc of extras exclusive to this collection. The SAVED BY THE BELL: HAWAIIAN STYLE\ WEDDING IN LAS VEGAS movies were not included even though they were released on DVD by Lionsgate in 2007. As for the packaging, this collection came in a cardboard outer sleeve housing two hard plastic cases, each about 1 inches thick with swing trays holding the discs. The bonus disc contained 2 featurettes including the 10-minute 'Saturday Morning: From Toons to Teens', which highlighted how the series found success on the Saturday morning cartoon landscape. The 15-minute 'It's Alright: Back to the Bell' further explored its genesis and legacy. There is also a paper insert included with the episode titles listed by season, but it does not state what discs the episodes can be found on. Furthermore, the list is incomplete as it omits several of the final episodes from season 5 (rest assured the episodes are on the discs, though). Compounding matters, nowhere is there any mention of the previously released extras. This means that in order to access any of the bonus material including the audio commentaries, one has to go hunting for them disc by disc! And given there is no 'Special Features' option available on the Menu screens, one has to actually select each episode to see if it features an audio commentary. This was appallingly negligent of Lionsgate and quite frustrating, and ultimately insulting to the consumer. In 2018, Shout Factory released the SAVED BY THE BELL: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION DVD set. This 16-disc set included all 118 episodes from all three series including GOOD MORNING, MISS BLISS, SAVED BY THE BELL, SAVED BY THE BELL: THE COLLEGE YEARS, and SAVED BY THE BELL: HAWAIIAN STYLE\ WEDDING IN LAS VEGAS movies. The GOOD MORNING, MISS BLISS episodes are the syndicated versions, meaning they don't feature the original opening credits and have slightly shorter running times. The picture and sound quality are on par with the Lionsgate versions, with no remastering done. The episodes are mostly in broadcast order with the exception of the Malibu Sands episodes from season 3, which are thankfully presented in storyline order. The bonus content included all of the bonus features from the Lionsgate version, plus additional audio commentaries and two new featurettes. The 52-minute 'Past Times at Bayside High' is a fairly comprehensive retrospective of all 3 shows while the 5-minute 'Bayside's Greatest Hits' retrospective briefly examines the music from the series. There is also an episode guide booklet that nicely details the contents of each disc including bonus features. The set comes in a thick, sturdy case housing 4 standard sized DVD cases with flip trays for the discs. Overall, the 2018 Shout Factory version is the superior set in practically every way. Despite some shortcomings, it is still a comprehensive collection with lots of bonus features all presented in a beautiful packaging worthy of this pop cultural phenomenon.