In the early 1990s, NBC’s programming wizards realized they risked leaving advertising money on the table by not offering teens Saturday morning entertainment ranging from cartoons to live sitcoms. which reflected, in the garish manner of sitcoms, their education from middle school to high school. lives. The only serious threat of counterprogramming at those times was “Yo, MTV Raps!” ”, so for children who preferred bubblegum pop to punchy nursery rhymes, a demand was not being met. This is how the TNBC block was born.

The linchpin of the TNBC block during its early heyday was “Saved by the Bell.” What started as a spinoff of “Good Morning, Miss Bliss” — which began on NBC before moving to the Disney Channel — has become a Saturday morning mainstay for the two kids looking to do nothing during their morning leave from school. And hungover adults who knew better but nonetheless got addicted to this incredibly innocuous riff on “Beverly Hills 90210” (which we love without irony). The series went on to make minor stars out of Mark Paul-Gosselaar, Mario Lopez, Lark Voorhies, Dustin Diamond, Tiffany-Amber Thiessen, and Elzabeth Berkley (who gave it her all). Paul Verhoeven’s spectacularly entertaining “Showgirls”), and spawned a college spinoff starring former Cleveland Browns linebacker Bob Golic. It also gave first exposure to a major sitcom star of the late 1990s and early 2000s. You don’t remember how Leah Remini was factored into the original version of “Saved by the Bell?” Dear reader, come take a trip down memory lane with me.

Remember the plot of Season 3 of “Saved by the Bell” when Zack Morris (Gosselaar) and the gang all took summer jobs at the Malibu Sands Beach Resort run by Mr. Carosi (Ernie Sabella, better known for being the voice of Pumbaa in 1994’s “The Lion King”)? And remember how Zack reluctantly fell in love with Stacey, Mr. Carosi’s sassy East Coast daughter? It was Remini, 21 years old.

Brooklyn-born Remini had previously impressed on shows like “Who’s the Boss?” and its short-lived spin-off “Living Dolls” before appearing as the tough-talking Stacey. Looking at Zack’s multiple love interests over the show’s four seasons, she was easily his most formidable foil. The relationship ended abruptly when Stacey returned east to attend school. Fans of the series will generally admit that the series has struggled to regain its luster following his absence.

Successful actors can often be hesitant to discuss their first performances (usually because they were still perfecting their craft and had to take every gig available), but Remini had no qualms about stopping by. Gosselaar’s podcast “Zack to the future” in 2021 to remember his six-episode stint on “Saved by the Bell.”

Remini was initially terrified of having to fit in with the main ensemble. She was particularly worried about not being the Gosselaar/Zack type, and thus disappointing the casting director. She was particularly intimidated by Gosselaar’s love interest in the series. As she told her former co-star:

“Tiffani-Amber Thiessen is so beautiful. She was like the Little Mermaid to me. And I was just in awe of her face. In awe of her face! Every day I was like, ‘Aggghhhh! She’s a little mermaid. It’s a little mermaid. I felt like a big cow there. I just felt old and not pretty. Every time I put on that skirt, I was like, “Oh my God, I have it.” looks so Stupid. You guys let me know.”

Gosselaar assured Remini that she was an ideal film partner for him. “There’s undeniable chemistry between you and me,” he told her. “They’re real kisses. Because Tiffani and I have never had a kiss like we did in these six episodes. There’s not a single person that Zack comes into contact with, in my opinion, who has the same chemistry as you and me.”

Hollywood is full of horror stories about the actors hate each otherso it’s refreshing to learn that Remini and Gosselaar not only got along well on set, but also still have affection for each other to this day.

Remini quickly became a familiar face on television after her short stint on “Saved by the Bell.” She played Carla’s daughter, Serafina Tortelli in a few episodes of “Cheers”and booked appearances on high-profile shows such as “Friends,” “Home Improvement” and “NYPD Blue.” Then, after one season on Sharon Lawrence’s short-lived series “Fired Up,” Remini landed the role that would make her a bona fide TV star: Carrie Heffernan, the wife of Kevin James’ Doug Heffernan in “The King of Queens.” For nine seasons, Remini traded playful barbs with comedic dynamos like James, Jerry Stiller (as her widowed father), and Patton Oswalt, and more than held her own.

After “The King of Queens” ended its run in 2007, Remini joined “The Talk,” CBS’s talk show answer to ABC’s “The View.” After being fired from the show in 2011, she found herself in a very public argument with co-star Sharon Osbourne, who Remni claimed had gotten her (along with Holly Robinson-Peete) fired. Remini quickly bounced back by appearing on season 17 of “Dancing With the Stars,” where she finished in a respectable fifth place before later returning as a guest judge. Remini also teamed up with James in 2017 for his CBS sitcom “Kevin Can Wait”; alas, the second time did not bode well, as the series was canceled after two seasons.

Although Remini stayed busy on television, appearing on shows like “Match Game,” “The Masked Singer” and “So You Think You Can Dance,” she made a much greater impact as an anti-Scientology activist via her 2015 memoir “Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology” and her Primetime Emmy Award-winning documentary series “Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.”

Remini’s battle with Scientology began in 2006 when, while attending the wedding of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, she asked about the whereabouts of Shelly Miscavige, the wife of church leader David Miscavige. Although the LAPD quickly dismissed Remini’s missing report regarding Shelly’s well-being (she hasn’t been seen publicly since 2007), the artist continued to lash out at the notoriously contentious religion, which , according to her, ostracized her as soon as she began to defy the Church. Despite the turmoil caused by her heroic outspokenness, she managed to stay married to her husband Angelo Pagan, with whom she raised her daughter Sofia. In August 2024, she announced on Instagram that she and Angelo were filing for an amicable divorce.