On cheesy teenage sitcoms, reality can be fungible. Saved by the Bell often let its main characters provide the soundtrack, but it wasn't fussy about the format: the gang lip-synched tunes at sock hops, costume balls and in their own homes. The girls cut a workout-themed music video and nearly landed a record deal, until Jessie Spano showed America what happens when you dabble with pills. But the pinnacle of the show's musical obsession was a Casey Kasem-hosted episode chronicling the Zack Attack's dizzying rise from garage band to worldwide pop sensation. The plot was plucked straight from Behind the Music: there were strobe-lit concerts, asinine press conferences, regrettable hairstyles, a British producer, a manipulative publicist, an award show speech that revealed the group's impending fractures, and finally the profound realization that fame changes people. In true early-'90s TV fashion, though, it turned out the whole thing was just a dream.
Top 10 Fake Bands
Anvil! The Story of Anvil, the buzzed-about documentary out now, follows an aging metal band trying to reclaim former rock glory. And if that sounds like the plot to the influential (and ironically more popular) '80s mockumentary This is Spinal Tap, well, it's because it is. So while Anvil may hold the distinction of actually existing, here are ten fictional bands that didn't hesitate to turn the volume to 11.