Boy Meets World
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''Boy Meets World'' is an American
coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...
sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
created by Michael Jacobs and April Kelly that aired on ABC for seven seasons between September1993 and May2000. The series centers on Cory Matthews ( Ben Savage) and his friends and family, as he progresses from childhood to adulthood. Episodes chronicle the everyday events of Cory's home and school life; his teacher and neighbor George Feeny ( William Daniels) delivers life lessons as Cory learns to cope with social and personal issues of adolescence. Cory has strong relationships with his older brother Eric ( Will Friedle), younger sister Morgan ( Lily Nicksay), and parents, Amy ( Betsy Randle) and Alan (
William Russ William Russ (born October 20, 1950) is an American actor and television director. He played Alan Matthews on the sitcom ''Boy Meets World'' (1993–2000) and appeared in the television series ''Wiseguy (TV series), Wiseguy'', the soap operas ''A ...
). Cory's friendship with Shawn Hunter ( Rider Strong) and romantic interest in Topanga Lawrence ( Danielle Fishel) serve as central focuses of episodes. Overarching themes include a focus on family and friendships as well as discovering one's identity. Further characters were introduced in later seasons; Jonathan Turner ( Anthony Tyler Quinn), Eli Williams ( Alex Désert), Jack Hunter ( Matthew Lawrence), Angela Moore ( Trina McGee-Davis) and Rachel McGuire ( Maitland Ward).
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
commissioned the series for its youth-oriented TGIF programming block airing on ABC. Jacobs had previously produced ''
Dinosaurs Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic Geological period, period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the #Evolutio ...
'' for the block and was asked to create a new series for a 12-to-14-year-old audience. Savage was under a contract with ABC at the time and Jacobs chose to include him as the central character. ''Boy Meets World'' was produced by Michael Jacobs Productions and Touchstone Television, and premiered on ABC on September 24, 1993. The series concluded on May 5, 2000, as a result of the aging cast and a shift in the network's programming directives. ''Boy Meets World'' experienced strong ratings for the teenage demographic throughout its seven seasons, and it was later syndicated on
Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
. Several cast members were nominated for Young Artist Awards. Savage and Fishel reprised their roles as series regulars in the spin-off '' Girl Meets World'', which aired on Disney Channel from 2014 to 2017, and depicted Cory and Topanga as married parents.


Plot

Cory Matthews ( Ben Savage) is a witty 11-year-old
middle school Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school. Afghanistan In Afghanistan, middle school includes g ...
student in
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, who speaks his mind and has an interest in sports. He shares a love-hate relationship with his sixth-grade teacher and neighbor George Feeny ( William Daniels), and often finds himself in trouble during class. Cory's relationship with his older brother Eric ( Will Friedle) becomes strained when Eric's obsession with dating girls, which is a foreign concept to Cory, begins to take precedence over the time they spend together. Cory shares a strong bond with his parents, Amy ( Betsy Randle) and Alan (
William Russ William Russ (born October 20, 1950) is an American actor and television director. He played Alan Matthews on the sitcom ''Boy Meets World'' (1993–2000) and appeared in the television series ''Wiseguy (TV series), Wiseguy'', the soap operas ''A ...
), and his younger sister Morgan ( Lily Nicksay). His classmates include his best friend Shawn Hunter ( Rider Strong), the intelligent Stuart Minkus ( Lee Norris), and the nonconformist Topanga ( Danielle Fishel), for whom he gradually begins to develop feelings. In the second season, Cory, Shawn, and Topanga begin high school and are taught by Jonathan Turner ( Anthony Tyler Quinn), an unorthodox English teacher, while Mr. Feeny becomes their principal. Cory and Topanga admit their feelings for each other and begin dating in the third season, while Eric is not accepted to any colleges or universities following his high school graduation. The fourth season includes Eric revisiting his studies and Alan opening a sporting goods store with Eric as his partner. Eric begins college in the fifth season and moves into an apartment with Jack ( Matthew Lawrence), whom he learns is Shawn's half-brother. Throughout the season, Shawn develops a relationship with a new student, Angela ( Trina McGee), and Amy becomes pregnant. Topanga is accepted to
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
, but rejects the offer to remain close to Cory, which leads her to propose to him at their graduation. In the sixth season, Cory and his friends begin college, where Mr. Feeny is offered a teaching job. Rachel McGuire ( Maitland Ward) moves in with Eric and Jack and they both develop feelings for her; Jack dates her. The new Matthews baby, Joshua, is born prematurely. Cory and Topanga get married in the seventh season and move into an apartment on campus. The series concludes with Cory, Topanga, Shawn, and Eric moving to
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, when Topanga secures an internship at a law firm, while Jack and Rachel join the Peace Corps and Angela moves to Europe for a year with her dad.


Characters

* Cory Matthews ( Ben Savage), the protagonist, who experiences challenging scenarios and life lessons as he grows up * George Feeny ( William Daniels), Cory's teacher, and later principal, who imparts life lessons and advice to his students * Amy Matthews ( Betsy Randle), Cory's mother * Eric Matthews ( Will Friedle), Cory's scatter-brained older brother * Shawn Hunter ( Rider Strong), Cory's best friend who comes from a troubled family * Stuart Minkus ( Lee Norris) (season 1, guest season 5), an intelligent student in Cory's sixth grade class * Morgan Matthews ( Lily Nicksay, seasons 1–2; Lindsay Ridgeway, seasons 3–7), Cory's younger sister * Alan Matthews (
William Russ William Russ (born October 20, 1950) is an American actor and television director. He played Alan Matthews on the sitcom ''Boy Meets World'' (1993–2000) and appeared in the television series ''Wiseguy (TV series), Wiseguy'', the soap operas ''A ...
), Cory's father, a grocery store manager who later runs a camping goods store *
Topanga Lawrence ''Boy Meets World'' is an American television sitcom that chronicles the coming of age events and everyday life-lessons of Cory Matthews ( Ben Savage). The show aired from 1993 to 2000 on ABC, part of the network's TGIF lineup for seven season ...
( Danielle Fishel) (seasons 2–7, recurring season 1), Cory's classmate and friend, who he develops a relationship with and later marries * Jonathan Turner ( Anthony Tyler Quinn) (seasons 2–4), Cory's high school English teacher who is easy-going and inspires his students * Eli Williams ( Alex Désert) (season 3), another teacher at Cory's high school and Jonathan's best friend from college * Jack Hunter ( Matthew Lawrence) (seasons 5–7), Shawn's long-lost half-brother * Angela Moore ( Trina McGee-Davis) (seasons 6–7, recurring season 5), Shawn's on-again-off-again girlfriend and Topanga's best friend and college roommate * Rachel McGuire ( Maitland Ward) (seasons 6–7), Topanga and Angela's friend at college and Eric and Jack's roommate


Production


Development and casting

''Boy Meets World'' was created to air on the TGIF programming block which had been airing on ABC since 1989. The series was created by Michael Jacobs, who produced ''
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'' for the same block. Jacobs was approached by a
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
executive after the conclusion of ''Dinosaurs'', to write a new series for the 12 to 14-year-old demographic. Jacobs noticed how other sitcoms focused on the oldest child of a family, which led him to create ''Boy Meets World'' with the middle child as the central character. Ben Savage was already under a contract at ABC at 11 years old when Jacobs chose to include him in the series, which became known as ''The Ben Savage Project''. Jacobs wanted to work with William Daniels, but Daniels was apprehensive about acting in a sitcom and initially rejected the offer before asking for the pilot to be re-written. Daniels had threatened to quit, and told Jacobs he did not want the role of Mr. Feeny to make fun of teachers, but knew the character would be respected when Jacobs stated it was based on a mentor of his. Rider Strong was the first actor to audition for the role of Shawn and was successful. Strong's older brother Shiloh Strong was shortlisted to play Eric alongside
Jason Marsden Jason Christopher Marsden (born January 3, 1975) is an American actor, director and producer, who has done numerous voice roles in animated films, as well as various television series and video games. He is best known for his voice roles as the ...
and Will Friedle; Friedle secured the role, however, a different actor portrayed Eric in the unaired pilot. Danielle Fishel was not the original actor cast as Topanga, but she assumed the role before the character's first episode; Jacobs also threatened to fire Fishel during the filming week. ''Boy Meets World'' was renewed for a fifth season in April 1997. In the fifth season, Matthew Lawrence joined the cast as Jack Hunter, Eric's college roommate. Daniels' wife Bonnie Bartlett portrays the recurring role of Dean Bolander, the dean of the university, in the later seasons of the show.


Writing and filming

During the writing of the pilot, network executives removed the episode's references to
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
, considering these elements as too mature for the audience. The episode was poorly received at the table read, and Jacobs re-wrote the pilot overnight. Part of the rewrite was to ensure that Mr. Feeny was portrayed in a way that was respectful of teachers and did not make fun of them, at Daniels' request. Strong later commented on the difficult atmosphere of filming on-set, which he described as a "damaging" environment that was cultivated by Jacobs, who had high expectations of the cast. Director
David Trainer David Trainer is an American television director. He is known for directing every episode of the Fox sitcom ''That '70s Show'', with the exception of " That '70s Pilot", which was directed by Terry Hughes instead, and every episode of the Netfli ...
stated that Jacobs used "emotional manipulation" on the younger cast. The chemistry between Savage and Fishel led to producers developing a romantic relationship between Cory and Topanga. Jacobs was told by an ABC executive that marrying the pair would be irresponsible, before a favorable Internet poll led to the decision being approved. As the series progressed, Eric's characterization became more foolish and unintelligent to accommodate Friedle's comedic abilities. Jeff Sherman, who was a producer and writer on the show, advocated to include issues such as vandalism and child abuse in the series, regardless of it being a comedy. An episode in the first season, "The Fugitive", discusses the idea of running away from home. Bob Tischler served as an executive producer alongside Jacobs towards the end of the show's run.


Conclusion

''Boy Meets World'' was renewed for a sixth season in April 1998. ''
Sabrina the Teenage Witch ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a fictional American teenager named Sabrina Spellman. Sabrina was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo, and first appeared ...
'', another series airing on Friday nights, was the only other show to be renewed that year. By this time, the ratings for ''Boy Meets World'' had decreased by 14% from the last season, and the TGIF ratings had decreased by 17% overall. In 2000, ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'', moved from airing on ABC to
the WB The WB Television Network (shortened to The WB, stylized as "THE WB", and nicknamed the "Frog Network" and/or "The Frog" for its former mascot Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network that ran from 1995 to 2006. It launched on ter ...
; by this stage, it was expected that ''Boy Meets World'' would also end its run, causing doubt about the future of the block. By April, production on the seventh season of ''Boy Meets World'' had concluded, and Savage was already planning on attending college. The series did not produce a "large-scale" series finale, and there was a possibility the show could return. In the same month, ABC officially announced that the seventh season would be the final season of the show. The hour-long series finale aired on May 5, 2000, in which Cory and Topanga consider moving to New York.


Series overview


Broadcast


Syndication and streaming

''Boy Meets World'' reruns began airing on various Fox, WB, UPN, and independent affiliates from September 8, 1997 to September 1, 2000. During the latter month,
Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
assumed syndication rights, with the series running on the cable channel until 2007. ABC Family (now Freeform) aired ''Boy Meets World'' from June 21, 2004 to August 31, 2007 and again from April 12, 2010 to December 2, 2015. It has since returned to Freeform as of February 5, 2024. The series also began airing on
MTV2 MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television Cable television, channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, through PMN’s MTV Entertainment Group Subdivision. The channel launched initially as an all-music ...
since November 14, 2011. On May 5, 2014, the show temporarily returned to Disney Channel after a seven-year absence to promote the sequel spinoff '' Girl Meets World''. On September 29, 2017, ''Boy Meets World'' became available for streaming on
Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
along with fellow Disney–ABC television properties ''
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'' and ''
Home Improvement The concept of home improvement, home renovation or remodeling is the process of renovating, making improvements or making additions to one's home. Home improvement can consist of projects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electr ...
'', in addition to fellow TGIF programs '' Family Matters'', ''
Full House ''Full House'' is an American television sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The show is about the recently widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and childhood best friend ...
'', '' Hangin' with Mr. Cooper'', '' Perfect Strangers'', ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'', and '' Step by Step''. On April 11, 2019, it was confirmed that
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
, a new streaming service owned by
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
, would be carrying the series upon its November 2019 launch.


Reception


Viewership

''Boy Meets World'' experienced strong ratings for the teenage demographic. During the airing of the fifth season in 1997–98, ''Boy Meets World'' was the winner of its timeslot among children, teenagers and adults aged 18–49, while placing second in its timeslot overall. The series was on average receiving a 14% decrease in ratings from the previous season. It was described as the number 2 series for children on primetime television. By the airing of the seventh season, the ratings had continued to decline as the audience for the TGIF block decreased.


Cultural impact

Angela's interracial relationship with Shawn was a relative rarity for a major network television show targeting youths at the time. Trina McGee-Davis once remarked that the typical reaction she received from young fans regarding the relationship was overwhelmingly positive and encouraging, often inquiring as to when the characters would reconcile after a breakup. She expressed her personal wish that her character's relationship would serve as an example of
color blindness Color blindness, color vision deficiency (CVD) or color deficiency is the decreased ability to color vision, see color or differences in color. The severity of color blindness ranges from mostly unnoticeable to full absence of color percept ...
for the world, in lieu of a less positive reaction a similar relationship had received on ''
Ally McBeal ''Ally McBeal'' is an American legal comedy-drama television series created by David E. Kelley that originally aired on Fox from September 8, 1997, to May 20, 2002. It revolves around Calista Flockhart in the title role as a lawyer working ...
'' at the time. Eric and Shawn both wore a popular 1990s hairstyle called curtained hair. The show also addresses the cultural issues of
child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical abuse, physical, child sexual abuse, sexual, emotional and/or psychological abuse, psychological maltreatment or Child neglect, neglect of a child, especially by a p ...
("Dangerous Secret"),
sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment based on the sex or gender of a victim. It can involve offensive sexist or sexual behavior, verbal or physical actions, up to bribery, coercion, and assault. Harassment may be explicit or implicit, wit ...
("Chick Like Me", "Everybody Loves Stuart"), and underage drinking/ alcohol use ("If You Can't Be with the One You Love…").


Awards and nominations


Other media


Home video releases

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. (doing business as Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment) is the home entertainment distribution arm of the Walt Disney Company. The division handles the distribution of Disney's films, television series, a ...
(as Buena Vista Home Entertainment) released the first three seasons of ''Boy Meets World'' on DVD in 2004 and 2005. On August 4, 2008, it was announced that Lionsgate Home Entertainment had acquired the rights to the series. They subsequently re-released the first three seasons on DVD on September 7, 2010, with the same special features from the original releases. Season 4 was released on December 7, 2010. Season 5 was released on May 3, 2011. Season 6 was released on July 5, 2011. Season 7 was released on October 4, 2011, completing the series' run on DVD. On November 5, 2013, Lionsgate released ''Boy Meets World: The Complete Collection'' on DVD in Region 1. The 22-disc set features all 158 episodes of the series as well as new and previously included bonus features from the original sets.


Sequel series

In November 2012,
Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
announced that it had greenlit a
pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...
for a sequel/spin-off series, '' Girl Meets World''. This series picks up nearly fifteen years after ''Boy Meets World'' ended, and follows Cory and Topanga's daughter Riley (
Rowan Blanchard Rowan Blanchard (born October 14, 2001) is an American actress. She began acting as a child and starred in the action film ''Spy Kids: All the Time in the World'' (2011). She gained wide recognition for playing List of Girl Meets World characte ...
) as she navigates the challenges of her adolescent years along with her best friend Maya (
Sabrina Carpenter Sabrina Annlynn Carpenter (born May 11, 1999) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She first gained prominence starring on the Disney Channel series ''Girl Meets World'' (2014–2017). She signed with the Disney Music Group, Disney ...
). Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel reprised their roles as Cory and Topanga, while several other cast members from ''Boy Meets World'' made recurring appearances, most prominently Rider Strong (Shawn Hunter), Matthew Lawrence (Jack Hunter), Will Friedle (Eric Matthews), Danny McNulty (Harley Keiner), Lee Norris (Stuart Minkus), and William Daniels (Mr. Feeny). Michael Jacobs returned as
showrunner A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over th ...
. ''Girl Meets World'' ran three seasons before ending in 2017.


Rewatch podcast

Fishel, Friedle and Strong began hosting a podcast in 2022 in which they rewatch and commentate on every episode of ''Boy Meets World''. The podcast, entitled ''Pod Meets World'', is published by
iHeartRadio iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast, radio streaming and Music Streaming platform owned by iHeartMedia. Founded in August 2008, iHeartRadio serves as the national umbrella brand for iHeart ...
and launched on June 27. Savage chose not to take part in the project despite being invited. In 2023, Fishel, Friedle and Strong revealed that Savage had actually cut off all contact with them in 2020, without explanation. The podcast featured guests Daniels, McGee, Randle, Russ, Lawrence, and Ward.


Notes


References


External links

* * {{TGIF (ABC) 1990s American college television series 1990s American high school television series 1990s American teen sitcoms 1993 American television series debuts 2000s American college television series 2000s American teen sitcoms 2000 American television series endings Coming-of-age television shows American English-language television shows Middle school television series Television series about families Television series about siblings American television series about teenagers Television series by ABC Studios Television series by Disney–ABC Domestic Television Television series created by Michael Jacobs (producer) Television shows set in California TGIF (TV programming block) American Broadcasting Company sitcoms 1990s American multi-camera sitcoms 2000s American multi-camera sitcoms