Spencer Blohm, a freelance entertainment blogger, wrote a guest post last year about Bill Cosby (in honor of his 76th birthday). Spencer recently contacted me about writing a post on the upcoming Disney Channel series Girl Meets World.
The ABC show Boy Meets World was a mainstay for many American kids and teens growing up in the 90s. Part of the infamous TGIF lineup on Friday nights, the show was on the air for an impressive seven seasons, from 1993 to 2000. Of course, thanks to syndication, the show gained a cult following from younger generations who weren’t able to enjoy it during its prime. Now, Cory and Topanga are back, except this time around they’re the parents. The Disney Channel has ordered a full season of Girl Meets World, which is focusing on Cory and Topanga’s oldest daughter, Riley (played by Rowan Blanchard).
The first news for the series came in 2012, when it was announced that The Disney Channel, who held syndication rights to the show from 2000-2007, was developing a spin off and both Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel were slated to return as Cory and Topanga alongside the original show creator, Michael Jacobs. Of course, when it was announced that William Daniels would reprise his role as Mr. Feeney in the pilot episode, everyone started wondering who, if anyone, was planning on coming back. Rider Strong, who played Shawn, denied any involvement in the series from the start, however if you look at the IMDB page, it says he will appear in one episode. It’s also worth noting that both of Cory’s parents and his brother Eric are all slated to appear in an episode too, pointing to a guaranteed scattering of notable cameos during the first season.
Many fans of the original series, while excited to see Cory and Topanga again, are concerned for the legacy of Boy Meets World. The series is one that has been a mainstay for many audiences during their formative years, so much so that we can’t help but feel defensive regarding its resurgence. Addressing these concerns, Ben Savage said, "This generation grew up with ‘Boy Meets World’ and it means something very special to them as it means something special to us. And we want to try and do something for the next generation, and we want to give them the show that they can grow up with and have their own memories with, and so that’s what we’re doing."
Of course, Cory and Topanga will still be themselves, despite all the other changes. They will still be the couple that doesn’t fully understand or agree with each other very often, which will be a major plot point of the series. Says creator Michael Jacobs, "If they’re great parents, I got no show. If they’re learning in that generation, Ben continues to learn, so does Danielle –together, they have always been better than separately. That will continue. However, Ben and Danielle, their challenges of what’s going on today and how children have to be raised and protected today … those are some pretty extreme challenges."
While the series may not be geared towards the exact audience that enjoyed the original, it is great that another generation will be able to enjoy something similar to what we had. Of course, just because it’s on The Disney Channel doesn’t mean many of us ‘90’s kids won’t be tuning in when the series is slated to debut this summer – although the cereal and toy commercials will certainly have less of an effect on us this time around.
About the author: Spencer Blohm is a freelance entertainment and pop culture blogger for DirectTelevisionSpecials.org. He fondly remembers many a Friday night spent eating pizza, drinking Surge, and watching ABC’s TGIF lineup. While Surge eventually went away, his love for a good 90’s teen series never has.
Girl Meets World
The first news for the series came in 2012, when it was announced that The Disney Channel, who held syndication rights to the show from 2000-2007, was developing a spin off and both Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel were slated to return as Cory and Topanga alongside the original show creator, Michael Jacobs. Of course, when it was announced that William Daniels would reprise his role as Mr. Feeney in the pilot episode, everyone started wondering who, if anyone, was planning on coming back. Rider Strong, who played Shawn, denied any involvement in the series from the start, however if you look at the IMDB page, it says he will appear in one episode. It’s also worth noting that both of Cory’s parents and his brother Eric are all slated to appear in an episode too, pointing to a guaranteed scattering of notable cameos during the first season.
Many fans of the original series, while excited to see Cory and Topanga again, are concerned for the legacy of Boy Meets World. The series is one that has been a mainstay for many audiences during their formative years, so much so that we can’t help but feel defensive regarding its resurgence. Addressing these concerns, Ben Savage said, "This generation grew up with ‘Boy Meets World’ and it means something very special to them as it means something special to us. And we want to try and do something for the next generation, and we want to give them the show that they can grow up with and have their own memories with, and so that’s what we’re doing."
Of course, Cory and Topanga will still be themselves, despite all the other changes. They will still be the couple that doesn’t fully understand or agree with each other very often, which will be a major plot point of the series. Says creator Michael Jacobs, "If they’re great parents, I got no show. If they’re learning in that generation, Ben continues to learn, so does Danielle –together, they have always been better than separately. That will continue. However, Ben and Danielle, their challenges of what’s going on today and how children have to be raised and protected today … those are some pretty extreme challenges."
While the series may not be geared towards the exact audience that enjoyed the original, it is great that another generation will be able to enjoy something similar to what we had. Of course, just because it’s on The Disney Channel doesn’t mean many of us ‘90’s kids won’t be tuning in when the series is slated to debut this summer – although the cereal and toy commercials will certainly have less of an effect on us this time around.
About the author: Spencer Blohm is a freelance entertainment and pop culture blogger for DirectTelevisionSpecials.org. He fondly remembers many a Friday night spent eating pizza, drinking Surge, and watching ABC’s TGIF lineup. While Surge eventually went away, his love for a good 90’s teen series never has.
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