By Emily Stall
News of the Boy Meets World spinoff
can be found on the social media sites of virtually every 90s kid out
there. In case you’ve somehow missed the news, Disney is creating a
spinoff of the classic 90s TV show and calling it Girl Meets World. The new show will focus on the daughter of everyone’s favorite couple, Cory and Topanga. My
natural first reaction? NO! They’re going to ruin the legacy of the
greatest show of all time! However, the news gets better. Not only is
the original producer, Michael Jacobs, returning for the new series, but
Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel are also reprising their roles as Cory
and Topanga. And Danielle Fishel has hinted on her blog
(http://dfishel.tumblr.com/) that other cast members may join the
project as well. Fishel also writes, “I
promise with the entirety of my heart that we will make GMW with the
same honesty, innocence, and intelligence that you learned to expect
from BMW.”
So, here’s to hoping Girl Meets World can live up to the Boy Meets World
legacy. It’s no easy act to follow. What 90s kid doesn’t wish they
could have a relationship like Cory and Topanga’s? We all remember the
time Topanga pushed Cory up against his locker and gave him his first
kiss. Or when Topanga’s family moved to Pittsburgh, and she ran away to
Philadelphia to be with Cory. I can practically recite Cory’s speech to
his mom to convince her that he and Topanga need to be together in
Philadelphia. “She gave me my first kiss. She taught me how to dance.
She was always talking about these crazy things and I never understood a
word she said. All I understood was that she was the girl I sat up
every night thinking about. And when I’m with her, I feel happy to be
alive. Like I can do anything. Even talk to you like this.” (Seriously,
watch that speech and tell me you don’t tear up.)
What’s so great about Boy Meets World
is that it’s not just a sappy teen romance story. There are plenty of
other great characters, like Cory’s best friend Shawn Hunter, who grew
up in a trailer park. Shawn was always the funny tough guy with great
hair, leather jackets and plenty of girls to choose from. But as the
show goes on, the characters mature, and we learn that Shawn is a
troubled boy who expresses his emotions through poetry. And you can’t
forget about Mr. Feeney, Cory’s neighbor, principal, and teacher for
every year of school. He even follows him to college! Mr. Feeney was
always there to give witty remarks, and also great life advice. Cory’s
older brother, Eric, was a great source of comic relief, reaching out to
Mr. Feeney with his ever-popular “Feeney call.” “Feen-ay!
Fee-hee-hee-hee-nay!”
But I think what really makes BMW great is that it wasn’t afraid to make fun of itself. As a show that could have easily felt too sappy (Full House or Family Matters
style), the writers struck the perfect balance of serious content and
humor. In one episode, Shawn and Cory compare their school schedules and
comment, “Feeney for all of them.” “Yeah, me too.” Cory’s little
sister, Morgan, disappears for an entire season and then returns, played
by a different actress, a season later. The writers played off this
continuity error seemlessly, by making the “new” Morgan’s first line,
“Wow, that was the longest time out ever!” There’s an entire episode
called “Kid Gets Acquainted with the Universe,” where Eric goes to
Hollywood to star in a sitcom that is basically a spoof of the whole
series.
If Girl Meets World
is even half as witty, heartwarming, genuine, and funny as its
predecessor, I’m sure it will have a cult following all its own.
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