Boy Meets World

The magical world of sitcoms is all about adaptation. Just because in real life people make new friends, form new romantic relationships, find new mentors, and move to a new place doesn't mean our TV friends are bound by these standards of behavior. Actually, if anything, they're in bold defiance of these practices. Unless a primary cast member dies or quits, we're pretty much set with our principal players no matter how long the show manages to hold on.

In the 90s, shows like Saved by the Bell and Beverly Hills 90210 were famous for pulling this type of TV trickery. Despite major life changes like high school graduation, the gang still remains relatively intact minus those who leave to pursue careers as actresses in terrible low-budget movies about strippers. Just really, really awful. Aside from those people, we're pretty much left with the same kids we've had since day one with little to no regard for the fact that they've aged a good 10 years in the process.

Luckily for the producers of Boy Meets World, they hadn't pulled a 90210 and hired a cast full of actors in their late 20s to portray high school students. That does make it sort of awkward when the show's still going ten years later and there's no veritable explanation for why our recent high school grads appear remarkably advanced in age. No, Boy Meets World played it straight with casting. We met our pals back in their junior high years when they were but mere buds of their future selves. Who would have thought that seven years down the road, they'd still be sitting in the same spot but in larger desks?

Surely no one foresaw that this heartwarming little nugget of a show, though promising, would gain and maintain popularity for as long as it did. The show premiered in 1993, introducing Cory Matthews (boy) to us (world).

Boy, meet World. World, Boy.

One of the most appealing aspects of the show's main character was that he was generally unexceptional. He was just sort of an average joe, if you can suppress your latent knowledge that he was being played by Kevin from The Wonder Years' younger brother. Cory wasn't the smartest, or suavest, or most talented kid we'd ever met, but that's a lot of why we liked him. Most of us weren't any of those things either, so we could relate to a Cory Matthews much more than a Zach Morris.

He's only eleven when we meet him and is awkwardly endearing as ever. Though changes were made throughout the seven-season run, the original cast of characters remained largely intact throughout the series. The characters were well-conceived if a bit hackneyed, but teen sitcoms aren't exactly known for their earth-shattering originality. A few characters changed significantly over the years, but for the most part they stayed pretty true to their original form.



The requisite sidekick was Shawn Hunter, played by Rider Strong, proving it is possible to have a cool name on both TV and in real life. Sean was sort of pseudo-rebellious in the way common to teen sitcom characters--he dabbled, but never really made a name for himself in bad boy world. And of course, he has his good pal Cory and his ever-loving family to keep him grounded. Sean lives with his English teacher for a bit (who we know is cool because he has a ponytail and earring, for those of you who don't read 90s visual cues well) and is later reunited with his father with the help of Cory. He lives in a trailer, giving him the necessary wrong-side-of-the-tracks style credibility necessary to the character.



Cory's older brother Eric, played by Will Friedle, was obviously in sort of series-long competition with Sean for who can have the bounciest 90s hair. It was a close call there for awhile. Eric was a lovable dimwitted ladies' man whose popularity rested largely on his good looks and aforementioned bouncy hair. He didn't show a lot of substance till later in the series, but he certainly provided some comic moments.

Is this not the most awesomely 90s photograph you've ever seen? I used to think she was so cool for dating Lance Bass. About that...

Of course, as in all idealized fictional teen scenarios, there exists but one true love for each of us who we inevitably meet in high school and stay together for the rest of our lives. Just like we all do in real life, no? Topanga Lawrence (Danielle Fishel) is the major example of a character who didn't play well to audiences and was thus completely revamped instead of scrapped. Topanga begins the series as the weird kid with waist-length hair and hippie values. After the first season or so, that persona was almost completely dropped as she morphed into Cory's highly driven romantic interest. Oh, and she cuts her hair. To show, you know, she's changed. There's a whole episode about it. I realize that I've mentioned the hairstyling on this show already two times more than is usually sensible, but just go with it. It's important. Promise.

Don't you think this shirt is just a little bit awesome?

The all-knowing ever-sage mentor is a Mr. George Feeny, a next-door neighbor slash teacher slash principal slash college professor played by William Daniels. You know. The voice of Knight Rider? If any of you were alive at any point during the 80s, please raise your hands. Now, revel in that little tidbit. Go on, revel. I said revel. Okay, hands down everyone. Back to synopsisizing here. Feeny was a great all-purpose wise man, following these kids to be sure that any time they were about to join a cult or fail a test, he'd be there to tell our consciences to be our guides. Okay, so maybe Mr. Turner got them out of that cult, but I really love that episode and wanted to reference it.

There are a lot of other recurring characters (Cory has a family and stuff) but they're far more peripheral to any of the plotlines until Cory's parents have a new baby late into his teen years. I know, I know. Gross. I thought the same thing. Anyway, we see our fearless heroes through the trials and tribulations of junior high and high school, and just as a cancellation seems imminent we find out they're all going to college together. And that Cory and Topanga are betrothed. Still following?

Because it was the 90s and no teenagers had sex ever (especially teen pop sensations, but that's a story for another time), Cory and Topanga held out till their wedding night. Which was while they were in college. With all of their friends. Oh, and Cory's brother. And Matthew Lawrence. Mmm, Matthew Lawrence. I'm sorry, where was I?

Watch Cory and Topanga discuss their upcoming wedding and his, er, urges

Oh, right. So as you can see, things got a little contrived at the end, but most loyal fans persevered. All in all, it was a good show with strong values and the ability to make us laugh. We all had to suspend our disbelief a bit to make it all work over the years, but it was pretty worth it. Back in our day, the phrase TGIF actually meant something, and it had nothing to do with potato skins. After seven years, it was as if we'd all grown up together. I never did find out their secret to bouncy hair, though. Damn.