Boy Meets World
| Boy Meets World | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Michael Jacobs April Kelly |
| Starring | Ben Savage William Russ Betsy Randle Will Friedle Lily Nicksay Rider Strong William Daniels Danielle Fishel Lee Norris Anthony Tyler Quinn Lindsay Ridgeway Alex Désert Matthew Lawrence Trina McGee-Davis Maitland Ward |
| Country of origin | USA |
| No. of episodes | 156 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Michael Jacobs David Kendall (seasons 2-3) Bob Young (season 4) Howard Busgang & Mark Blutman (season 5) Bob Tischler (season 6-7) |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 24, 1993 – May 5, 2000 |
Boy Meets World was an American television sitcom that chronicled the events and everyday life lessons of a youth named Cory Matthews, who grows up from a pre-pubescent boy to a married man. The show aired for seven seasons from 1993 to 2000 on ABC, where it was one of the headliners of ABC's TGIF lineup. The series started when Cory was eleven years old and it ended when he was in his early twenties.
The series is currently syndicated weekday afternoons on ABC Family Channel and late nights on the Disney Channel. Certain episodes have been omitted or edited for Disney Channel broadcasts of Boy Meets World due to "adult" content, such as alcohol use, language, and some sexual innuendo.
Synopsis
Cory Matthews is the main character of the series, the other characters serve to help Cory with his difficulties in achievement in school, his moral conflicts with Shawn Hunter, and his trouble understanding his girlfriend.[1] Cory's best friend, Shawn Hunter is dissimilar to Cory; he is a social rebel, he has an unsupportive family, he also has success with women. Cory's mother and father (Amy and Alan Matthews respectively) are hard working people who try to make a decent living to raise their three children (by the end of the series, there will be a fourth child, Joshua Matthews, born). Their other two children are Eric Matthews, the handsome, sometimes idiotic older brother who tries to distance himself from Cory at all possible times; and Morgan Matthews, the younger sister who uses her looks and innocence to get what she wants, and has an amazing talent to sing. Cory, with his stubbornness and laziness, struggles with his friend to get through school. To help them, there is Mr. George Feeny, Cory's mentor and neighbor. He tries as hard as possible to get them through school and he eventually does. Finally, there is Topanga Lawrence, his first love, and in the later seasons, his fiancé/wife. Topanga and Cory's relationship is the main focus of the later part of the series and at the end of the series, Topanga, Cory and many of his friends leave Philadelphia for New York City.
The series is often compared to The Wonder Years, another "coming-of-age" series, which starred Ben Savage's older brother Fred Savage (who makes a cameo in the show's sixth season). While The Wonder Years was a drama however, Boy Meets World was an adapted sitcom, complete with a laugh track. Boy Meets World contained an uneasy mix of dramedy and smart humor (especially in the story arc of Shawn Hunter), deadpan humor (serious characters basically giving out comic lines) and a non-stop straight-out farce, with the latter beginning to increasingly dominate the show as time went on.
Playfulness
Fourth wall jokes abound: multiple episodes openly parody then-current movies, including Scream, Rounders, and The Truman Show; wrestler Big Van Vader and Baywatch's Yasmine Bleeth appear as recurring characters playing themselves; and characters repeatedly mention the show's format, plot formulas, and continuity errors.
The show is particularly notable for openly acknowledging its Chuck Cunningham syndrome, going to the lengths of bringing back the character of Stuart Minkus from the first season as a cameo for the high school graduation episode, who explains his absence by having been in "that part of the school over there (pointing off-camera)." Similarly, Cory's sister Morgan unexpectedly returns after an entire season's absence with a wisecracking comment, "That was the longest time-out I've ever had." The character of Morgan was also reprised by a different actress. Another example is the pig Cory, Jr. While still in high school, Shawn obtains a piglet and names him Cory, Jr. The pink colored pig disappears after one episode, only to reappear for a single cameo during the show's college years as a full-grown pig, now dark black.
Similarly, it was one of the only shows in ABC's TGIF programming block to openly acknowledge its placement there and have characters poke fun at it; when the show was rescheduled from 8:30 to 9:30 because of its increasingly adult subject matter, a boy who Cory is babysitting complains that his "favorite show" has been rescheduled past his bedtime for no good reason, exclaiming, "They're trying to kill it!" Cory enthusiastically agrees. Similarly, when ABC began advertising its airing of The Beatles Anthology by replacing its shows' theme songs with Beatles songs, a move ignored in the scripts of most of its shows, the writers of Boy Meets World twisted the concept around by instead using a Monkees song and having that week's episode feature the Monkees as guest stars.
The increasing sense of the show's realism unraveling and the plot becoming increasingly farcical—especially with the character of Eric Matthews, who had changed from a relatively serious character into a hyperactive, wisecracking, idiot savant failure who served as a source of screwball comic relief—caused many viewers to conclude that the show had jumped the shark. However, the "post-jump" episodes of the series—the ones taking place at Pennbrook and driven by Eric's madcap exploits—are among the most prized by adult fans of the show, who look on it as a source of nostalgia and self-aware camp humor.
It is one of the few television shows to take place primarily in the Philadelphia area, and makes multiple local references. These include Cory's love for the Phillies and his brother Eric's attempts to get into Swarthmore College—finally ending with Cory and most of the cast attending Pennbrook, an institution that appears to be a pastiche of Swarthmore and other Philly-area liberal arts colleges.
Episodes
There are 7 seasons, each with more than 20 episodes.
Characters
Cory Matthews (Ben Savage)
Cory is the main character of the series; Cory's best friend is Shawn Hunter, his mother and father are Amy and Alan Matthews, he has three siblings, Eric Matthews, Morgan Matthews, and Joshua Matthews (born very late in series). Mr. George Feeny is Cory's mentor and neighbor. Cory struggled in graduating high school, where he often had trouble with bullies. Cory married Topanga Lawrence, his first love, late in the series. Sometimes Cory and Topanga do not get along when Cory is not doing the right thing or not doing things the right way (humorously), complete with deadpan humor and puns. Topanga, Cory and many of his friends left Philadelphia for college in New York City. In the last episode, it is revealed that Cory is actually short for his full name: "Cornelius".In the episode when it shows Cory and his friends going to Mr. Feeny's retirement in 2006 Cory is shown wearing glasses and a tie.
Shawn Patrick Hunter (Rider Strong)
Shawn has always been the best friend of Cory Matthews. The two met when Cory fell into an animal pen at a zoo and Shawn came to his rescue. As they grew older, Shawn developed a personality opposite of Cory. Shawn took more risks and had more of a bad boy image. Their personality differences did cause problems between the two a few times, but those problems could never destroy the unbreakable friendship between Cory and Shawn.
In the first season of Boy Meets World, not much is known about Shawn Hunter except that he is Cory's best friend. In seasons two and above, the show began to focus on Shawn's life as well. In the beginning, Shawn lives with both his parents, Chet and Verna Hunter. One day, Verna runs off with the trailer and Shawn is left under the care of the Matthews family when Chet chases after his wife. When the Matthews find that Chet will not be returning for a while, Jonathan Turner, a teacher at John Adams High School, offers to be a legal guardian of Shawn. About a year later, Chet comes back and eventually Verna rejoins her family temporarily before taking off again. In a later season, Shawn's half-brother, Jack arrives in town for college. Shawn moves in with him and Eric Matthews, Cory's older brother, which leaves Chet free to take off again. However, on a trip back to town, Chet dies of a heart attack. Towards the final episodes of the series, Shawn discovers that Verna wasn't his biological mother when she sends him a letter after Chet's death. Apparently, Chet was left to take care of Shawn after his biological mother, who was actually a stripper, abandoned them shortly after his birth.In the episode when Shawn and his friends go to Mr. Feeny's retirement in 2006 Shawn has become a writter. Mr. Feeny has all of Shawn's books.
Topanga Lawrence-Matthews (Danielle Fishel)
Topanga is the main love interest of Cory Matthews on the television show Boy Meets World. She is played by Danielle Fishel. Topanga Lawrence's character was one of several to undergo dramatic changes through the course of the series, and she is particularly cited as an example of sitcom writers "drifting" in their conception of a character throughout a series, resulting in continuity errors and retcons.
When she was originally introduced in the first season, she was very immature, like most of the characters, a simple stereotype -- in her case, that of the ultra-left-wing hippie. Primarily a source of comic relief as the "weird kid" who expressed bizarre political opinions in class to be mocked by Cory and Shawn, she was notable for being Stuart Minkus' crush and the most mature in her class, maintaining her signature icy-calm "robot-like" demeanor while her classmates were frequently struggling with histrionic bouts of angst.
As the characters entered high school, the presentation of Topanga's character changed radically -- her unusual hairstyle and measured, artificial way of speaking vanished overnight, and she became one of the most emotionally demonstrative characters on the show. Though Cory dated various other girls, events on the show repeatedly conspired to force them back into a relationship with each other, and their on-again/off-again love affair became one of the show's constants.
As time went on, particularly as Danielle Fishel passed through puberty and became increasingly admired for her physical beauty, much was made of the fact that Topanga was attractive, popular, academically accomplished and in general, far more successful than Cory, and Cory's role came to be more and more that of an Everyman beset by feelings of inferiority. Along these lines, Topanga moderated most of her political opinions: though she was still a mouthpiece for a generally feminist point of view, her radical socialism, more strident opinions and her veganism quickly faded. Her character's rapid "normalization" is seen by many fans as a continuity break and often cited as a possible point at which the series jumped the shark, although the show did attempt to explain this character shift as being the result of Topanga being increasingly influenced by her peers rather than her former-hippie parents, and by the end of the series, her hippie persona seemed to have been retconned out of existence. Though Topanga maintained a clean-faced, makeup-free look throughout the series, for instance, it was eventually explicitly stated that she did so because she felt she looked better that way than for any political reason. By the end of the show, Topanga has acquired many of the traits of the actress who portrays her, including an obsession with fashion and personal appearance.
The many changes to her character concept ended up creating changes to her backstory. Even though Cory's romance with Topanga had been slow in developing originally, in the middle of the series, the writers decided to imply that Topanga and Cory had been destined to marry since childhood, and creatively indicated that Cory and Topanga had met as toddlers and became best friends, only becoming separated because of pressure from Eric who teased him into thinking of girls as "icky." The perception of Topanga and Shawn competing for Cory's affections -- along with the underlying Shawn/Corey subtext -- became one of the show's recurring themes. However, the idea that Cory and Topanga were once best friends before the show's first season clashes severely with first-season Cory's knowing almost nothing about Topanga and being completely mystified by her and her background.
The most obvious continuity changes through the series involved Topanga's parents -- she is famous for appearing to have had at least two completely different sets of parents. Originally, she referred to her parents by their first names, Jedediah and Chloe, and both of them seemed to be political radicals who passed their beliefs onto her. Going along with this image, Jedediah made a few cameo appearances on the show as a laid-back, successful guitar-maker and amateur musician played by Monkee Peter Tork, primarily as a comic foil for Cory's traditional father Alan. Later, her mother had taken a job in Pittsburgh, forcing Topanga to stay with her Aunt Prudence in order to be near Cory.
Later, in order to create dramatic tension regarding Topanga and Cory's upcoming marriage, Topanga's parents are reintroduced to the series, this time as wildly different characters played by real-life couple Michael McKean and Annette O'Toole. Jedediah, rather than a former hippie and a musician, is now a somewhat conservative man working a generic white-collar job while her mother, now renamed Rhiannon, is a typical housewife; the two are unhappy together and planning a divorce. In the next (and final) season, her parents were played by different actors yet again, Marcia Cross and Mark Harelik. Topanga's sister Nebula (Nebbie) Stop-The-War Lawrence meanwhile, who was briefly introduced in a first-season episode, is nowhere to be seen.
During her high school career, Topanga accomplished a great deal, including being elected as president of her class and barely sneaking past Minkus to be class valedictorian; Minkus, a character who had been unseen since the first season, unexpectedly returned for the high school graduation episode in order to tie up loose ends for what was thought at the time to be the last season. Topanga was accepted to Yale University in her senior year as a legacy student, her parents apparently both being Yale alumni, but eventually chose to attend Pennbrook College with Cory and his friends instead, arriving at her decision by dramatically proposing to Cory at their high school graduation. The final season featured Cory and Topanga's marriage during their sophomore year of college in a much-publicized wedding and honeymoon episode, and the series ended with the two of them, along with Eric and Shawn, leaving Philadelphia for New York.
Jonathan Turner (Anthony Tyler Quinn)
Mr. Turner was the teacher of Cory, Shawn, and Topanga starting in the second season. His new age approach to teaching often clashed with Mr. Feeny's more traditional methods, and the students found that they could more easily identify with the hip, Harley-riding Mr. Turner. In the third season, Shawn found residence with Mr. Turner when his dad went on a cross-country search for Shawn's mother Verna. Mr. Turner remained on the show until midway through the fifth season, he was put in a hospital after a motorcycle accident. As an homage to the beloved character, the show made a reference to him in the graduation episode when Stuart Minkus returns for a cameo and calls out to an off-screen Mr. Turner. Mr. Turner was also responsible for introducing the character of Eli Williams.
Eli Williams (Alex Désert)
Eli Williams was another teacher to Cory, Shawn, and Topanga. He joined the show in season three when his best friend and former college roommate Jonathan Turner got him a job at the school, teaching media arts. Like Turner, Williams is hip, cool, and can relate easily to the young students. However, being a former journalist at a television station in Philadelphia, he sometimes finds teaching and reaching out to students to be difficult chore, something that Turner helps him out with. Stories in the third season were written to focus on the friendship between Turner and Williams and the single bachelor life of dating, partying and socializing that they experience outside of their teaching, showing the life of young adults post-college. Williams had a starring role for some of the third season before he disappeared with no explanation. He never was seen of or heard of after the third season.
Angela Shinaynay Moore (Trina McGee)
Angela Moore was the sweetheart of Shawn Hunter in Seasons 5 - 7. Her first appearance, uncredited, was in Season 5, and she became a regular cast member in Season 6. Angela is a smart, beautiful, African American, and is passionate about causes and people. She is very classy and enjoys things for their artistic value. This balances well with Shawn's creative spirit. Although she broke up with Shawn during one or two episodes, they resolved their issues of angst and became true and devoted lovers, until Angela left for Europe with her father in the series' penultimate episode. In real life, Trina was pregnant during the filming of her role as Angela. Interestingly, there was never a mention of Angela's race over the course of her relationship with Shawn.
Alan Matthews (William Russ)
Alan is the husband of Amy Matthews and the father of Eric, Cory, Morgan, and Joshua Matthews. Alan, as the father of the Matthews children, has provided guidance to his children, but has also at times lacked the supportiveness that he should show. At times during the later years of the show, Alan failed to have faith in Eric when it came to jobs and overall successfulness in life.
He began his career as a supermarket manager, eventually winning a prized "Grocie" award. Eventually, he became disillusioned with his standard 9-5 job that he had worked for so many years, and quit without warning his family. A brief period of family distress followed, with Amy (his wife) proclaiming that she would in turn "make a large decision that affects the entire family without consulting with him first." This decision turned out to consist of purchasing a wilderness store that was up for sale, which Alan took over and renamed "Matthews & Sons".
Amy Matthews (Betsy Randle)
Amy is the wife of Alan Matthews and the mother of Eric, Cory, Morgan, and Joshua Matthews. During the earlier years of the show, Amy was a real estate agent and eventually became an art gallery worker toward the end of the show.
Eric Randall Matthews (Will Friedle)
The brother of Cory, Morgan, and Joshua Matthews, Eric began the show as a suave, popular young man who constantly dated. As the show progressed, Eric's nature became more eccentric, comedic, and even slightly dim-witted at times. He became the show's comedic device and often played off of straight-man Jack. In the episode of Fennys retirement in 2006 Eric has become a Shaman with a long beard and hair and under his beard is a lolly pop.He wrote a book with about 1000 pages in it but only the first page has writting on it and it said " lose 1 friend, lose all friends ,lose yourself". His name in 2006 was Plays With Squirrels.
George Feeny (William Daniels)
Throughout the series, George tries his best to guide young Cory, Shawn, and their friends as they encounter problems in their lives on their road to adulthood. An extremely kind and serene man, he first appears on the show as their school teacher, also as their neighbor; principal, and eventually toward the later years, their college professor (teaching such diverse courses as archeology, English literature, and quantum physics). The mercurial nature of Feeny's job became an in-joke in the series, with characters such as Cory mentioning more than once that Feeny seems to be the only teacher he's ever had. Feeny is also known for his deadpan humor. Later on in the show, George Feeny becomes the mentor of Eric Matthews, and "Feenay", as Eric refers to. George Feeny is a Boston native and likes to garden.
Mr. Feeny was once married to a woman named Lillian, who died before the series began. He later marries Dean Lila Bolander (played by William Daniels' real-life wife Bonnie Bartlett).George Feeny was a teacher from the year 1964-2006.
Jack Hunter (Matthew Lawrence)
The half-brother of Shawn, Jack is the opposite of Shawn. He has money, works out, and has experienced relatively little difficulty in his life. Jack, along with Eric, pined for Rachel after she moved in with the two, eventually winning this battle.
Rachel Kimberly McGuire (Maitland Ward)
Rachel dated Jack for a relatively short period of time. Prior to moving in with Jack and Eric, she lived down the hall with her Texas boyfriend. She also roomed with Topanga and Angela for awhile. Rachel eventually joins the Peace Corps, taking Jack with her.
Morgan Matthews (Lily Nicksay/Lindsay Ridgeway)
Morgan is the daughter of Alan and Amy Matthews, the younger sister of Eric and Cory and the older sister of Joshua Matthews. She inexplicably disappeared partway through the TV series' second season, and reappeared a season later (see Chuck Cunningham syndrome). She has an amazing talent for singing.
Joshua Gabriel Matthews
Joshua is the fourth child of Alan and Amy Matthews, and the younger brother of Eric, Cory, and Morgan. He was born during the TV series' sixth season, but looked three or four by the series finale. His mother gave him the middle name Gabriel because it means "he whom God protects".
Chet Hunter (Blake Clark)
Shawn's father Chet was an on-again, off-again father figure, frequently leaving town for months or even years at a time. He was a jack-of-all-trades, holding a wide variety of (usually low-paying) jobs over the course of the series. Shawn originally idolized his father and thought he was responsible for his father's frequent departures. In time, though, he grew angry and resentful at the way his father treated him, almost as if he didn't matter. However, despite his apparent unconcern for his son's well-being, it is hinted strongly that Chet wanted the best for Shawn, and stayed away because he didn't think he was good enough for him.
During his first major departure, Chet left Shawn in the care of Alan and Amy Matthews, but this ended quickly and Shawn went to live with Jonathan Turner instead. He moved back in with his father when Chet returned to town, but at Chet's insistence, moved in with his half-brother Jack and Eric Matthews. When Shawn went to Pennbrook, Chet went to Jack's stepfather to ask for money to pay for Shawn's tuition. Chet returned to Philadelphia briefly, prompting a conflict with Shawn, who had finally lost patience with his father's inability to stay around. Chet had a heart attack soon after, and he and Shawn were barely able to begin reconciling when Chet died.
Chet appeared as a ghost in two episodes, "Road Trip" in Season 6 and "I'm Gonna Be Like You, Dad" in Season 7. His spirit acts as a counselor for Shawn in the hard times portrayed in these episodes.
Two episodes which involve Chet ("We'll Have A Good Time Then..." and "I'm Gonna Be Like You, Dad") are named for lines from the Harry Chapin song Cat's in the Cradle, which is fitting given the nature of the father-son relationship.
Stage Settings
Boy Meets World was filmed almost exclusively on-stage. There were occasionally scenes filmed in outdoor settings, but these were few and far between.
Main Sets
The House - Full Run
The House was a three-room setup consisting of the Matthews' living room, kitchen, and the back/side yard that they shared with George Feeny. This was the main setting for the show, as most of the episodes spent some time here.
Mr. Feeny's Classroom - Full Run
While the classroom and school changed between seasons 1 and 2 and seasons 5 and 6, a classroom was always present in the show. Jonathan Turner also had a classroom from season 2 to 4, but this changed when his character disappeared from the show and the setting of John Adams High was changed significantly.
Mr. Feeny also had an office from seasons 2 to 5, with one scene in season 4 using it as Dean Bolander's office. Dean Bolander also taught a class in what would become Mr. Feeny's Pennbrook classroom.
John Adams Main Floor - Seasons 2/3/4
This was another multiple-room setting, containing Mr. Turner's classroom and the main hall. On the stage right side was a door that led offstage but was often used as the entry to Mr. Feeny's office, the bathroom, or the counselor's office.
John Adams Senior Floor - Season 5
This set began the trend of many expensive, short use sets. This was the set adapted from the Main Floor set, and appeared to be almost the same as that set except for the reversal of many items. Mr. Feeny's classroom was connected to the stage right side of the main hall.
The First Apartment - Seasons 2/3/4
Jonathan Turner's apartment was introduced in season 2, but became a main setting for the show in season 3 after Shawn moved in with Jonathan. This set would later be adapted to become the college apartment.
The Second Apartment - Seasons 5/6/7
In the beginning of Season 5, Eric left home to attend Pennbrook University and rented an apartment with Jack Hunter, who had recently moved to town also to attend Pennbrook. At Chet Hunter's insistence, Shawn moved in with them, but the Apartment would see a number of different occupants over the years.
- First lineup: Jack, Eric, and Shawn.
- Second lineup: Jack, Eric, and Rachel. At the beginning of Season 6, a few months before Shawn planned to move out of the apartment and into a dorm with Corey, Eric and Jack kicked him out to make room for Rachel. Shawn, upon seeing Rachel, took this in stride.
- Third lineup: Jack and Rachel. After Chet Hunter's death, Jack and Rachel began dating, and Eric moved out a few episodes later.
- Fourth lineup: Topanga, Angela, and Rachel. Eventually Eric decided to return to the apartment, but at the same time Rachel invited Angela and Topanga to move in. His chivalrous nature winning out over logic, Jack begrudgingly left. He and Eric returned to fight the girls for the apartment a few episodes later, but lost.
- Fifth lineup: Jack, Eric, and Shawn (again). After Cory and Topanga were married in Season 7, Topanga moved out, and Angela and Rachel were unable to make rent alone. They moved into a Pennbrook dorm together, and the three original occupants moved back to the apartment. They would remain until the end of the series.
The Trailer - Seasons 2/3/4/5/6
Shawn and Chet Hunter lived in the trailer until Shawn moved into the apartment in Season 5, and Chet's death in Season 6. This set was used sparingly.
Chubbie's Diner - Seasons 2/3/4/5
Chubbie's became a mainstay for the BMW cast, and was used often for scenes. It was another multi-room set, with a game room on stage right, and restaurant and bar on stage left, although the game room was used infrequently.
The Dorm - Seasons 6/7
The dorm room that Shawn and Cory lived in during Season 6 connected to the dorm hall. The room was used throughout the series, housing some occupants that did not live in the apartment. The dorm hall was seen very rarely, only in a few episodes in Season 6, and was also connected to the co-ed bathroom which was seen in only two scenes in Episode 4, Season 6.
The Student Union - Seasons 6/7
This replaced the John Adams hallway as the main school setting. It was the largest main set in the show by far, with a café on stage right, couches and a coffee table stage center, a pool table behind it, miscellaneous items inback stage right, and a patio stage left. All of these areas were used at least once during the show's run.
Continuity errors
The biggest continuity problems revolve around the characters' ages. In the first season (1993-1994), Cory and his classmates are in 6th grade at Jefferson Elementary School while Eric is four years older in 10th grade at John Adams High School. The second season (1994-1995) continues this. Cory and the others start high school in 7th grade, while Eric reaches 11th grade. The third season (1995-1996) is where the trouble starts. Eric is clearly a senior. No grade is given for Cory, etc., but Corey and Topanga claim to be 14, and Shawn says he is 15. It is also mentioned that Cory and Eric now have a three year age difference. In season four (1996-1997), they've skipped to 11th grade, reducing the Cory/Eric age difference to two years. From that point on, the ages stay consistent for awhile until Eric's college graduation. Cory is a sophomore, but Eric has taken a year off, restoring the three year age gap. However, Eric, Jack, and (presumably) Rachel only spend three years in college. Cory, Shawn, and Topanga also only spend four years in what should be a six year high school.
Shawn's and Topanga's families change constantly. In episode four, "Cory's Alternative Friends", Shawn says he has a sister named Stacy, but she is never mentioned again. The third season episode "The Pink Flamingo Kid" depicts Shawn's half-brother Eddie, who is subsequently never seen nor mentioned. In the fifth season, Matthew Lawrence is introduced as Shawn's half-brother, Jack. In season one's, "She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not", Nebula Stop-The-War Lawrence is introduced as Topanga's sister who is, in the same manner as Shawn's siblings, never mentioned again. In the first season, Topanga's mother's name is said to be Chloe on multiple occasions. When Topanga's mother makes an appearance later in the show's run, her name has been changed to Rhiannon. Topanga's parents changed as well. In the episode where they announce they are getting divorced, Topanga's parents are one set of characters, yet 3 episodes later they are different. Topanga's mother is Annette O'Toole and then later on, it is Marcia Cross.
The character who plays Angela's father was prevously cast on the show as a philosophy teacher at Pennbrook when Shawn attends college classes while still in high school.
Amy Matthews' profession also changes from real estate agent to art gallery worker without an explanation.
In the pilot episode, Cory has three best friends: Shawn and then two other people in his class. However, even though they appeared in some early episodes, the two other best friends eventually were discontinued. By the middle of the first season, Shawn was Cory's one and only best friend.
Toward the end of the series, many references are made to Cory and Topanga's relationship as young children. Cory often mentions that he has loved Topanga his entire life, yet in the season one episode "She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not," Topanga meets Eric for the first time and develops a crush on him. Had Cory and Topanga been friends since birth, some argue, it is unlikely that she would not have met Cory's brother by the time she reached the 6th grade.
DVD Releases
Season Releases
| DVD Name | Release Date | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | August 24 2004 | Includes all 22 episodes from Season 1. |
| Season 2 | November 23 2004 | Includes all 23 episodes from Season 2. |
| Season 3 | August 23 2005 | Includes all 22 episodes from Season 3. |
| Season 4 | TBA 2006 | Will include all 22 episodes from Season 4. |
The first three seasons of Boy Meets World are now available on DVD from Buena Vista Home Entertainment, the fourth season was scheduled to be released in early 2006 but was pushed back at the last minute.
There is currently no word on when it will be released.
Theme Music
Boy Meets World had 5 Themes over 7 years. The final Theme remained for the 5th - 7th Seasons while the visuals changed from Seasons 5 to 6 to include Angela and Rachel. Theme music for the 5th - 7th Season entitled "When This Boy Meets World" was written by Phil Rosenthal.
Ties to The Wonder Years
Not only was Boy Meets World often compared The Wonder Years, Here are some of the actors who have appeared on both shows:
- Fred Savage (Kevin Arnold) guest starred in the season 6 episode "Everybody Loves Stuart" and directed two season 7 episodes.
- Dan Lauria (Jack Arnold) guest starred as a County Judge in a season 4 episode "Wheels".
- Steven Gilborn (Mr. Collins) guest starred as a quiz show host in the season 4 episode "Quiz Show"
Recurring cast list
- Anthony Tyler Quinn as Jonathan Turner (1994-1997)
- Ethan Suplee as Francis Albert 'Frankie' Stechino (1994-1998)
- Blake Soper as Joey 'Joey the Rat' Epstein (1994-1996)
- Danny McNulty as Harvey 'Harley' Keiner (1994-1995)
- Adam Scott as Griffin Hawkins (1995-1997)
- Blake Clark as Chet Hunter (1996-1999)
- Jason Marsden as Jason Marsden (1993-1995)
- Bob Larkin as Janitor Bud (1994-1997)
- Bonnie Bartlett as Dean Bolander (1998-2000)
See also
External links
