Boy Meets World

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Boy Meets World

The opening title screen for Boy Meets World, used in seasons 5-7.
Format Sitcom, Teen drama,Dramedy
Created by Michael Jacobs
April Kelly
Starring (See Characters section.)
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
No. of seasons 7
No. of episodes 158 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive
producer(s)		 Michael Jacobs
David Kendall (seasons 2-3)
Bob Young (season 4)
Howard Busgang
& Mark Blutman (season 5)
Bob Tischler (season 6-7)
Running time 22 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel ABC
Original run September 24, 1993 – May 5, 2000
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary
Philadelphia Portal

Boy Meets World is an American television sitcom that chronicles the events and everyday life lessons of Cory Matthews, who grows up from a young boy to a married man. The show aired for seven seasons from 1993 to 2000 on ABC, part of the network's TGIF lineup.


Contents

[edit] Characters

Main article: Characters of Boy Meets World

(Cast in Seasons 6-7 of BMW)

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of Boy Meets World episodes

[edit] Production notes

[edit] Theme music and introductions

Boy Meets World used five theme songs and a number of opens over seven years. The final theme, written and performed by Phil Rosenthal [2], remained for the fifth through seventh seasons, though the visuals changed from Seasons 5 to 6 to include Trina McGee-Davis as Angela Moore (when she moved from guest star to regular cast member in Season 5) and Maitland Ward as Rachel McGuire (added as a regular cast member in Season 6).

ABC Family was the first network since ABC to show all the accurate introductions for all seven seasons. For the syndicated and Disney Channel broadcasts, a slightly modified version of the Season 4 theme, the opening credits for Season 1 were the same style, the ones for Seasons 2-7 are eqivalent to the Season 2/4's Logo.

Boy Meets World was produced by Michael Jacobs Productions, Touchstone Television and distributed by Buena Vista Television.

[edit] 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.

  • The Matthews' House - full run

The House was primarily a four-room set-up, consisting of the Matthews' living room, kitchen, Cory and Eric's bedroom, and the backyard that adjoined that of George Feeny. There were also occasional scenes in Cory and Eric's bathroom and their parents' bedroom. The house was the main setting for the show, as most of the episodes spent at least some time here. Seasons 6-7 had many episodes without the house, and also without Alan, Amy, or Morgan.

  • The 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. Mr. Feeny taught in the classroom in season 1, Jonathan Turner also had a classroom from Seasons 2-4, after the events in the Season 2 episode "Me and Mr. Joad", Both Mr. Feeny and Mr. Turner taught in the classroom, but this changes when Mr. Turner's character is written off the show in the season 4 episode "Cult Fiction", and the setting of John Adams High School is changed significantly.

Mr. Feeny also had an office from Seasons 2-5. One scene in season 4 saw it being used as Dean Bolander's office. In seasons 5 and 6, both Mr. Feeny and Dean Bolander taught in the classroom, but in season 7, only Mr. Feeny taught there.

  • John Adams' Main Floor - Seasons 2-4

This was another multiple-room setting, containing Mr. Turner/Mr.Feeny's classrooms and the main hall. The door on the right that led off-stage has been used as the entrance to Mr. Feeny's office, both boys' and girls' bathrooms, the janitor's closet, or the guidance counselor's office.

  • John Adams' Senior Floor - Seasons 5-6

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 Senior Floor was seen in the opening scenes in the season 6 premiere episode "His Answer" because the episode starts where the Season 5 finale "Graduation" left off. After the "His Answer" episode, it was never shown or mentioned again.

  • Jonathan Turner's Apartment - Seasons 2-3

Jonathan Turner's apartment was introduced in Season 2, but became a main setting for the show in Season 3 after Shawn moves in with Jonathan, and was seen up until Shawn moved out of it late in Season 3. It would eventually be adapted into the college apartment Eric, Jack, and Shawn shared.

  • Jack Hunter's Apartment - Seasons 5-7

In the beginning of Season 5, Eric leaves home to attend Pennbrook University, and rents an apartment with Jack Hunter, who recently moved to town to also attend Pennbrook. At Chet Hunter's insistence, Shawn moves in with them, but the apartment would see a number of different occupants over the years.

  • First line-up: Jack, Eric, and Shawn, in the 5th season.
  • Second line-up: Jack, Eric, and Rachel. At the beginning of Season 6, a few months before Shawn plans to move out of the apartment and into a dorm with Cory, Eric and Jack kicked him out to make room for Rachel. Shawn, upon seeing Rachel, takes this in stride.
  • Third line-up: Jack and Rachel. After Chet Hunter's death, Jack and Rachel begin dating, and Eric moves out a few episodes later.
  • Fourth line-up: Topanga, Angela, and Rachel. Eventually, Eric decides to return to the apartment, but at the same time, Rachel invites Angela and Topanga to move in. His chivalrous nature winning out over logic, Jack begrudgingly leaves. He and Eric return to fight the girls for the apartment a few episodes later, but lose.
  • Fifth line-up: Angela, Shawn, and Rachel. After Cory and Topanga get married in season 7, Topanga moves out, and Shawn moves in with Angela and Rachel. Rachel later moves out to assume the title as a Resident Assistant for one of Pennbrook's dorms, leaving Angela and Shawn.
  • Sixth Line-up: Shawn and Angela. After Rachel moves out, Shawn and Angela share the apartment in one or two episodes.
  • Seventh and Final Line-up: Jack, Eric, and Shawn (Again).Permanent living decisions were finally made in the episode "Picket Fences". Angela moved in with Rachel in Cory and Shawn's old dorm room, Cory and Topanga moved into "The Married Couples Dorm", Shawn remained in the apartment, then Jack and Eric moved back in, the original occupants re-claim the apartment, this setting hardly appears after that moment.
  • Chubbie's Famous Hamburgers - Seasons 2-5

"Chubbie's" became a mainstay for the Boy Meets World cast in season 2, as well as other John Adams High School students, and was often used for scenes. It was another multiple-room set, with a game room on stage right, and restaurant/bar on stage left, although the game room was used infrequently. Eventually the restaurant becomes a pirate-themed restaurant called "Peg-Leg Pete's" in a late season 5 episode "Things Change", and was written off the show.

  • Cory and Shawn's Dorm Room - Seasons 6-7

The dorm room that Shawn and Cory live in during Season 6 connects to the dormitory hallway. The room was used throughout the series, housing some occupants that do not live in the apartment. The dormitory hallway is seen very rarely, only in a few episodes in season 6, and is also connected to the co-ed bathroom which is seen in only 2 scenes in episode #6.4. Eventually, Angela and Rachel decide to move there in the Season 7 episode "Picket Fences".

  • The Pennbrook Student Union - Seasons 6-7

This replaced the John Adams High School 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 at stage center, a pool table behind it, miscellaneous items in back stage right, and a patio on stage left. All of these areas were used at least once during the show's run, Jack and Eric eventually worked there.

  • The 'Married Couples' Dorm - Season 7

This set was where Cory and Topanga lived after returning from their honeymoon. It was initially dirty and run-down in "Picket Fences", but Cory did a lot of work to renovate it (fresh paint, new furniture, etc.). The set has 3 sections: the dormitory hallway, a living room/kitchen area, and a bedroom. It was a central setting for a few episodes in Season 7, and was used consistently throughout the remainder of the show.

  • WIXB News Station - Season 3; 2 episodes

The WIXB News Station was seen in 2 episodes, "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" because Eric wanted to apply for an internship to boost his grades; he got the job, but was fired in the episode "Stormy Weather" because he (briefly) dropped out of school, and only students were allowed to participate in the internship program.

  • Jefferson Elementary School - Season 1

The name of the Elementary School that Cory, Shawn, Topanga, and Minkus attended in the first season was mentioned as Jefferson Elementary but they were in the 6th grade during season 1. The Elementary School setting contained Mr. Feeny's Classroom, the hallway, and the cafeteria. This setting was adapted for the John Adams High School Main Floor for Seasons 2-4.

  • Pennbrook Hallway and Classroom - Season 5

The Pennbrook hallway was seen in the episode "It's Not You...It's Me", and the classroom was seen in the episode "How to Succeed in Business". The Pennbrook classroom would become Mr. Feeny's Classroom in Seasons 6-7.

  • 'Matthews and Sons' Store - Season 4/7

This setting was a local sporting goods store that Amy bought for Alan after he quit his job at the supermarket, and he re-named it "Matthews and Sons" because of himself, Eric, and Cory. Alan is the manager of the store, and since Eric is not in college, he works there as a cashier. In one episode, when a mountain girl comes to work at the store, Eric then starts dating her. This was a recurring setting in Season 4, and it was seen in the Season 7 episode "I'm Gonna Be Like You, Dad".

  • Mr. Feeny's Office - Seasons 2-5

When Cory, Shawn, and Topanga started attending John Adams High School, Mr. Feeny became the principal, and later a teacher again, but was still principal, and he had an office. This also was shown as Dean Bolander's office in the Season 4 finale.

[edit] Season 2

After Season 1 of Boy Meets World ended, the production team made some changes to the show, which would affect the show until the end. The changes made for the 1994–95 season included:

  • The target demographs were changed from family viewers to more teenage viewers.
  • The Opening. Seasons 2 and 3 had short openings to allow for more episode time.
  • The Logo. The BMW logo looks different than the one in Season 1; the Season 2 logo is not seen in Season 3, although it is seen in Season 4.
  • The Credits. The Season 2 style of the credits were equivalent to the style of the logo. The Season 2 style of credits is used until the end of the series.
  • The Background Music. Instead of using Season 1's Irish reggae music for Season 2, they used guitar rock for Season 2's opening and episode music mostly until Season 4. In Seasons 4–7, the rock music is used briefly.

[edit] Philadelphia references

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 Morgan always wearing a Philadelphia Eagles jacket. 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, Penn, Saint Joseph's University, and other Philly-area colleges. Pennbrook is also the name of a train station in suburban Lansdale on Philadelphia's R5 Line, as well as the name of a nearby middle school. In an episode in Season 4, while attempting to lure Shawn into an SAT review session, Cory coerces Mr. Feeny into mentioning that they have cake at the session from the "Westchester Bakery". There is no such bakery, but the borough West Chester exists west of Philadelphia. Chubbie's Famous was an actual Philly cheesesteak location that actually did not have much sit down space, unlike the sound-stage set led many to believe. The actual landmark is very similar to Pat's and Geno's, two other Philadelphia cheesesteak landmarks. Shawn's father is featured in an episode, and it is mentioned that he is from Reading, a town in the Philadelphia area. Also when Cory is on the basketball team he has a game against Cheltenham, which is a suburb right outside of Philadelphia.

[edit] Running gags

  • In season four, Eric coins the "Feeny call" ("FEENAY! FEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-NAY!").
  • In later seasons, Cory occasionally calls Topanga "the wife".
  • In the earlier seasons, characters such as Cory, Shawn, or Mr. Turner end an awkward situation by saying "Good night, everybody!", and walking out of the room.
  • Shawn and Cory always mention their love of cake.
  • Often if Topanga appears, or if she's done something semi-scandalous or unexpected, there's (usually by Cory and Shawn) a gasp and then a "To-PANGA!".
  • Eric calls Morgan "Weasel" constantly in seasons one and two.
  • Harley almost always refers to Cory as "Baboon", going back to the first episode of season two when Harley nicknames him "Johnny Baboon".
  • Mr. Feeny is almost always gardening in his backyard, and available to give the Matthews family advice, but panic ensues by the family when he is not there.
  • In later seasons, Eric confuses the words "niece" and "niche".
  • The power Eric has over Jack in later seasons.
  • Eric's intelligence decreases as the seasons go on.

[edit] Syndication

Boy Meets World reruns began airing on Disney Channel after the show ended in 2000, and have stopped airing because it was shown more than planned on Disney Channel's Summer Block. The Disney Channel edited episodes with mature content (i.e. sexual jokes) and does not show 3 episodes containing mature themes: "If You Can't Be With the One You Love...", "PROMises", and "The Truth About Honesty". ABC Family also airs the show without editing content, but does not air several holiday-themed episodes. The complete series is also aired on the Family Channel in Canada. In October 2007, ABC Family stopped airing Boy Meets World. This came as a disappointment to the fans of the show.

[edit] DVD releases

  • The first three seasons are available now by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Due to low sales the remaining seasons may never be released on DVD; [3] However, Buena Vista has lost its rights to the show, so Season 4-7 is a possibility.
  • Season 1: Bonus features include commentary and a season four episode
  • Season 2: Bonus features include audio and video commentaries
  • Season 3: Bonus features include an interactive trivia game

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Boy Meets World" (1993) - Full cast and crew
  2. ^ Rescue Records
  3. ^ Boy Meets World DVD news: Trade Mag Explains Why No More Seasons for Boy Meets World, Who's The Boss, Night Court, Airwolf & More! | TVShowsOnDVD.com

[edit] External links

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