Boy Meets World

For the album by Fashawn, see Boy Meets World (album).

Boy Meets World is an American comedy-drama series that chronicles the events and everyday life lessons of Cory Matthews, played by Ben Savage, a kid from suburban Philadelphia 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. Reruns are now played on the ABC Family channel as well as MTV2.

Synopsis

Middle School

The first season begins with Cory Matthews and his best friend Shawn Hunter, two average sixth-graders. They do not care about schoolwork, despite the efforts of their longtime teacher, Mr. Feeny. Their primary interests are in sports, though later Shawn and then Cory begin to express interest in girls. This season focuses specifically on Cory's relationships with the other characters in the show. He begins to understand his parents more and respect them for all that they do; his relationship with his older brother Eric becomes confusing as Eric's constant obsession with girls is foreign to Cory; and he becomes more protective of his little sister, Morgan. Cory's and Shawn's friendship endures real tests for the first time, and Cory must often choose between doing what Shawn wants him to do and what is best for Shawn; but their friendship emerges stronger than ever. Cory forges a tentative friendship with Topanga, despite the fact that he thinks she is "weird," and realizes late in the season that he has romantic feelings for her.

High School

During the second season, Cory and Shawn start high school and meet Mr. Jonathan Turner, an unconventional English teacher. Although they initially view Mr. Turner as cool, they soon realize that he is a teacher first. Throughout the second season, Cory and Shawn try a variety of ways to become popular with their classmates. In doing so, they almost get into fights with the school bullies and even get in trouble with their school principal, Mr. Feeny. Eventually, Shawn becomes cool and popular at school, but still keeps his friendship with the less popular Cory. Shawn’s mother, Virna, deserts Shawn and his father, Chet, which upsets Shawn greatly. Chet then leaves to find Virna. After this occurred, Shawn lived briefly with Cory and his parents but soon figures out that it was just not the right fit for him. Later Shawn moves in with Mr. Turner. Cory tries at some points to begin a relationship with Topanga, but this is mostly because he does not want to be left out; sensing this, Topanga is wary of his advances, and despite the mutual attraction, the two do not date during this season.

During the third season, Cory finally admits that he wants to ask out Topanga, but cannot work up the courage to do so. Consequently, his best friend Shawn asks her out. Although Cory was hurt, he soon realized Shawn set the whole thing up so he could unite Cory and Topanga and basically force Cory to confess his feelings about her. He does so, and they become boyfriend and girlfriend. Later in the third season, Cory and Topanga worry their relationship has hit a rut, and decide it would be best to break up while they are still able to keep the friendship. They get back together a few months later, when Cory follows her to Disney World to win her back. Eric spends this season desperately trying to make up for his first three years of slacking off in high school. He makes progress, but it is not enough; he is not accepted to any universities as of his high school graduation. He decides then to take a year off and figure things out, beginning with a summer road trip. After finding out in the season finale that Cory feels estranged from him, Eric invites Cory along for the ride. Shawn nearly makes several life-changing blunders this season, but Cory and now Mr. Turner help him to make the right choices. Cory endures several tests of character this season - everything from being credited with a great deed which he did not deserve, to being insistently pursued by another girl while he is with Topanga. Sometimes Cory makes the right decision, sometimes the wrong one, but he learns from each.

The fourth season opens with Cory and Eric's return from their road trip. In this season, Eric finds himself confronted with life after high school. After having a couple of jobs and meeting people that teach him some interesting lessons, Eric decides to retake the SATs and give college another try. He improves his score by 200 points and, after an interview with the dean, is accepted to Pennbrook University in the season finale. Alan, decides to quit his job and open a sporting goods store, with Eric as his partner. Topanga’s mother is transferred at her job to Pittsburgh, which is over 300 miles from Philadelphia. The news devastates Cory, but Topanga runs away from her new house and returns to Philadelphia. Topanga’s parents decide that she can live with her Aunt Prudence in Philadelphia until she graduates. Shawn's mother returns for a brief period, but then leaves again under unknown circumstances at some point between season 4 and season 6.

Later that school year, Mr. Turner gets into a severe motorcycle accident in which he almost dies. The next year, Eric moves out of his parents’ house and begins college at the fictional Pennbrook University (a pastiche of local Philadelphia schools including St. Joseph's and Penn). He moves into an apartment with Jack, who turns out to be Shawn’s half-brother. Shawn clearly shows his hatred toward Jack after he refuses to live with him because he did not like the fact that Jack never called or checked to see if Shawn and his dad were doing okay. However, after being convinced by his father and others around him, Shawn moves in with them, but he has nothing in common with Jack, which causes a lot of tension. A new student, Angela Moore, moves to Philadelphia and begins to date Shawn. Over winter break, the students go skiing on a school trip. Cory sprains his ankle and Lauren, a ski-lodge employee, takes care of him. The two kiss, but Cory lies to Topanga, and tells her nothing happened. When Topanga finds out that he lied, they break up. Cory, upset about the break-up, gets drunk and is arrested, along with Shawn. The two agree never to drink again, but Shawn breaks the promise and shows up at school drunk. With the help of Angela and Jack, Shawn realizes that alcoholism runs in his family and that he needs to stop drinking while he still can.

Topanga forgives Cory after encountering her own kiss with an old friend from grade school. She realizes no kiss means more than the ones she shares with Cory. Cory and Topanga reunite and attend the prom together, where they are named King and Queen. On prom night, Cory's mother Amy announces that she is pregnant. Mr. Feeny decides to retire at the end of the school year and decides to move to Wyoming- however, he soon returns from retirement and goes back to teaching. Topanga is accepted to Yale, but Cory does not want her to leave him. At graduation, Topanga tells Cory that she decided not to go to Yale because she wants to be with him — then she proposes. The couple's parents are upset that they got engaged so young, but Cory and Topanga decide to elope. However, at the last minute, they decide that they want to get married “the right way,” in front of family and friends.

College

Shawn, Cory, Topanga, and Angela join Jack and Eric at Pennbrook. Rachel McGuire, a new student from Texas, moves in with Eric and Jack, causing tension as both boys have crushes on her. Angela and Shawn break up due to his claim that they should meet new people, and, despite Cory’s efforts, decide to stay just friends. They eventually are brought back together by way of Angela's father during his visit to the college, recruiting students for his R.O.T.C. program of basic training in the army. Mr. Feeny returns to take some classes, but then is offered a teaching job at the university. During their freshman year, Stuart (played by Ben Savage's brother Fred Savage), one of their professors, makes inappropriate (and unwelcome) sexual advances towards Topanga, causing Cory to shove him through a glass door at the Student Union. Cory is suspended, but for only one day; the Dean believes that Stuart had crossed the line.

Cory and Topanga get married and move into a shabby apartment for married couples on campus. They eventually make it a wonderful home. Shawn and Jack's father dies of a heart attack, and Jack reacts by admitting feelings for Rachel. They start dating, which causes problems for Jack and Eric. Shawn goes on a road trip to deal with his father's death, saying he won't come back. He does return however when Cory's brother Joshua is born prematurely and has a small chance of survival. Shawn receives a letter from his mother confessing she is not his biological mother.

In the series finale, Cory, Topanga, Shawn and Eric all head to New York where Topanga was offered a dream internship at a law firm. Jack and Rachel join the Peace Corps in Guatemala.

Characters

Main

• Cornelius A. "Cory" Matthews (Ben Savage) is the main character. In the early seasons of the show he is portrayed as a slacker who is intelligent and capable, but does not pay attention in class. Throughout the later years his “slacker” tendencies diminish, and instead he seems more neurotic. Despite his trademark neuroses and paranoia, Cory is usually perceived to be the most level-headed member of the main cast. In fact, Cory’s relationships with his best friend Shawn and his brother Eric, revolve around Cory frequently keeping the both of them from making immature decisions. From season 2 onward, Cory openly expresses his feelings for Topanga. It is explained in ‘A Long Walk to Pittsburgh’ that although he teased her during the first season, “she was the girl [he] sat up at night thinking about.” Despite his strong feelings for Topanga, he still has strong attractions to other women, and has been unfaithful to Topanga on a few occasions. He had his first kiss with Topanga in season 1 episode, 'Cory's Alternative Friends,' and in the 7th season they got married. Cory has an extremely idealistic view of the world and strives to make sure that he and his friends will grow old together. His actual name is Cornelius, as revealed in the series finale (Mr. Feeny calls him by it to which Cory quickly shushes him by saying "Shh, Mr. Feeny! Not even Topanga knows that!").

• Shawn Patrick Hunter (Rider Strong) is Cory's best friend. Shawn is more of a trouble maker than Cory, and is also more popular. It is revealed in the second season that Shawn lives in a trailer park. Later in the second season, Shawn’s mother Verna leaves him. His father (Chet) then goes after her. This results in Shawn moving in with Mr. Turner. As a result of being abandoned and passed from home to home, Shawn is the most prone to depression of all the characters of the show. Shawn begins to resent his father until they reunite shortly before Chet’s death. After his death Shawn receives a letter from Verna, stating that she is not his real birth mother, but the mother who raised him. His relationship with his half-brother, Jack Hunter, is often a tense one, as they have very little in common. Early in the series Shawn’s sister Stacy is mentioned, and his other half brother Eddie (from Verna's side of the family) is seen, however neither character is ever acknowledged again. In the series finale, Shawn and Cory have a hard time saying goodbye to each other, so he moves with them to New York.

• Eric Randall Matthews (Will Friedle) is the elder brother of Cory. Early on in the show Eric is portrayed as a suave and popular kid, this contrasts with Cory, who has trouble finding his niche in school. Eric's character devolves from a suave elder brother to an irrational moron serving as comic relief. When Eric struggles to get into college, Mr. Feeny is the one who teaches Eric many lessons and eventually puts him on the right track again. Eric views Mr. Feeny as a mentor, and as a running joke in the series he often stands outside Mr. Feeny’s fence shouting for Feeny to come out. Though Eric’s own friends are rarely seen or mentioned, he develops a closeness with Cory and his friends. When the gang has a falling out after a series of pranks, it is Eric who pushes for everyone to make up. When Shawn's older half-brother Jack appears in season five, Eric moves in with Shawn and Jack. Although he and Jack are almost complete opposites, they eventually become best friends. He cherishes family and finds it essential to happiness and satisfaction. A common, recurring theme is that Eric is far smarter and savvier than he appears and has hidden, untapped potential, and is often impressing his friends and family who underestimate him. He ultimately ends up moving to New York along with Cory, Shawn and Topanga, following his graduation from college. Throughout the series Eric expresses aspirations for being a weather man, and is shown to be very good with children. This is shown when he gets along with the son of one of his girlfriends, and when he becomes a "big brother" to a foster child.

• Topanga Lawrence-Matthews (Danielle Fishel) is Cory's girlfriend, and later wife. Like many characters in the show her personality changes as the show progresses. However, her change is probably the most drastic. From the first season to the second, she changes from an eccentric hippie with interests in the supernatural phenomena, to a calm and collected, mature teenaged girl. In the first season episode "She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not," she has a sister, Nebula "Nebbie" Stop-the-War Lawrence, played by Krystee Clark. Also in that episode, she develops a crush on Eric. Neither the existence of her sister nor her crush on Eric are ever mentioned again, and Topanga’s only romantic relationship for the duration of the show is with Cory. Although Topanga is admitted to Yale University, she decides to attend Pennbrook College with Cory and their friends. She proposes to Cory during their high school graduation, and they marry during their sophomore year of college. Throughout the relationship, Topanga is generally the realist to Cory's idealist. When her parents get divorced, she is plagued by doubts and insecurities about their own relationship. In the end, she and Cory, along with Shawn and Eric move to New York for an internship for which she was accepted. Topanga was simply a recurring character during the first season, but for the duration of the series she was a main character. However, she is not seen in many season 2 and season 3 episodes.

• George Hamilton Feeny (William Daniels) is a constant mentor to Cory and his friends. He first appears on the show as their 6th grade school teacher. The first season centered around his student-teacher relationship with Cory, but throughout the rest of the show Feeny’s role progressed. He became the high school principal in the second season, and eventually their college professor. It is often joked about how Mr. Feeny followed them throughout their education. He is neighbor to the Matthews family, and while he acts as a mentor to the entire cast, his primary teachings go to Cory, Shawn and Eric. He is a widower for most the series. He later re-marries, and the Dean of Pennbrook, Lila Bolander (played by William Daniels' real-life wife Bonnie Bartlett) becomes his onscreen wife. Mr. Feeny often states that the line between teacher and friend should not be crossed, but it is periodically mentioned throughout the show that he cares much more for the main cast than for the other students whom he has taught. Mr. Feeny is the last character to be seen onscreen and also delivers the final line of the series, which is "I love you all. Class dismissed" to an empty classroom as he walks out of the room and the scene pans out.

• Alan Matthews (William Russ) and Amy Matthews (Betsy Randle) are Cory and Eric's parents, who often provide advice to their children. Alan sometimes shows quick temper, though when it shows up, he often apologizes afterward. Amy is a housewife and Alan is originally the manager of the Market Giant supermarket. Eventually, he becomes disillusioned with his standard "9-5" job that he had worked for so many years, and quits without discussing it with his family first. Amy proclaiming that she will, in turn, "make a major decision that affects the entire family without consulting with him first" purchases a sporting goods and outdoor supply store that is up for sale, which Alan takes over, and re-names Matthews & Sons. The two tend to be a little biased with their children, as Alan sometimes coddles and over protects Eric, and is firmer with Cory, and Amy is firmer with Eric and more 'Motherly' toward Cory. It is also mentioned infrequently during the show that Alan served briefly in the Navy prior to becoming the manager of the “Market Giant.”

• Morgan Matthews (Lily Nicksay, seasons 1-2; Lindsay Ridgeway, guest star, season 3; regular, seasons 4-7) is the daughter of Alan and Amy Matthews, younger sister of Eric and Cory and the older sister of Joshua. She is originally a cute, little sister whom Eric shared a humorous relationship with as he used her to win the hearts of girls he had hoped to date. She disappears without mention at the start of the 3rd season. When she returns, Cory responds "Long time no see!" to which she answers "that was the longest time out I've ever had!" With the introduction of a new actress in the role came a shift in personality as Morgan became a more sarcastic character who delights in making fun of her brothers.

• Jack Hunter (Matthew Lawrence) is Shawn's older half-brother who debuts in the fifth season premiere. Jack was born to Chet and an unknown woman. This woman took Jack when she left Chet for his alcoholic ways and became involved with a wealthier man. Shawn initially alienates Jack because, after having written to him every day for a year, Jack never responded. It is explained that Jack’s mom was keeping the letters from him, and Shawn realizes that Jack wanted to be close with Shawn all along. The two eventually bond and move in with Eric in an apartment. Although Jack and Eric are opposites in many ways, (Jack being serious and ambitious while Eric is wacky and lazy) the two ultimately become best friends. Jack’s only love interest throughout the show is with Rachel.

• Angela Moore (Trina McGee-Davis) is Shawn Hunter's first and only major love interest. She debuts in the second episode of the fifth season, when Shawn is seen breaking up with her due to his two week dating limit. Later on however, Shawn finds a lost purse. Based on the contents of the purse, Shawn presumes he shares common interest with the purses owner. He then “falls in love” with the purse’s owner, and later discovers that the purse belonged to Angela. She becomes his girlfriend for the duration of the 5th season, and the two date on-and-off for the final two seasons. In the end she moves to Europe with her father, Sgt. Alvin Moore (played by Julius Carry who also played Shawn's philosophy professor in the episode "Fraternity Row") when he is stationed overseas. Although she was in the fifth season, she was only a recurring character until season six.

• Jonathan Turner (Anthony Tyler Quinn) is an English teacher at John Adams High. His first year teaching happens to be Cory and Shawn’s first year in high school. They are in his home room class and he thus develops a bond with the two. There is often a focus on his bachelor life. He has a few on-screen romances; the most notable of which is with fellow teacher and recurring character Miss Tompkins. Turner's more laidback approach to teaching often clashes with Mr. Feeny's more traditional method, and the students, especially Shawn, easily identify with the hip, Harley-riding teacher. Shawn moves in with Turner when he is found homeless, and the two become even closer. In the third season Turner introduces his friend Eli, who becomes the media arts teacher. Turner’s final appearance is in the episode "Cult Fiction" when he gets into a near-fatal motorcycle accident. In the graduation episode, he is mentioned, and he appears in a flashback sequence in the series finale where he is credited as a "special guest star" despite never filming a single scene for the episode.

• Rachel Kimberly McGuire (Maitland Ward) joins the cast in the sixth season and moves in with Jack and Eric. Eric and Jack initially compete for her admiration. She eventually becomes a love interest of Jack’s after Eric realizes he was competing more for the sake of competing, rather than due to any genuine feelings for her. She dates Jack for a relatively short period of time before joining the Peace Corps with him.

• Stuart Minkus (Lee Norris), is the smartest student in Cory’s 6th grade class. He is a geek, and rival to Cory and Shawn. He has a crush on Topanga, and is often made fun of by Cory and Shawn. After season 1 he vanishes until their high school graduation, where Stuart makes a cameo appearance with the rest of the class where he says he has been "on the other side of the school" this whole time (referencing behind the set). He later waves at Mr. Turner, who like Minkus has disappeared, and evidently has also been "on the other side of the school." Mr. Turner, however does not actually make an appearance in the episode. Interestingly, Cory and Shawn treat him nicely, but he fights with Topanga over who the valedictorian is.

• Eli Williams (Alex Désert) is Jonathan Turner's best friend who becomes the media teacher at John Adams High. At first he struggles to relate with the kids, but after talking with Jonathan, he becomes a bit of a mentor for them. He first appears in the episode "He Said, She Said" and leaves the show in "Brother, Brother". He is only seen in season 3, where he is credited as a full-fledged cast member despite only appearing in 13 episodes.

Recurring

• Joshua Gabriel Matthews (unknown babies, Daniel Jacobs) is the youngest of the Matthews siblings. He is born in the episode "My Baby Valentine" but only weighs 5 lbs and is very ill. He soon gets better in the episode "Resurrection". He makes his final appearance in the last episode where Cory gives him a speech about all of things that he has learned over the past seven years.

• Chet and Virna Hunter (Blake Clark and Shareen Mitchell respectively) are Shawn’s parents. Chet is also the father of Jack Hunter. Though he loves both his sons and his wife, he can't seem to hold on to any of them and often takes to the road and vanishes for months at a time. In Season 2, Virna runs off, and Chet leaves Shawn with the Matthews family (and then Jonathan Turner) to go and track her down. The Hunter family is reunited during the third season when Virna sees that Chet is trying to become a better father. In Season 5, Virna leaves again (never to return), once again causing Chet to chase her. Shawn moves into an apartment with Eric and Jack. Chet returns in season 6 but a matured Shawn is now resentful of what a poor father he had been. During a heated confrontation Chet suffers a massive heart attack. Shawn and Chet manage to make amends along with Jack before Chet passes away. Following Chet's death, Jack uses Shawn as a means to learn more about his father. Chet appears as a ghost three times after his death; twice to talk to Shawn, and once where nobody sees or hears him. Though Virna does not return, after learning of Chet’s death she writes to Shawn telling him that she is not his real mom.

• Frankie "The Enforcer" Stechino (Ethan Suplee) and Joey "The Rat" Epstein (Blake Soper) are two students at John Adams High. They are best friends, and usually serve as bullies. Joey is the more talkative of the two, and is much smaller. Frankie is the fictional son of Vader, and has a little brother Hermon. It was also mentioned early on that he had a sister, but like Topanga’s and Shawn’s alleged sisters, she is never mentioned again. They first appear in season two premier as Harley Keiner’s lackeys. They later turn into Griff’s sidekicks, and eventually set themselves free. Frankie comes off as a thug, but later is discovered to have a kind heart, and even enjoy poetry. He befriends Cory and Shawn in season 3. Joey vanishes after Season 3 and Frankie after season 4, but the two return for the season five finale, Graduation, when they are last seen receiving their High School diplomas after spending a presumed 8 years in high school, with Frankie suggesting that they become criminals.

• Jedidiah “Jed” Lawrence (Peter Tork, Michael McKean, and Mark Harelik) and Rhiannon Lawrence (Annette O'Toole and Marcia Cross) are Topanga’s parents. They are first mentioned in season 1, however on this occasion Topanga states that her mother’s name is Chloe, and not Rhiannon. Peter Tork first portrays Jed, and like Topanga early on, he is very eccentric. Later on, Topanga’s mother is relocated and they move to Pittsburgh. They allow her to stay in Philadelphia with her aunt. While living in Pittsburgh, Jed, who is now portrayed by a new actor, and is much more cynical, has an affair. The two then split up, hurting Topanga’s beliefs on love.

• Dean Lila Bolander-Feeny (Bonnie Bartlett) is the dean of Pennbrook College. She first appears in the season 4 finale, "Learning To Fly" when Eric is trying to convince her for a second opportunity at a college entrance interview. She is not seen again until season 6 "Friendly persuasion" where she lures Mr. Feeny to teach again instead of becoming a student. In "My Baby Valentine" it is revealed that George is in love with Lila. In the episode "Bee True" Dean Bolander sees that George loves her more than her ex-husband and thusly decides to pursue a relationship with George. The two get married on the season 6 finale, "State of the Unions". She is never seen again after season 6, but is mentioned several times.

• Jason Marsden is Eric's best friend. He is often more calm than Eric, and can either be his voice of reason or the one who gets him into trouble. Jason often appears jealous of Eric's greater success with women. The two go their separate ways after high school, presumably due to Eric's taking a year off rather than going to college right away, and his role in Eric's life is eventually replaced by Jack. He does not make an appearance at all in season 3, even though Eric is still in high school at the time.

• Harvey "Harley" Keiner (Danny McNulty and Kenny Johnston) is a bully who leads Frankie and Joey. He makes Cory the number one target of his bullying, and frequently calls him (Johnny) Baboon. He appears and acts like a typical 1950s greaser and always speaks with strangely proper grammar. He is eventually sent to "juvenile boot camp". Leaving Frankie and Joey on their own. He appears in season 2 several times played by Danny McNulty. Johnston takes his place for one episode, but when Harley returns in season 3, it is the original McNulty playing the part.

• Griffin "Griff" Hawkins (Adam Scott) becomes Frankie and Joey’s ringleader after Harley leaves. Griff is a smooth-talking freeloader who uses his wits and charm to weasel his way to what he wants. When Harley returns to confront Griff, Frankie and Joey declare their independence. Before he debuted as Griff, Adam Scott actually played another character briefly in the episode ‘Band on the Run.’

• Lauren (Linda Cardellini) is a girl that bonded with Cory while the gang was on a skiing trip. The two shared a kiss that led to Cory and Topanga breaking up for a portion of the fifth season. Lauren appeared in four episodes (Once in a flashback and once in a dream sequence).

• Leslie “Frankie” Stecchino (Vader) is Frankie's father. He is an internationally renowned professional wrestler. Vader is indeed a famous professional wrestler in real life, however Vader’s alter-ego so to speak is not modeled after the true life Leon White.

• Janitor Bud (Bob Larkin) is the janitor at John Adams High. It was mentioned in one episode that he “lost his eye,” then in another episode he stated that “[he] seen them with his good eye;” so it can be assumed that he has suffered an eye injury at some point in time. Little else is known about Janitor Bud, except for that he has presumably “seen dead bodies” and presumably retired after season 3 when he was last seen serving as Mr. Feeny’s secretary.

• Loni (Jennifer Campbell) is a girl who helps Eric and Alan run the sporting goods store, where Eric develops a crush on her. She is high spirited and friendly, but struggles to maintain femininity. Growing up she was the only girl in a family with several brothers who claim that they "tried to raise her as girly as they could". She speaks with a southern accent and has a strong interest in outdoor activities like hunting and fishing.

• Tommy (J.B. Gaynor) is a foster child whom Eric takes interest in. Eric first meets Tommy while playing a mall santa, where Tommy asks him if he can have parents for Christmas. Eric feels sorry for Tommy and decides to become his Big Brother. Tommy later wants Eric to adopt him and becomes frustrated when he doesn’t. Eric wants to adopt Tommy, but another family in California wants to as well. Eric decides that it is best for Tommy to go with the other family, so he does not adopt him. Tommy is angry at first, but eventually goes to Eric's home to say his final goodbye.

Episodes

U.S. television ratings

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of Boy Meets World on ABC.

Note: U.S. network television seasons generally start in late September and end in late May, which coincides with the completion of the May sweeps.

Production notes

Theme music and introductions

Boy Meets World used five theme songs and a number of opens over its seven year run. The final theme, written and performed by Phil Rosenthal,^[8] 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 is used for seasons 1–3. The title sequences for the remainder of the series (seasons 4–7) were kept intact.

Philadelphia references

It is one of many 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's often wearing a Philadelphia Eagles jacket. Eric mentions that he and his father always talk about the Eagles, 76ers, Flyers, and Phillies, the four major sports teams in Philadelphia, and his attempts to be accepted into Swarthmore College — finally ending with Cory and most of the cast attending Pennbrook, an institution that appears to be a pastiche of Penn and Saint Joseph's University.

Syndication

Currently, Disney-ABC Domestic Television (sister company to Touchstone Television, now ABC Studios) handles the syndication rights to the series.

Boy Meets World reruns began airing in off-network syndication on September 8, 1997 and continued until September 2000. After the show ended in 2000, Disney Channel acquired the rights to air the series, lasting from 2000–2007, leaving season 7 as the only season that did not air on off-network syndication. However to the consternation of some longtime fans of the show, many episodes aired on Disney Channel were edited for suggestive content deemed inappropriate for the channel's 7-14 year old intended target audience. When Disney Channel first aired the series, they aired every episode, however due to some of the episode's content and complaints from parents, Disney Channel omitted three episodes from re-aring on the channel again, they were "If You Can't Be with the One You Love..." (season 5), "Prom-ises, Prom-ises" (season 5) and "The Truth About Honesty" (season 6).^[9]

ABC Family also aired the show from 2004 until August 2007, in a way inheriting the rights to the show from Disney Channel, but ABC Family did not air the Disney Channel versions of the episodes, instead it ran different syndicated prints which restored portions of scenes Disney Channel did not show during its run on that network (though small portions of certain scenes from episodes during the earlier seasons were cut due to time constraints), incorporated each season's corresponding opening title sequence and even used the original versions of the season one teaser scenes that featured the opening titles after the teaser, bringing them back in line with the original ABC telecasts (prior syndicated versions of season one episodes had the cast and creators' names shown during the teaser scene). It was announced on April 1, 2010 that ABC Family had re-obtained the rights to Boy Meets World, and would begin airing it at 7 a.m. (ET/PT) on weekdays beginning April 12, 2010; the series replaced Sister, Sister.^[10] The series also began airing on MTV 2 in November 2011.^[11]

DVD releases

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (as Buena Vista Home Entertainment) released the first three seasons of Boy Meets World on DVD between 2004 and 2005.^[12] Because the sales figures did not meet the company's expectations, no further seasons were released. As of 2009, these releases have been discontinued and are out of print.

On August 4, 2008, it was announced that Lionsgate Home Entertainment had acquired the rights to the series. They subsequently re-released the first three seasons on DVD on September 7, 2010, with the same special features from the original releases.^[13] Season 4 was released on December 7, 2010.^[14] Season 5 was released on May 3, 2011.^[15] Season 6 was released on July 5, 2011.^[16] Season 7 was released on October 4, 2011, completing the series' run on DVD.^[17] Ultimately, Lionsgate was able to release all seven seasons in almost a year's time.

Awards and nominations

• Kids' Choice Awards

2000 - Favorite Television Friends - Ben Savage & Rider Strong (Won)

2000 - Favorite Television Show (Nominated)

1999 - Favorite Television Show (Nominated)

• Young Artist Awards

2000 - Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Guest Starring Young Performer - J.B. Gaynor (Won)

1999 - Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Guest Starring Young Actor Jarrett Lennon (Won)

1998 - Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Leading Young Performer - Ben Savage (Nominated)

1997 - Best Performance in a TV Comedy: Leading Young Actor - Ben Savage (Nominated)

1997 - Best Performance in a TV Comedy: Supporting Young Actor - Rider Strong (Nominated)

1997 - Best Performance in a TV Comedy: Supporting Young Actress - Danielle Fishel (Nominated)

1996 - Best Performance by a Young Actor: Guest Starring Role TV Series - Justin Thomson (Won)

1996 - Best Performance by a Young Actress: Guest Starring Role TV Series - Erin J. Dean (Nominated)

1996 - Best Performance by a Young Actress: TV Comedy Series - Danielle Fishel (Nominated)

1995 - Best Performance: Young Actor in a TV Comedy Series - Jason Marsden (Nominated)

1995 - Best Performance: Young Actor in a TV Comedy Series - Will Friedle (Nominated)

1994 - Best Actress Under Ten in a Television Series or Show - Lily Nicksay (Nominated)

1994 - Best New Television Series (Nominated)

1994 - Best Youth Actor Leading Role in a Television Series - Ben Savage (Nominated)

1994 - Best Youth Comedian - Rider Strong (Nominated)

• YoungStar Awards

2000 - Best Young Actress/Performance in a Comedy TV Series - Danielle Fishel (Nominated)

1998 - Best Young Actress/Performance in a Comedy TV Series - Danielle Fishel (Won)

1998 - Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy TV Series - Ben Savage (Nominated)

References

External links

• Boy Meets World at the Internet Movie Database
• Boy Meets World at TV.com
• Episode transcripts
• Boy Meets Wiki, an external wiki
• Boy Meets World Online