The year 2012 is coming to a close – but not before bringing a piece of the past into the future.
The announcement of the release of a pilot episode for a new ABC’s Disney Channel series Girl Meets World, a spinoff of the hit 90s television sitcom Boy Meets World (BMW), was made early last week.
Earlier in Nov. it was publicized that Disney Channel was in the first phases of creating a new series whose protagonist would be Riley Matthews, the 13 year-old daughter of Cory Matthews and Topanga Lawrence, the two protagonists of the original series.
In the long tradition of television super couples, perhaps no couple is more unforgotten than Cory Matthews and Topanga Lawrence, whose friendship-turned-love melted the hearts of the 90s generation. Now, 12 years later, they are back and ready to step out of the role of children and into the role of parents.
On Nov. 26, it was officially reported that after more than a decade, Ben Savage (Cory) and Danielle Fishel (Topanga) would reprise their roles for the new series where Savage would also play a seventh grade school teacher, almost mirroring the pivotal role of Mr. Feeny. Both Savage and Fishel are excited for the new project.
The creator and executive producer of Boy Meets World Michael Jacobs is developing the new show.
The news of this exciting project immediately traveled across the wires and was mentioned on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and other social media sites.
“I am excited about it [Girl Meets World] as long as they handle it right and don’t lose the tone of the original,” said junior communications arts and journalism major Janine Bowen. “The fact that the original creator as well as Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel are returning is very reassuring.”
If you don’t remember Boy Meets World, don’t feel bad—you can always catch up. The show ran from 1993- 2000 spanning over 158 episodes and seven seasons. The show was part of the TGIF line up on ABC and followed Savage, Fishel, Rider Strong (Cory’s best friend Shawn Hunter), and others characters through the many stages of growing up.
For the new show, a nationwide search is now underway for who will play young Riley, the daughter whose point of view the story will be told from.
Currently no other members of the original cast are set to be a part of the show including Strong, who played the edgy but lovable character of Shawn, who has thus denied involvement in the new show in his statement to Entertainment Weekly.
“I am extremely happy for Ben and Danielle to be able to continue the story,” Strong said. “At this point, I have no official involvement in Girl Meets World. There might be a chance to see some of the BMW cast in a guest spot, and I think it would be nice to find out where our characters have been all these years.”
Strong, who has become more involved in directing since the end of the show, continued by stating an important fact all fans should bear in mind.
“But Girl Meets World will be, and I think it should be, its own show. It will be about Cory and Topanga, their daughter, and a new set of characters… it’s the next generation,” said Strong.
This theme was also echoed on the Tumblr page of Fishel.
“It isn’t ‘BMW’ brought back to life,” Fishel wrote. “It will have familiar faces, familiar themes, and familiar messages. It will also have new faces, new themes and new messages… But please keep in mind that this will be episode one, of season one, of a brand new show.”
While some are excited for the new series, others worry that fans looking for the same experience as the original won’t be satisfied and that Girl Meets World is aimed at the wrong age bracket.
“I feel like it won’t do well because of the timing and also because of the network,” said senior English and publishing major Erica Weiman. “Disney’s audience is very young and I don’t think they’ll be as connected with the show as an older audience, mainly our age.”
As many of us anxiously wait to see a piece of our childhood resurrected into something new, it is vital to note that this will be a completely different show. Hopefully it will have the same impact on the younger generation as the original had on ours.
No official date for Girl Meets World has been released at this time. For more information on the original show Boy Meets World or any of the original cast please visit IMDB.com.