Boy Meets World Series Review

Boy Meets World (1993-2000)

Season 1 - 22 episodes (1993-94)
Season 2 - 23 episodes (1994-95)
Season 3 - 22 episodes (1995-96)
Season 4 - 22 episodes (1996-97)
Season 5 - 24 episodes (1997-98)
Season 6 - 22 episodes (1998-99)
Season 7 - 23 episodes (1999-2000)
Rent Boy Meets World on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: Michael Jacobs, April Kelly
Starring: Ben Savage, Rider Strong, William Daniels, Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle, Besty Randle, William Russ, Trina McGee, Matthew Lawrence, Anthony Tyler Quinn, Maitland Ward
Rated: TV-PG
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Plot
Best friends Cory Shawn test their various theories about life as they endure the trials of growing up from sixth grade through college with help from parents and teachers.

Verdict
This is the first time I've watched the show since it first released. The first season is easily the best, capturing that moment when you're still a kid but trying to figure out the world and your place in it. The is wholesome, touching on realistic moments that kids face. It's a picturesque family, but the show navigates the morality of pre-teen and teen life while also having fun. I forgot just how humorous this was, though a lot of the humor and references are things kids wouldn't know or say. I can forgive that as it can be quite clever. Successive seasons are good, but don't match the fun and meaning of the first. The second season feels like they went from sixth to ninth grade, and it's often more over the top and silly. The fourth season is better, feeling like it returns to teens trying to navigate life. This would be where the show peaks. The final season really feels like it's tired, though it's rare to feel like you grow up with the characters as we do in this show. We see Cory and friends start as children, and by the end they're adults. I enjoyed the show until the seventh season.
Watch It.

Review
I grew up with this show. I was about Cory's (Ben Savage) age when this released, and I saw most of the episodes along the way. Since it was broadcast, I did miss the odd episode. Now I'm watching this for the second time and I have a child about Cory's age.

I liked how this changes the credits every season, until season five. It seems like a sign of the effort put into the show. A lot of the show is about fitting in and trying to be cool. Most episodes are about Cory being a kid, and later an adult, ultimately having to make a decision about doing the right thing, which he almost always does. Cory has a near ideal family; they are upper middle class and Cory has a great relationship with his parents and siblings. We get a contrast with Cory's best friend Shawn (Ryder Strong) who's family situation is frequently in flux. While he's annoyed his teacher is a next door neighbor, that almost always works out for Cory's benefit. This show doesn't have a clear timeline. The first season is sixth grade, the second season is seventh grade while the third season is grade eight and nine with Eric remaining a senior the entire time. Subsequent seasons represent a few grades.

Season 1: Ryder Strong, Lee Norris, Ben Savage, Danielle Fishel play Shawn, Minkus, Cory, Topanga

The first season is often very wholesome. Watching now, I have a parent perspective I never saw before. It's similar to watching Malcolm in the Middle years later. This is better than I remember, with some clever dialog at times and accessible stories. There's certainly a bit of coincidence for the sake of the plot and story, but that's not a criticism. There's just a certain suspension of disbelief you need. This gets to explore plot lines with a teacher that is also a next door neighbor. In the first season we see Cory deal with middle school, his older brother Eric (Will Friedle) with high school, and everything in between being a sibling, child, parent, and neighbor. The show can be really funny, though plenty of dialog references things these kids wouldn't know.  It's often heartfelt and touching where each member of the family is trying to work out what to do and what's best. The show captures this age so well. We see the struggles Cory and Eric. It's very real even if the show is mostly light. Ultimately it's relatable. I saw it one way thirty years ago, and differently now as an adult. I can still relate to both sides. It can be somewhat shallow, but that doesn't make it less meaningful. It's shallow only in that it's children's issues with children's' answers. It can be discriminatory and stereotyping with the nerd angle, but it's a sign of the times too (which doesn't excuse it).

Season 1: William Russ, Ben Savage, Williams Daniels play Alan, Cory, Mr. Feeny

I didn't like season two as much in just a few episodes. If felt like the show was trying to do too much, while also invoking a few more stereotypes. This jumps right into high school with Cory and Shawn chasing girls. The show and that plot aspect often feel like it's trying too hard. The second season spends less time in the backyard and the classroom. I missed the simple narratives about childhood struggles. The season is just sillier overall, though it still has it's moments. Cory has less depth. His love of sports and Phillies is less prevalent. While season one focused on navigating life, the second season is about navigating girls with fewer moral questions thrown in. Seventh grade just seems young to be girl crazy. Ninth grade would make more sense. It's not as wholesome compared to season one. I don't mind chasing girls, but the stories could be much broader.

Season 2: Ben Savage, Ryder Strong, William Daniels play Cory, Shawn, Mr. Feeny

Season three has Shawn living with a teacher. It just seems like unnecessary drama instead of life lessons the show first set out showing. This season also focuses on Cory and Topanga's relationship. This is the start in the series where their relationship is a foundational element of the show. It's not a bad thing, but often limits the show or is used for unnecessary drama. A lot of this season is couple or teen romance focused. I do like how later in the season this brings back the relationship between Cory and Eric and how that's evolving. This also does a nice job of addressing Eric graduating high school and how his life will change. Cory's younger sister makes a return this season. The original actress was young and decided to quit acting. This season brings her back with a wink at the camera.

Season 4: Ryder Strong, Ben Savage, Danielle Fishel play Shawn, Cory, Topanga

Season four is my second favorite season after the first. It certainly seems to have an increased budget with Topanga's wardrobe noticeably more stylish. There's also two net sets. The variety in this season is better with stories not only about Cory, but with Eric figuring out what he'll do after high school. There's a lot going on this season. Cory's dad quits his job, Shawn's family is trying to work it out, and Cory and Topanga often talk about their future. This season's focus is broader, looking at life lessons instead of teens finding dates. They're tenth/eleventh graders trying to find their place in the school hierarchy while also realizing their future is quickly coming.

Season five's first few episodes are wild. There's a witch and coven that want to seduce Eric's new roommate Jack (Matthew Lawrence), a World War II flashback fantasy, and Shawn is living in an apartment as a high schooler. Overall this season is just sillier. A lot of time is devoted to setting Cory and Topanga up as an old married couple only to have them break up. Shawn decides to begin a steady relationship with Angela (Trina McGee) which is a nice evolution for the character. With that the show in future seasons never explores relationships with any of the characters. It feels like it's starting to coast. With them being high school seniors, this season gets into heavy issues like drinking, and dancing around sex without directly addressing it. This show previously had providing meaning and entertainment, but this season strays closer to just sillier.

Season 6: Maitland Ward, Will Friedle, Matthew Lawrence play Rachel, Eric, Jack

With season six, they're in college. It's amazing how far this show has come. I like the show kept pace with actors' ages instead of keeping them stuck in high school. You don't get to grow up with characters like this anymore. In the streaming age, most shows don't make it past a couple of seasons. We've seen these characters grow from kids into young adults. This season does a great job of introducing issues that seem college appropriate. The only gimmicky thing about this season is Rachel (Maitland Ward), Jack, and Eric. It's off putting how Jack and Eric chase Rachel like she's some kind of prize. There could have been a much better developed narrative. In early seasons we saw Eric and Shawn have different relationships, but the show abandons that. The only relationships we explore are Cory with Topanga and Shawn with Angela. This season definitely has some emotional moments, probably more than any other season, but the narrative depth is also lacking compared to earlier seasons.

Season seven is easily my least favorite. It's a noticeable step down in quality. The characters are ridiculous caricatures of themselves. Eric has gotten even dumber which isn't easy. All of the marriage decisions from Cory and Topanga lack any foresight whatsoever which seems especially strange for a character like Topanga that has been thoughtful. This season isn't even that interesting. It's the first season where I thought about skipping episodes as I'm not enjoying it. The series ends with a two part clip show before the characters move on. It's a nice enough conclusion, as looking back to early seasons reminds us of just how far this some has come.

I like season one the most, it was head and shoulders above the rest. it's not just because I have a child about Cory's age in that season. The first season was a kid seeing the world open up before him and figuring out how to navigate that. Season 4 would be my second favorite season, it seemed to return to life issues after the previous two seasons were Cory and Shawn chasing girls with a few sillier sub-plots. Season 6 was an attempt to return to form for the most part, though that's also due to how we've seen children grow into adults and the show has become more mature due to that. It's rare to grow up with characters like this, and that adds to the enjoyment.