Although the premiere date has yet to be set, we’re soon to be hit with the shiny new version of “Boy Meets World”: “Girl Meets World.”
If “Girl Meets World” ends up being anything like “Boy Meets World” it will be great. No doubt. The show does have the co-creator of thes original show, Michael Jacobs, acting as executive producer and showrunner as well as the original Cory (Ben Savage) and Topanga (Danielle Fishel) as parents to the star, Riley Mathews (Rowan Blanchard).
On paper, “Girl Meets World” is essentially the same show as its predecessor. The main character Riley is a cute and witty adolescent who faces life lessons through her friends, family, and school with her best friend Maya Fox (Sabrina Carpenter) at her side.
But while the idea of bringing back such a beloved show is great, it may not fare well with this new younger generation because if “Girl Meets World” is anything like “Boy Meets World”, it’s going to be heart-warming, simple, and innocent.
That’s not exactly what younger viewers are interested in these days.
The interest in the wholesome family show is no longer there. Instead they watch “Gossip Girl”, “Pretty Little Liars”, reality shows like “The Jersey Shore”, and shows about being famous, rich, and popular.
Their interests don’t lie in learning life lessons in a 20 minute period filled with wit, sass, and that classic heart-warming, slightly cheesy ending.
If “Girl Meets World” is truly like the original, it’s for a generation that’s moved on. It’s for the generation of “Full House” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”.
Of course, who knows? It may end up being popular. Perhaps original “Boy Meets World” fans will become a version of bronies: teenage boys and girls watching a children’s show on Disney Channel.
More likely though, there’s going to be more flash, sparkle, and showmanship than there was in the original.
But a flashy new version is going to take away from what made “Boy Meets World” so great. It was down to earth, sweet, and taught valuable lessons on how to be a good person. You just won’t get that with “Girl Meets World” if the show’s focus is on grabbing and keeping the attention of tweens whose minds wander off to their iPhones every 30 seconds.
Maybe with these changes, the show would be popular. Sassy female leads are the trend lately. But, it just wouldn’t have the same magic. The producers are trying to recreate a show that was perfect as it was.
“Boy Meets World” was a great show, witty and touching, but as many people know, sequels tend to fall a bit flat.
