#9. Boy Meets World (1993-2000)
ABC, Nostalgia
Choice Song:
- If I could say there were defining shows and viewing experiences for times of my life, Boy Meets World would be one of the most prevalent and longest lasting. From 1993 until 1999/2000, Boy Meets World and the TGIF line-up were must-see TV. You could not tear me away from a television after 8pm on a Friday night. The stories of Cory Matthews, his brother Eric, his best friend Shawn, the love of his life Topanga, his teacher Mr. Feeny, and the band of friends and family they went through life with were the first television characters I really cared about. I wanted to see them succeed. I wanted them to get past the fights and the break-ups and the obstacles of life. I remember feeling devastated twice: the first when Topanga had to move to Philly and the second when the show ended. I was deeply hurt that I was not going to watch them continue to grow and change and live. They were my role models.
The show was hilarious. There are two comedies still to come and Scrubs, Arrested Development, Cheers, and The Drew Carey Show definitely have a better laughs-per-episode quotient, but it does a wonderful job just delivering laughs. Nothing really lowbrow or highbrow, just straight funny. It could be Cory saying, "Underpants!"; or, "They want you to take the rolls!"; or pretty much anything Eric ever does. It's grounded and yet completely over-the-top. It's like if Happy Days & Fresh Prince were baked in a casserole with Scrubs. I'm not sure how that works, but it does.
Quick top ten minor character ranking!
10. Jennifer Love Fefferman / Lauren / Eli Williams / Nebula "Nebbie" Stop-the-War Lawrence
9. Tommy
8. Jason Marsden
7. Griffin "Griff" Hawkins (holy crap it's Adam Scott o_O)
6. Harvey "Harley" Kiner
5. Dana Pruitt
4. Stuart Minkus
3. Frankie "The Enforcer" Stecchino
2. Chet Hunter
1. Jonathan Turner
Boy Meets World still makes me laugh and feel just as much as their first run. It's terribly shaky show if you heavily analyze plot and characters and age progression, etc., but who cares? It's not a show that's framed in plot. It's about telling good stories for these characters, and they always do. There's some rawness in there, too, like the ski trip, the moving to Philly episodes, Shawn's dad, and a lot of the last two seasons, but it works. People care for these characters because they have made people laugh and care for years and when bad things happen, it feels like it's happening to someone we know and love. You watch them grow up. I'm flipping pronouns all over the place, and I don't care. The show's amazing. It's not incredibly deep, but compared to Full House and Family Matters and others of its ilk, it's profound. Lose one friend, lose all friends, lose yourself. Class dismissed.
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“So we’ve cornered Andy and Kyle in the Swarts stairwell and then this guy comes out of NO WHERE like ****ing Batman or something.” ; ExTha is the man