MovieChat Forums > Boy Meets World (1993) Discussion > Did "Girl Meets World" come on at a bad ...

Did "Girl Meets World" come on at a bad time?

posted 10 years ago by TMC-4
22 replies | jump to latest

What I mean is that it pretty much as to be confined to the now-standard, cookie-cutter Disney Channel sitcom formula (courtesy of It's a Laugh! Productions). Therefore, there's only so much that you can do and go w/ the storytelling (or go past what the target audience is pretty much accustomed too) unlike w/ BMW, which benefited from airing in primetime on a major broadcast network in ABC. I know that you couldn't exactly make GMW during the early 2000s (since BMW had gone off the air recently, and you needed time to build nostalgia for an eventual revival), but DC's live-action shows (during the Zoog Disney era) seemed to be more creative and not so predictable/carbon-copied from one another.

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?p=4872187&poste d=1

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] novastar_6 10 years ago

Disney used to be cool, they used to have balls, they used to show Big Man on Campus back around the year 2000 or so, so at that time, they were alright by me, they also used to have the balls to SHOW Boy Meets World, and show Smart Guy, and Sister Sister, shows that talked about real issues instead of every single person being '*gets on video blog* OMG, I wanna be a pop star!'

[–] annamarie05 10 years ago

Actually when they showed Boy Meets World, they didn't have any balls. They banned the episodes "If you Can't Be with the One You Love" where Cory and Shawn get drunk.
"Promises Promises" where Cory and Topanga plan on having sex.
And "The Truth About honesty" Because.. Topanga showed Cory her butt offscreen? Who knows? It's the disney channel.

The rest of the episodes (especially the later seasons) they ridiculously butchered the show in edits. Editing out every little thing that might not be appropriate for children to hear. Seriously, a lot of times they would be in the middle of a sentence,and then skip to a whole other sentence (or scene).
So yeah, they may be worse now, but they didn't have balls long before they aired Boy Meets World. I just hope the writers don't have too many problems with them. Hopefully this will end up being the show that gives them their balls back. We'll see.

[–] novastar_6 10 years ago

Oh they had balls. Would they allow ANY kind of show on their channel TODAY that puts 2 12 year olds in a pedophile's lair under the lure of video games? Would they have ANY kind of show on today where an 11 year old announces to the whole classroom 'A 15 year old girl is DEAD! Doesn't anybody care? they say she died of typhus, but THEY killed her, because she was a victim of antisemitism'? How about the teenage drinking episodes? Maybe Cory and Shawn weren't surprising doing it, but a 13 year old genius? How about the movie Under Wraps? Remember Wart Head grabbing the dad's head and pressing it down to the knife spinning in the garbage disposal? Or, SAME movie where a, what, 12 year old girl? tells her two guy friends 'I don't wear pajamas, I sleep in the nude', prompting one of them to crash his bike? Oh yeah, they USED to have balls, but not anymore.

[–] Acceler8 10 years ago

They also showed reruns of Ready or Not, which dealt with some heavy subjects.

[–] novastar_6 10 years ago

I don't remember that show, what was it about?

[–] Acceler8 10 years ago

Here's a link to a review on the show's home page:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106110/combined#comment

[–] Coconut_Kaasa 10 years ago

Ready or Not was edited for content. There were even some episodes of that they didn't play.

Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I

[–] danielle81587 10 years ago

Would they allow ANY kind of show on their channel TODAY that puts 2 12 year olds in a pedophile's lair under the lure of video games?

Novastar_6--just curious--what episode are you talking about? ...Or what show?

"Are you hinting my apples aren't what they ought to be?" -The Wizard of Oz, 1939

[–] super-staff 10 years ago

Disney used to be cool, they used to have balls, they used to show Big Man on Campus back around the year 2000 or so, so at that time, they were alright by me, they also used to have the balls to SHOW Boy Meets World, and show Smart Guy, and Sister Sister, shows that talked about real issues instead of every single person being '*gets on video blog* OMG, I wanna be a pop star!'

Big Man on Campus was never on the Disney Channel (at least not in the US), it was on FoxFamily.

As for BMW, Smart Guy, Sister Sister, and Ready or Not, those shows were more mature than what's on now...but they were also often censored or omitted entire episodes that weren't deemed family friendly.

And "The Truth About honesty" Because.. Topanga showed Cory her butt offscreen? Who knows? It's the disney channel.

Uh...because Shawn and Angela were on the brink of having sex, dude.

[–] novastar_6 10 years ago

Big Man on Campus was never on the Disney Channel (at least not in the US)

It was at least once, same with the 1977 TV movie Halloween with the Addams Family, and IT they showed uncut, unlike the version we grew up on from TBS.

[–] deltakeys 10 years ago

Uh, Lizzie McGuire and Hannah Montana were made during two different eras on Disney. Hannah Montana belongs to the crappy one.

[–] TMC-4 10 years ago

http://rowdyc.com/tv-trash-hannah-montana/

[–] deltakeys 10 years ago

Thanks for the link - he was very entertaining to listen to. 

[–] TMC-4 10 years ago

http://forums.previously.tv/topic/24209-girl-meets-world-season-1-discussion/#entry996472

The problem is that Boy Meets World is known for Mr. Feeney and the messages of the 90's Very Special Episode vibe the show had, as well as the depth of Cory and Shawn's friendship and the romance of Cory and Topanga. The problem is that they don't have a Mr. Feeney, as 35-year old Cory just ain't it. And all the relationships that the show had took years to develop- I don't remember Shawn and Cory season 1 going on about how deep their friendship is. That came on later.

I feel like that's the biggest problem with most reboots I've come across- they try too hard to recapture something about the original show, without building it organically. See: The 90210 reboot that instantly started off with a love triangle, because Original 90210 was so famous for the Dylan/Kelly/Brenda love triangle, but they failed to realize that the show had spent 3 years building up their relationships before doing it.

I think the other problem is that the PSA vibe they want to replicate from certain episodes of Boy Meets World is really hard to do in 2010's Disney, which is just so sanitized and the like. Going by how they did the bullying episode, in which the grand total of bullying is Farkle being called "nothing", I can't even imagine them being able to touch racism (with Cory saying some racist slurs as a point and then going on about Anne Frank) like they did in that one episode of BMW. So you get vague stuff about the "Forgotten", or "standing up for what you believe in", instead of real, definable issues like the BMW would have done.

In any event, I like the show well enough. It's better when it's not trying so hard.

[–] Acceler8 10 years ago

I can't even imagine them being able to touch racism (with Cory saying some racist slurs as a point and then going on about Anne Frank) like they did in that one episode of BMW.

And forget anything about physical abuse, like the outstanding episode with Ariana Richards.

[–] novastar_6 10 years ago

I can't even imagine them being able to touch racism (with Cory saying some racist slurs as a point and then going on about Anne Frank) like they did in that one episode of BMW.

And forget anything about physical abuse, like the outstanding episode with Ariana Richards.

Exactly, the network's too pussified to touch any of that now. NOW we're like on "Dinosaurs" 20 years ago, they want to stop thinking so they turn to the TV, channel "TGYWA: Thank Goodness You'll Watch Anything" and after a few minutes of the pabulum filler shows, Charlene exclaims "It's like being wrapped in a warm blanket of CHEESE", THAT is what's going on today in TV programming.

[–] SaidNDone 10 years ago

its a children's network, so no they aren't going to show any of those storylines, get over it this about the 500th thread bitching about this

[–] deem_bastille 10 years ago

that is why parents need to become involved and watch tv with their children. the episodes that deal with the drinking and abuse/whatnot are episodes that kids need to see, but under adult supervision so that a discussion could happen. that is what television was back then. it sparked discussion within families.

some other wth moments then...

why is amy allowed to have a baby? won't that spark 'birds and the bees' talk?
seven the hard way with the bear?? what?? that is assault and arrestable.
them getting married while still in college?? eww!
shawn living with a teacher? and wanting to be adopted by him??? weird.
eric trying to adopt this kid?? without any means to support him???
why the hell is stuart allowed to be shown???
Joshua being born prematurely??? the religion shown in the nicu room [which was not true to life]??
the reverse 'threes company' without the pretend to be gay character. Rachel???
shawn's father dying?? from a heart attack? by Rachel's death cake? [she admitted it] brought on by a screaming match? about chet always leaving??
what about all the punishable offenses shawn did. why did Disney channel even bother if they were trying to 'preserve children's innocence'?
Alan's threat of violence. that is enough!
the degradation of eric by his family members. [he didn't see us, did he?]

cults, people mysteriously leaving and nothing being said what happened to him to give that story arc closure. all of these things need to be masked from the reality of the show, if Disney channel is going to do this job.

[and now I just read that topenga got into a fight/argument with minkus? in front of the kids?? at the school??? what is that promoting?]

OH THANK YOU GOD! THANK YOU SO BLOODY MUCH!!! Basil Fawlty

[–] novastar_6 10 years ago

its a children's network, so no they aren't going to show any of those storylines, get over it this about the 500th thread bitching about this

They had no problem SHOWING them before when it was somebody else's work, but they're too pansy ass to do it themselves. Which is very funny given Disney's own history, like their TV special from the 90s, 'Disney's Halloween Treat', where the narrator explicitly said 'thousands of innocent people were hanged or burnt at the stake for witchcraft or sorcery', again, good luck getting that on today. Maybe that's why the special hasn't even been ON in over 15 years. Was or was not 'The Color of Friendship' a Disney Channel movie? Didn't stop them from putting in heavy racial issues and even putting in the N-word. Again, would they EVER be able to do that today? Hell no.

[–] deem_bastille 10 years ago

nova... don't even get me started on the hypocrisy of mr walt!!! his company was all about equality and loveliness... he was racist and anti sematic.

OH THANK YOU GOD! THANK YOU SO BLOODY MUCH!!! Basil Fawlty

[–] questforgold 9 years ago

TV shows back in the day appealed to a wider audience since one television per household was pretty common. Families don't really watch TV together anymore, so now shows cater to specific ages. Creating a successful show that appeals to all age groups would prove difficult in today's TV climate. Other than those looking for a nostalgia fix, not too many adults are interested in these revivals.