Cory Matthews and More.

Usually, I write about comics, or sci-fi, or animation, but I thought, "Heck, why not dork out about this great show on Disney Channel?".  I grew up in a time where fewer people had cable, and more teens watched the networks.  ABC, had a Friday night block called TGIF that gravitated more to shows about teens during the mid-90's.  There were still some great family shows on later versions of TGIF like "George Lopez", "8 Simple Rules", and "Last Man Standing", but there was a certain magic about those late 90's shows where theme nights could even cause crossover cameos.  Tonight I'm writing about what's come from Boy Meets World.    Me and my peers loved the characters from that show, watched the reruns on Disney properties during college, and even wrote fanfic about what happened after Cory, Topanga, Shawn, and Eric left for New York.  The spin-off ison Disney Channel Friday nights, so check it out.

I've been watching Girl Meets World since the pilot aired.  There was a ton of hype going into it's premiere, and I wasn't disappointed.  It's got more comedy, and can get a little more zany than Boy Meets World, but that's something of a staple for mainstream Disney Channel shows.  Girl Meets World stands out from the pack, not just by involving characters that older fans loved, but also by teaching the audience great lessons.  I'm 31, and am learning some stuff from this show.  Part of me wishes that something like this had come across earlier but that would rush the Boy Meets World continuity.  In terms of content, this is like 2 parts "Wonder Years", 1 part "Boy meets World" and 1 part "iCarly".  I feel that the lessons taught are meant to reach a wider age demographic.  There's a Shawn and Angela episode (with an appearance by Chet), and the whole episode is about moving on in their adult lives and opening their hearts to being parts of families.  There's an episode where Mr. Turner makes his big return and is a proponent for graphic novels in a school curriculum.  There are stories about the importance of friendship, the importance of different types of people, standing up to bullies, autism, and other strong subjects.  Michael Jacobs and his team approach these topics with so much respect, skill, and good intentions, that I'm left stunned.  Something from the show that I often reference when talking sprituality (I attend a Unitarian church pretty often), I used a great quote from Girl Meets World season 1 that is very inclusive and I guess Universalist without using that specific term.  One of the lead characters said that he believed in "A guiding hand that has your best interest at heart.".  I use that when discussing theology with other people my age, and they often like and agree with this description.  It's afterward that I point out how it's from a show on Disney Channel.  

So that's what I have to say about the lessons right now (I could gush some more, and I probably will at some point in the future).  The show is primarily about the daughter of Cory and Topanga (Riley), family, and her circle of friends.  The circle is a little wider than it was in Boy Meets World.  You have Maya (the creative with an atypical homelife), Farkle (the quirky son of Minkus), Lucas (a boy who teeters between platonic and romantic chemistry with Maya and Riley), and Lucas's friend (Zay).  Riley has a little brother looking at the world from a younger perspective, Cory is her class's teacher (inspired by Feeney) and has so far taught the class two years, and Topanaga's a lawyer who bought a small cafe to preserve the original owner's legacy.  That cafe's sort of this new show's Chubby's.  That brings me to the recurring characters (I know.  *gush, gush, gush*).  Jackée Harry plays an eccentric businesswoman.  Harley Keiner works at the school and has become a positive influence on students. Shawn, and Eric are recurring, and you get Cheryl Texiera playing Maya's hardworking single mom.  Come to think of it , I'd include Mr. Feeney as a recurring character too.  He's appeared once or twice in each of the two seasons so far, and for the adults both in the show and watching the show, its great to know that he's still available to offer some pearls of wisdom.  This season, he gets a great moment with Riley, Maya, Corey, Shawn, and Topanga, in his famous garden.  At this point, I guess it's evident that I have a sappy sentimental side in addition to dorky, geeky, and whimsical.  That's a combination that I see in Riley, and there's a handful of characters (adults and teens) that I can relate to in ways.  The episode that just aired this weekend, involved a bully who went to great lengths to put Riley down for being that unique and happy.  Riley's struggle to even tell her friends the way the harassment made her feel reminded me of some experiences I've endured.  It was so touching and inspiring that I felt compelled to use my blog to help get the word out to more Boy Meets World fans.    This is a little slice of TGIF that can appeal to all.  If adults are finding positive inspiration from shows like My Little Pony, why not check out this show too?  

There's also another series I sometimes catch on Disney Channel Friday nights.  I don't get Disney XD, so this is where I go for Star Wars: Rebels.  It's a hit show in between Episodes III and IV.  When Rebels had great performance on Cable, it's pilot even got a network screening on ABC one Sunday night with a special Darth Vader intro.  New Rebels episodes are coming this October, and hopefully, they'll soon be on Disney Channel Friday nights to come.  So come watch, come DVR these shows.  

Once again, TGIF.