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Girl Meets World
- Thread starter FutureCEO
- Start date
EricJ
Active Member
...Isn't our complaint with the Disney Channel sitcoms already that they ARE bringing back the 80's??
(Ever talk with a loyal Wizards of Waverly Place fan, and try to explain to them what it was like having to live through Facts of Life, Gimme a Break and Diff'rent Strokes when they ran on real networks?
No, really--I swear, that WoWP diner is the EXACT SAME diner set from Saved by the Bell! There couldn't be two coincidentally alike!)
disney4life2008
Well-Known Member
LOL actually it just may. I recall reading that the Thats so Raven school set was Bayside (Saved by the bell).
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
I agree, it doesn't look good. Good thing I've had low expectations ever since I heard it was going to be airing on the Disney Channel.
BrittanyRose428
Well-Known Member
From the trailer I've seen, the way the characters interact reminds me more of Full House than Boy Meets World. Like it seemed like Cory is taking on more of a Danny Tanner like role, with sentimental talks and whatnot that Cory's dad really only did when it was necessary on the original show. I would have much higher hopes if it were on ABC and not Disney Channel, but I'll be giving it a chance. I'm a huge Boy Meets World fan anyways.
NMBC1993
Well-Known Member
Just watched the trailer......yeah, as a fan of the original show I have to say I'm not impressed. Watching the trailer all I could think was somebody from the writing department took a generic script about family life and slapped the Boy Meets World couple on the cover, because they're trying to sell it to the child's parents as well. It looks like every family sitcom show on Disney Channel, bland and boring (compete with Joss Weiden style laugh track). Personally, I'd rather them just run BMW re-runs on Disney Channel as that would still be better than this spin-off.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Did anyone else give this a watch?
Some thoughts.
The laugh track was just obnoxious. The exact same few clips just constantly repeated. If you are going to make the mistake of using a laugh track, at least have some variety in the laughs.
Given the later years of Boy Meets World, where the characters did become more eccentric, this sort of fits. But since they have hindsight and the original did change a good bit over the years, they're trying way to hard to shove bits (and not really the best ones either) of that show's seven seasons into this. It almost more of an overly saccharine spoof.
Maybe it'll get better, so I'll probably give it a few more episodes. Season 1 of Boy Meets World isn't all the great either and the show did change a good deal for Season 2.
Some thoughts.
The laugh track was just obnoxious. The exact same few clips just constantly repeated. If you are going to make the mistake of using a laugh track, at least have some variety in the laughs.
Given the later years of Boy Meets World, where the characters did become more eccentric, this sort of fits. But since they have hindsight and the original did change a good bit over the years, they're trying way to hard to shove bits (and not really the best ones either) of that show's seven seasons into this. It almost more of an overly saccharine spoof.
As expected, Maya is Shawn's analogue. Cory gets a shock when Maya says she doesn't want homework because she doesn't have anyone to help her with it. How did he not recognize the same circumstances he (we) saw with his own best friend when this episode had such a heavy handed, "stick with your friends" moral?
Most schooling and disappointing of all is that despite a cameo, he spirit of Mr. Feeny seems to be totally missing. I do not think it a stretch to say that Mr. Feeny is the most beloved and cherished character of Boy Meets World. Cory may now be a teacher but he so far lacks that wisdom of age and commitment to learning we immediately saw in Mr. Feeny.
Most schooling and disappointing of all is that despite a cameo, he spirit of Mr. Feeny seems to be totally missing. I do not think it a stretch to say that Mr. Feeny is the most beloved and cherished character of Boy Meets World. Cory may now be a teacher but he so far lacks that wisdom of age and commitment to learning we immediately saw in Mr. Feeny.
Maybe it'll get better, so I'll probably give it a few more episodes. Season 1 of Boy Meets World isn't all the great either and the show did change a good deal for Season 2.
disney4life2008
Well-Known Member
LOL I did not even know it started. I do not think I am too interested though I loved BMW.
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
I wasn't too impressed with the pilot, unsurprisingly. I'll be honest, I'm only interested in the old cast. I'll give it a few more chances, but if it doesn't catch on for me, I'm calling it quits.
RubyLee
Well-Known Member
I wasn't too impressed either. The main thing the pilot accomplished was making me feel really old! 
I don't think I'll continue to watch because the pilot clearly set up that Cory & Topanga are back ground characters to the new generation of kids on a pretty generic show. Maybe the show/young actors will hit their stride in later episodes but.......it's just not geared to me anymore.
I don't think I'll continue to watch because the pilot clearly set up that Cory & Topanga are back ground characters to the new generation of kids on a pretty generic show. Maybe the show/young actors will hit their stride in later episodes but.......it's just not geared to me anymore.
champdisney
Well-Known Member
I wasn't too thrilled to learn that the show was just a product of the Disney Channel. Boy Meets World touched on a lot of topics that I don't think the Disney Channel would be comfortable in displaying in it's spinoff. So I'm a bit disappointed in that. I caught the show last night and while it hasn't impressed me, I'm still rooting for it to have its success.
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
Ditto. I was excited until I found out it was going to be a Disney Channel show. If the Disney Channel was still like how it was in the 90's and early 00's, I would have had faith, without a doubt. The show back then was more comfortable with mature things. Not anymore.
prberk
Well-Known Member
The sad part, to me, is that it seems like several of the original principals (including William Danilels, who really was more than Mr. Feeney in the original show -- he write and directed some) are involved yet did not seem to influence them to raise the bar on this show. This show had the potential to be a ratings winner for The Disney Channel, and have coat-tails for a while; but any success will be limited if it goes for the lower common demoninator like so many other modern Disney Channel shows. The original was very well-written, and is fondly-remembered and still running in re-runs for a reason. That is a cash cow that the cheap modern DC shows are not. You would think that the returning principals would at least have been able to help them see this.
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
Exactly. What they should have done is aired the show on ABC. I can bet the writing would have been better and it still would have been part of Disney.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Do any of the networks really aim for the middle school and high school demographic the way TGIF did? It seems the bigger problem is a general lack of respect for a sitcom that can also be serious at important moments. It seems today you're either all comedy or all drama, but the over the top manner in which serious issues are handled on ABC Family just shows a desensitization. I think a lot will come down to how they handle Maya since they jumped right into that (I still think Cory is an for not noticing). So far they just glossed over that for the episode to end on a happy note.
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
True, true, TRUE. That is one of the main problems with the current Disney Channel shows... They don't have moments. The other problem is their actors and actresses overact and always get turned into singers and dancers, but that's another topic. ABC Family is somewhat the teen station for this generation, but not on the level of TGIF.
It is clear that Maya is the female version of Shawn. She's good-looking, has a "bad-" attitude and is having problems at home. I think they're going to handle her the same way Shawn was handled. The ending did seem rushed. I just wasn't happy with the episode as a whole.
prberk
Well-Known Member
I think that TGIF was truly the FAMILY demographic: shows that families could watch together, as well as being shows that kids could watch with their friends. And I completely agree that they need to go back to having a sitcom that covers a broader tent of topics, some more serious and some more fun. Most of all you have to care for the characters -- and that is really only going to happen when you can relate to them more like people. Watch older sitcoms. Even caricature-driven side characters (like Eddie Haskill of Leave it to Beaver, or Fonzie from Happy Days, or Sheldon from Big Bang Theory) either have some depth that we occasionally get to see or are put into situations with more depth that help us care about the surrounding characters even more, and where they are seen as comic relief. But one-dimensional characters did not drive the whole train. And shouldn't -- and we do children a disservice when we don't expect that they understand or appreciate better writing like these sitcoms have, with more relatable characters.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Thought this was relevant.
http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2014/06/30#.U7GadRZgw1N
http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2014/06/30#.U7GadRZgw1N
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
Amen! If Disney can't do this, they should just bring back some old shows, like Nickelodeon is doing with their "90's Are Back" thing going on. What really upsets me about the Disney Channel is the fact that they stopped airing the Walt-era specials, shows and movies with Vault Disney. You would think they'd keep airing those classic, given it's the DISNEY Channel, but no. I was on YouTube the other night and came across an old Vault Disney commercial. It made me stop and just wonder why they don't air these programs anymore.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Because they have to capture that coveted 12 year old demographic at 2:00 AM.