This blog was originally published on elkharttruth.com on Sept. 11, 2014.
Just because a show was good in the ’90s doesn’t mean it will be good now.
Case in point: “Girl Meets World.”
Sorry, Disney, but the show doesn’t work.
So, John Stamos, as much as I love Uncle Jesse, please don’t revive “Full House.”
“Girl Meets World,” a spin-off of “Boy Meets World,” should’ve been destined for success. It had the nostalgia factor. It was going to have Cory and Topanga. And old cast members of “Boy Meets World” kept coming out of the woodwork to guest star. Even Minkus (Lee Norris) and Harvey “Harley” Keiner (Danny McNulty) came on the show.
Not to say “Girl Meets World” is not successful — it has been renewed for season 2, and it’s the No. 1 TV show for kids 2 to 14, according to Entertainment Weekly. But it’s failing to conjure the magic of its predecessor.
When I finally sat down to watch some episodes of “Girl Meets World” a few weeks ago, I was disappointed.
I’m a huge fan of “Boy Meets World.” I’ve seen every episode multiple times. I hate when Cory and Topanga aren’t together. I love how the parents take care of Cory and his friends.
But “Girl Meets World” does not have the same dynamic.
Yes, it’s a family show. Yes, Riley (Cory and Topanga’s daughter) and her friend, Maya, have similar characteristics to Cory and Shawn. But the show comes off as a cheesy rehashing of the original, with copied to-the-tee plot lines and forced moral lessons, which came off so naturally on “Boy Meets World.”
Part of the problem with “Girl Meets World” is simply the passage of time. Cory and Topanga were wonderful to watch as kids and students, but they aren’t as relatable as adults. Not everyone who watched “Boy Meets World” is at the stage in life where kids are on the horizon, much less in middle school — which is where Riley is.
This is probably why “Friends” will never return. As much as fans clamor for a reunion, co-creator Marta Kauffman has made it clear the show is about being in your 20s — when your friends are your family — so a movie reunion will never happen. Chandler and Monica had a family at the end of the show’s 10-year — why would we want to watch that?
If the key to the “Girl Meets World” was Cory and Topanga, it failed. They aren’t young anymore. They have responsibility, and it was more fun to watch them struggle through life than to see them have it all together.
That’s why “Full House” shouldn’t be revived. Word on the street is Stamos wants to bring the show back and many cast members are on board.
If you are going to bring a TV show back, it needs to have value and purpose. Besides nostalgia, a “Full House” revival doesn’t have value or purpose, and it’s not a fresh idea, either.
“Boy Meets World” and “Full House” still do well in reruns on various networks. It’s partly for nostalgia, but it’s also partly for the fact that the shows are timeless, minus the fashions. (I hope feathered bangs never come back.)
But let’s stick to reruns only, please. Or funny Jimmy Kimmel Live staged reunions. Enjoy.
