Danielle Fishel says Girl Meets World became more closely connected to Boy Meets World than she expected, frustrating her after the sequel began production.
Fishel, who returned as Topanga Lawrence, revisited the experience during an episode of Pod Meets World, the podcast she hosts with former co-stars Rider Strong and Will Friedle.
According to Fishel, she and creator Michael Jacobs had discussed making the sequel distinct from its predecessor before production began.
Jacobs even encouraged her to explain that approach to longtime fans, including the possibility of familiar Easter eggs without recreating the original sitcom. Her experience changed once filming started.
Fishel said the production increasingly incorporated Boy Meets World references, describing the creative process as an effort to “shoehorn” elements of the earlier series into the new show.
Strong, who reprised Shawn Hunter, recalled a similar experience. He said returning to the character sometimes involved recreating details from the original series that he did not personally remember, reinforcing his view that the sequel leaned heavily on its predecessor.
Boy Meets World aired for seven seasons on ABC from 1993 to 2000. Girl Meets World followed on Disney Channel from 2014 to 2017 and ran for three seasons.
Fishel also questioned the network transition, arguing that moving from broadcast television to Disney Channel made it harder to reach adults who had grown up watching the original.
Strong said he believed Girl Meets World worked more as a reflection of Boy Meets World, while Fishel agreed that this would have been a better creative direction than allowing the original series to remain in its shadow.
