Girl Meets World: 10 Boy Meets World Characters Who Should've Been Brought Back
Boy Meets World, during its 1993-2000 run on ABC, told the story of a young man named Cory Matthews, all the way from elementary school to college graduation and marriage. The audience got to see Cory grow as a person, with the help of his teacher/mentor/next-door neighbor Mr. Feeny. Over the course of the series, many other characters featured in prominent roles including Cory's best friend Shawn, his eventual wife Topanga, older brother Eric, sister Morgan, and many different classmates/acquaintances throughout the years.
Fourteen years after the series ended, a sequel titled Girl Meets World was produced for the Disney Channel. This series featured Cory and Topanga as parents to a teenage daughter, Riley. While primarily telling the new characters' stories, several Boy Meets World alumni returned during the three seasons. Here are 10 that did not return but should have.
10 Theresa "TK" Keiner
Played by Danielle Harris in one episode of Boy Meets World, titled "Sister Theresa," TK is the younger sister of resident John Adams High bully, Harley Keiner. In her only appearance, she started dating and later broke up with her brother's target, Cory Matthews.
While Harley returned as a recurring character in Girl Meets World, TK did not appear at all. It would have been interesting to see Cory, now a married husband and father, be reunited with a former flame from when he was a teenager. Alas, it was not to be.
9 Dean Lila Bolander
Lila Bolander was the Dean of Pennbrook College, the school that the main teenage characters attended during the later seasons of Boy Meets World. In this role, she was also the employer of George Feeny, whom she later married. A tough disciplinarian, it was also shown that Bolander was fair in the episode "Everybody Loves Stuart" when she punished a teacher who had made Topanga uncomfortable.
Despite being married to Mr. Feeny and Bolander's actress, Bonnie Barlett, being William Daniels' (Mr. Feeny's actor) real-life wife, she did not appear at all on Girl Meets World, nor was she mentioned. It could be argued that it would be difficult to find a way to include the character without it seeming forced. Nonetheless, it would have been nice to see that Mr. Feeny was still happily married.
8 Jason Marsden
Played by the actor of the same name, Jason was Eric Matthews' best friend in the early seasons of Boy Meets World. As the straight man to Eric's antics, he fulfilled a similar role to what Jack Hunter later became in the final three seasons. Jason made his last appearance in Season 2.
As he had been written out of the series (and universe) almost twenty years prior, Jason did not appear in Girl Meets World. However, seeing as he is close friends with Will Friedle (Eric), with the latter being the best man at his wedding, an appearance could have been made possible. However, since Eric had moved on long ago, it would have been a stretch to include Jason.
7 Nicholas
Played by Chauncey Leopardi, who later portrayed Alan in Freaks and Geeks, Nicholas appeared as a close friend of Cory and Shawn in the Boy Meets World pilot episode, also sharing a lunch table with them. However, after that, neither Leopardi or Nicholas appeared on the show again.
The real-world explanation is that the producers were experimenting with different third friends for Cory and Shawn. It would have been nice for Nicholas to somehow appear in the pilot for Girl Meets World as a sort of bookend to his stint on Boy. There could have been a meta in-joke, which these shows are no stranger to, about how Nicholas probably would not be seen for a while after the pilot.
6 Eli Williams
Eli, a young African-American teacher at John Adams High, had a starring role on Boy Meets World during the third season. Eli was a close friend of his fellow teacher, Jonathan Turner, and also interacted with Cory and Shawn during his time on the show.
Due to the character not progressing or serving the story, Eli did not stay on Boy Meets World past season 3. However, since Mr. Turner made appearances on Girl Meets World, they could have easily had Eli be with him on one occasion as dialogue on Boy indicated that they had known each other for a long time.
5 Kenny
Kenny was a one-episode character who featured alongside the main cast and Jennifer Love Hewitt in "And Then There Was Shawn," otherwise known as the Scream inspired episode. During the episode, Kenny becomes synonymous with a pencil. He asks Topanga for one and is later impaled by a pencil, though this is later revealed to be a fantasy in Shawn's mind.
Since Kenny primarily served as a gag, there would not be a huge role for him in Girl Meets World. Considering their past work, the writers could have been able to find an interesting way to bring Kenny back if they had wanted to. In any case, everyone will always remember he was *this* tall.
4 Lauren
Lauren was played by another Freaks and Geeks star, Linda Cardellini, who starred as lead Lindsay Weir. She appeared in four episodes of Boy Meets World. Most notably, she is the only girl that ever seriously competed with Topanga for Cory's affections, sharing a kiss with him.
Despite Lauren not appearing physically in Girl Meets World, she was mentioned. Evan, a ski resort worker who had helped Riley during an episode, was revealed as Lauren's son in the closing moments, telling Cory that his "mother said hello." It would have been extremely satisfying to see Cory, Topanga, and Lauren interact after so many years.
3 Joey "The Rat" Epstein
Joey was a recurring character throughout the high school years of Boy Meets World. Originally a lackey of bully Harley Keiner, he later became somewhat of a friend to Cory and Shawn. He was played by Blake Sennett (né Soper), who later left acting to become a musician.
Even though Joey did not reunite with Harley, Cory, and Shawn on Girl Meets World, he did get a mention. In the season 1 episode "Girl Meets Flaws," there is an award named after Joey, the "Joseph TR Epstein Confidence Award." While he was not on the show physically, Joey was there in spirit.
2 Frankie Stecchino
Towering, intimidating bully Frankie was played by Ethan Suplee, who later played Randy on My Name Is Earl. Later on, Frankie revealed a softer side to his personality and his love for poetry. He was also revealed to be the (fictional) son of wrestling superstar, Vader.
Like his partner-in-crime Joey, Frankie did not appear on Girl Meets World. This could be due to Ethan Suplee working enough to not need to appear. Or, simply, there was no logical place in the story to put Frankie. Either way, longtime fans probably would have enjoyed having him back.
1 Rachel McGuire
Rachel, who was originally from Texas, appeared only in the final two seasons of Boy Meets World. Her actress, Maitland Ward, was the last new addition to join the main cast before the show ended. Rachel is perhaps best remembered for being roommates with Eric and Jack, creating a love triangle between the three characters.
Along with Eli Williams, Rachel was one of only two Boy Meets World main cast characters who did not return for Girl Meets World. She was discussed by Eric and Jack in the latter's appearance during "Girl Meets Semi-Formal." While she chose Jack to be with romantically, they were no longer in contact after breaking up. Rachel and Eric, on the other hand, remained great friends.