Template:Infobox televisionGirl Meets World is an upcoming American television sitcom. The series, set to debut some time in 2014 on Disney Channel, is a sequel to the sitcom Boy Meets World, which aired on ABC's TGIF block from 1993 to 2000. The new series will follow Riley Matthews (portrayed by Rowan Blanchard), the teenage daughter of Boy Meets World main characters Cory and Topanga Matthews, as Riley navigates the challenges of life. Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel, who played Cory and Topanga respectively in the original series, will reprise their roles in this series, as will other members of the original cast.
Premise
The series will follow Cory and Topanga Matthews' teenage daughter, Riley (Rowan Blanchard), and her best friend, Maya Fox (Sabrina Carpenter), as they navigate the challenges of life as they start 7th grade. The series is set in New York City, to where Cory and Topanga moved in the Boy Meets World series finale.
Characters
- Rowan Blanchard as Riley Matthews who is 12 years old and in seventh grade at the start of the series.
- Ben Savage as Cory Matthews, Riley's father and the lead character of Boy Meets World. Cory has taken a job as a middle-school history teacher, whose class will consist of his daughter and many of her friends.
- Danielle Fishel as Topanga Matthews (nee Lawrence), Riley's mother. Although Topanga was pursuing a law internship at the end of Boy Meets World, she has since changed careers. Like Cory's parents eventually became in the original series, Topanga is now an enterpreneur; in her case, she is now the owner-operator of a restaurant that specializes in pudding.
- Sabrina Carpenter as Maya Hart, Riley's best friend.
- August Meturo as Auggie Matthews Riley's little brother
- William Daniels as George Feeny, Cory's omnipresent (and now octogenarian) former educator and longtime mentor
- Peyton Meyer as Lucas Friar, a potential love interest for Riley
- Corey Fogelmanis as Shamus Farkle, a nerd who is one of Riley's classmates
Development
In November 2012, it was reported that Disney Channel was in the early stages of development of a follow-up series titled Girl Meets World, which will center on Cory and Topanga's 13-year-old daughter Riley. Boy Meets World co-creator Michael Jacobs will develop the series and serve as its executive producer and showrunner. On November 26, 2012, it was confirmed by Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel that they would be reprising their roles as Cory Matthews and Topanga Lawrence-Matthews in the series. According to a statement from Fishel, it is unknown if other cast members from Boy Meets World will return for the new show. It was later announced in February that Michael Jacobs has reached out to all of the former Boy Meets World cast members and told each one of them that whoever wants to be part of the new show will be and those who don't want to be will not be.
Auditions began in mid-November 2012 for the lead roles of Riley Matthews, the daughter of Cory and Topanga, Maya, a witty friend of Riley's who has a troubled past and Elliot, Riley's older brother. The character of Cory Matthews is also reported to be a seventh-grade history teacher who looks after Riley and Maya in the series.
On January 28, 2013, it was announced that Rowan Blanchard (co-star of in the 2011 film Spy Kids: All the Time in the World) was cast in the role of Riley Matthews. This was followed three days later on January 31 by the announcement of the casting of Sabrina Carpenter in the role of Riley's best friend Maya (although Carpenter is signed as an artist on Disney-owned record label Hollywood Records, there are no plans to make the character of Maya a singer). Then, in early March 2013, it was announced that Teo Halm had landed the role of Cory and Topanga's son and Riley's older brother, Elliot. On March 20, 2013, it was announced that Peyton Meyer got the role of Tristan Friar, a transfer from Austin, Texas who will serve as a potential love interest for Riley.
On March 22, 2013, it was announced that Corey Fogelmanis got the role of Shamus Farkle, who will be a kid genius character in the vein of Stuart Minkus. William Daniels will return as Mr. Feeny. Filming of the pilot began on March 20, 2013 and concluded on March 22, 2013. Rider Strong along with Will Friedle made a surprise visit to the set during the filming of the pilot setting off rumors of a return or even a cameo in the upcoming series.Maitland Ward also made a visit to the set and was asked during a recent interview about the return of her character, Rachel McGuire. Ward said "I can’t really share any show info, but it would be fun if the old gang got back together again!"
Strong, who played Shawn Hunter in the original series, has denied involvement in the show, stating that: “Boy Meets World was a defining aspect of my life, and I cherish those seven years. So I am extremely happy for Ben and Danielle to be able to continue the story. At this point, I have no official involvement in Girl Meets World.”
In June 2013, a reunion with many of the cast members from the original show happened with Michael Jacobs dropping hints on what has or will become of the Shawn Hunter character. Jacobs stated while Cory and Topanga will be figuring things out together, don't expect the same happy ending for Shawn and Angela. "Nothing good happens to Shawn, that’s all I can tell you," Jacobs laughed. "Rider reacting to the hurdles that keep growing is what I think is compelling about Shawn. Rider once said something -- and I really take to heart everything that these people say ‘I keep Shawn in the cellar, and every once in a while, I’ll go down and I’ll visit him.’ And I thought to myself, ‘boy, even Rider keeps Shawn in the cellar,’ so I think nothing good is ever gonna happen for Shawn."
When asked if Strong was returning to the series, Sabrina Carpenter said "I will say he definitely did come and visit, he’s very supportive". Jacobs was also asked about the return of Strong and Friedle if the show gets picked up and said "I think there’s more than a chance, I think there’s a strong chance." Teo Halm indicated that the people behind the show were keeping some things a surprise and when asked about the return of the Mr. Feeny character prior to the confirmation of his return Halm said "I honestly am not sure I can say" — and I'd say they're definitely keeping some things under their collective hats." On June 17, 2013, Disney Channel officially greenlit a series order for Girl Meets World. The initial order for the show's first season will begin production in summer 2013 and the series will debut on the channel sometime in 2014.