6. Boy Meets World
A show about growing up does not necessarily have to be 100% like real life all the time, but more importantly it has to reflect the time period in which it takes place. If there is one thing that Boy Meets World is, it is 90s. We appreciated a little cheese in the 90s. We liked making ourselves feel happy then instead of laughing at ourselves about dark truths like we do now. Although that does not bode well for the highly anticipated sequel series (that we know we are all going to AT LEAST watch the pilot of), it does not take away from the connection we made with the original show. For seven years, we watched teacher Mr. Feeny guide Corey Mathews through lessons about life and the way the world works along side brother Eric, best friend Shaun, and childhood sweetheart/eventual wife Topanga. One thing I give the show credit for is evolving. Growing along side the show it went from dealing with slightly more mature problems while still being able to have fun with itself. We grew along side the show as Corey and Co. went from dealing with issues like talking to girls to marital stresses. It was charming enough where we didn't care why Shaun would be friends with Corey in the first place, where Corey's sister went in the middle seasons, or why Mr. Feeney never spoke to any other students in the school. The show did not take itself too seriously and gave us permission to have fun and fall in love with the characters. Corey and Topanga's break up hurt almost as much as a real-life one, but we knew they would get back together because they were Corey and Topanga. We were invested in the characters and permitted it when they took a brief vacation into serious territory because we knew the would soon be back to show us how to grow up. Boy Meets World? Now I get it.