View Full Version : Could a show like 'Boy Meets World' work today?


TMC
08-09-2014, 03:16 AM
Girl Meets World obviously with-standing. My point is, I wonder if in general, otherwise "sincere", "slice-of-life", and/or coming-of-age youth-oriented sitcoms like Boy Meets World could be successful today? It seems like more than often, if you want to make a sitcom about kids (it's not just Disney Channel, but also the stuff that Nickelodeon puts like like Dan Schneider's shows for instance) it has to be very gimmicky or overtly wacky (e.g. very slapstick-focused w/ a lot of manic, hyperactive acting).

Good Luck Charlie was the most recent "kidcom" that I can immediately think of that had a mostly grounded or down-to-earth premise (instead of something that boarders on what I would consider "wishful fulfillment"). The Goldbergs (even though it owes more to The Wonder Years than multi-camera, TGIF era shows like Boy Meets World) is arguably the closest current/recent network show that I can think of.

Despite all of this, I would be hard-pressed if ABC under its current management, will ever give us a proper or traditional, two hour, family-oriented Friday night block under the TGIF brand anytime soon. It's as if they want to say that they don't need something like that anymore since they already have the Disney Channel and to a certain extent ABC Family for stuff like that.

Another problem is that both Disney Channel and Nickelodeon seem intent on primarily making shows for young girls. I can't think of any live-action Disney Channel (Disney XD doesn't count) show in the past five or so years outside of The Suite Life..., which had a male lead.

king of comedy
08-09-2014, 07:22 AM
Boy meets World would be better off on the Disney Channel.

tlc38tlc38
08-09-2014, 09:59 AM
I don't think we'll ever see a family/kidcom show on a major network again. I would love to see another TGIF type program block but I just don't see it ever happening.

king of comedy
08-10-2014, 06:42 AM
Times have changed and the closest would be on ABC on Wensday night.

Spark Of Spirit
08-11-2014, 01:11 PM
Unfortunately, no. Wholesome programming has long since been banished from the four major networks.

Darmund
08-16-2014, 01:42 AM
What is so bad about there being few shows that have male leads? I think it's a nice change of pace considering that was the status quo for the past 60+ years of tv.

As for Boy Meets World, let's be honest it has aged pretty badly as has most of the multi camera sitcoms from that time period. The acting by the kids ranges from passable to horrible and every episode comes across as "A VERY SPECIAL EPISODE OF..." feel to them.

Watching gthe Wonder Years I don't get that feeling.

king of comedy
08-16-2014, 07:14 AM
I loved The Wonder Years. This one will stand the test of time.

king of comedy
08-16-2014, 07:42 AM
I mean The Wonder Years will stand the test of time.

vampirevsrobot
08-24-2014, 07:16 AM
I don't think we'll ever see a family/kidcom show on a major network again. I would love to see another TGIF type program block but I just don't see it ever happening.

I don't think so either, because at some point in the 1990's the moronic single tv executive, fresh from college thought that family comedies and kid coms were the same all along.

In the process, they blew away four decades of "family viewing".

And so all the dumb programming executives ideas from the late 90's washed away all the family sitcoms and sent them (along with the rest of America) straight to cable, but just for the kids.

They never were able to differentiate between the two.

... and because of that, this washed away all the family sitcom's from network TV all together.

Now the sought after 18-49 (family) demographic or 12-24 (family) or 18-34 (family) is lost to some strange parallel TV universe where cheap so-called 'reality' shows and multiple middle aged actors can resurrect their fledgling careers in crime drama spin off's.

So yeah, that's what happened...

Blackout
09-16-2014, 09:00 PM
i fail to see how Girl Meets World would do any worse than some of these piece of **** shows coming out in 2014 like "Blackish"



i give that show 2 episodes before Fox cancels it.

king of comedy
09-16-2014, 09:47 PM
Blackish will be on ABC.

TMC
01-22-2015, 03:55 AM
I think that BMW has arguably held up better than most other TGIF shows (e.g. the Miller-Boyett shows and Sabrina the Teenage Witch) or other "kidcoms" of its era (e.g. Saved by the Bell) because 1) A lot of the issues that were discussed are still prevalent today 2) It was much more nuanced and grounded than other shows of 3) It didn't for the most part, handle issues in a prototypical "kidcom"/"family sitcom" way (i.e. too on the nose or sounding too much like a PSA/after school special)