Everything That Happened on BMW From Season 1 to the Final Class Dismissed

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Seven seasons. One hundred and fifty-eight episodes. Cory Matthews went from sixth grade to marriage. Mr. Feeny went from next-door neighbor to the last person who said something worth saying. This is all of it — from the pilot to the finale and everything that happened in between.

Season 1 (1993): 16.5 million people tuned in on September 24th, 1993. Entertainment Weekly gave it a C minus. People magazine gave it a C plus and called Mr. Feeny a highlight. The show survived both.

The casting decisions that defined everything: Rider Strong was the first actor to audition — Michael Jacobs took one look and said "that's my guy" with forty more people in the waiting room. Danielle Fishel's first table read went poorly and she was given extensive notes; she came back the next day and exceeded every expectation. Will Friedle, a relative unknown from Nickelodeon's Don't Just Sit There, beat out Jason Marsden and Shilo Hunter for Eric Matthews. Lily Nicksay played Morgan. Betsy Randle was on Home Improvement before joining as Amy. William Daniels didn't want the role, thought it was a teacher-bashing sitcom, got a rewritten script in 24 hours, and said okay.

The TGIF legacy: Michael Jacobs's creative lineage runs from Charles in Charge (Scott Baio, five seasons) through My Two Dads (1987 People's Choice Award) to The Torkelsons and the early traces of Boy Meets World's DNA in Where I Live and The Dinosaurs. The show landed in a Friday night lineup that included Full House, Family Matters, Perfect Strangers, and Dinosaurs. It never left that block until TGIF ended.

Season 2: High school begins. Mr. Turner arrives on a motorcycle because ABC wanted 20-somethings after Friends took off. Shawn ends up living with him. Harley Keiner introduces himself as the school bully. Ethan Suplee plays Frankie Stecchino. Blake Soper/Sennett plays Joey before leaving to form Rilo Kiley. Adam Scott plays replacement bully Griff Hawkins — at the time, just a kid on a show nobody his age was watching on a Friday night.

Season 3: Cory and Topanga become a couple. Say "I love you." Break up in Episode 312. Morgan gets replaced by Lindsay Ridgeway — the show winks at the audience on-screen. Shawn starts living with Mr. Turner. Mr. Turner gets to file for guardianship. Then Chet comes back. Then the season ends.

Season 4: Topanga moves to Pittsburgh. She runs away and lives with her aunt, played by Olivia Hussey — the actual Juliet from Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet. Jacobs cast her specifically because Cory and Topanga were always Romeo and Juliet and Juliet had to be the conflict. Eric doesn't get into college. The family buys Kimble's outdoor adventure store. Eric and Alan work together. The Sports Illustrated curse episode exists.

Season 5: Jack Hunter arrives as Shawn's paternal half-brother. Angela Moore joins the cast — the interracial relationship between Angela and Shawn was considered groundbreaking for primetime at the time. "And Then There Was Shawn" — the horror parody episode — was written by a freelance writer who had been watching Scream obsessively that summer. The entire Boy Meets World cast and crew became South Park fanatics before the show aired because Will Friedle got a hold of an early tape of The Spirit of Christmas. Cory kisses Lauren at the ski lodge. The letter is found. Topanga breaks up with Cory. The world adjusts.

Season 6: Maitland Ward joins as Rachel. Cory and Topanga elope — Topanga gets cold feet. Chet dies of a second heart attack. Joshua Gabriel Matthews is born. Mr. Feeny comes out of retirement to teach at Pennbrook. Eric Matthews begins his transformation from dependable older brother into, as Michael Jacobs described it, Forrest Gump before Forrest Gump. Will Friedle later said he didn't know how to act the first year — by the time he was doing plays with squirrels, it was his wheelhouse.

Season 7: Topanga breaks up with Cory again. ABC ran an internet poll — they expected 10,000 hits, got 220,000 in 15 minutes, 98% said get married. They got married in November. Verna's letter reveals Shawn is not her biological son. Chet returns as Shawn's spiritual guide. Angela's father takes her to Europe. Topanga gets a law firm internship in New York. Rachel, Jack, and Eric graduate. In the finale, everyone follows Cory and Topanga to New York. Mr. Feeny returns to an empty classroom. "I love you all. Class dismissed."