"News about Boy Meets World creator Michael Jacobs working on a sequel series, Girl Meets World, took an entire generation by surprise. And even though it’s still in its early stages of development, with no official word on whether Ben Savage or Danielle Fishel have signed on to reprise their roles, casting breakdowns for the series have been released, revealing details about the new and returning characters.
As the casting sheet shows, Cory and Topanga, still married, have a 13-year-old daughter, Riley, who will be the focus of the series. The iconic 90s couple also have 14-year-old kid, Elliot, who is known for bossing his little sister around. But what are Cory and Topanga up to now? While nothing has been revealed about Topanga’s current occupation, Cory, as it turns out, followed in the steps of his stoic educator, George Feeny, and has become a seventh grade science teacher, now with his own students looking for advice. One of Cory’s students is a girl named Maya, the proverbial “Shawn Hunter” of Girl Meets World – and Riley’s best friend.
Maya, like Shawn, isn’t one of the best students in school, yet she still looks to Cory as father (Feeny) figure, having never met her real father. The casting breakdown describes Maya as having an “acerbic wit” and is “absolutely magnetic in attracting or intimidating the people in her sphere as she cares to. Dark and edgy, but just as fiercely loyal to Riley as Riley is to her.”
You can find out more about Cory and Topanga’s daughter in the description for Riley below:
13 years old, indelible personality, an adorable girl on the cusp of whatever comes next in life, and wanting to rush into it head first. She is fiercely loyal to her friends, and spends most of her time juggling the obstacles that life throws her way… there is no obstacle in this girl’s world that can dampen her bright spirit and eternal optimism.
Now that we know the core focus of the Boy Meets World sequel, it’s time to figure out a way to cram as many familiar characters in there as possible. After all, the children who this series is intended for don’t even know it exists yet. So before they do, why not let nostalgia control the casting? Just a bit.
Even though the casting breakdown revealed quite a bit about Girl Meets World, we still don’t know where, exactly, the series will be taking place. And that, unfortunately, is one of the major elements that would limit who they can (or can’t) have on the series regularly. When it comes to guest appearances, anything is possible – no matter where they’re living.
At the end of Boy Meets World, Cory and Topanga moved to New York with Eric and Shawn. Unless the Matthews have made the move back home to Philadelphia (which is very likely), Feeny, as well as Cory’s parents, won’t be able to logically play as big of a role in the series as many had hoped. And while any involvement from any additional Boy Meets World actors would be somewhat limited, creating an environment where familiar characters can naturally appear will greatly help the series’ success, especially in its first few seasons. Ask sequel series Degrassi: The Next Generation, now in its twelfth season.
And just like Degrassi: The Next Generation, nostalgic audiences have to be aware that, even though this is a sequel series to Boy Meets World, it is intended for a specific demographic most are no longer a part of. But that doesn’t mean Girl Meets World can’t be entertaining for everyone. By using a mixture of storylines interweaving old and new cast members, viewers old and new will be able to transition their affection for the original series into the new one. If it’s successful in its execution, that is.
And why wouldn’t it, really? With Boy Meets World creator Michael Jacobs returning to spearhead the project, fans of the original series can expect to see the same type (and quality) of storytelling return in Girl Meets World. Whether you’ll enjoy those stories is another question."
(source)
