Boy Meets World & That '70s Show: Same Show, Different Fonts
My two favorite shows growing up were Boy Meets World and That '70s Show (can you tell that I'm a millennial? 😂). The two shows share an almost identical format, a director, similar character archetypes and specific storylines leading me to my conclusion that they are virtually the same show, just with different fonts. Allow me to elaborate.
Firstly, David Trainer directed almost every single episode of That '70s Show (except for the pilot!) from 1998-2006. He also directed many episodes of Boy Meets World (44) from 1993-1996. David was known for working well with and building rapport with young actors. This could explain, in part, why the shows had a shared stylistic touch.
The core of the That '70s Show gang is Eric, Donna, and Hyde - at least in season 1. They parallel Corey, Topanga, and Shawn from Boy Meets World.
They've known each other since childhood
Eric/Corey is the boy-next-door with a stable family unit and parents who loves each other; the Forman/Matthews family + home becomes one to their son's friends over the course of the series
Donna/Topanga is the smart and beautiful go-getter, the girl who is out of Eric/Corey's league but is sweet on him anyway, with a sometimes tumultuous home life
Hyde/Shawn is the rebellious best friend, with a tough exterior but a heart of gold, grew up in poverty and without stable parents and is eventually taken under the wing of the Forman/Matthews family
Red & Kitty/Allen & Amy are the still-in-love, married parents of the protagonists. Both parenting pairs have a warm/strict, authoritative parenting style that provides stability not only for their son, but for his friends over the course of the series. Their relationship has its own ups and downs, but they always remain deeply in love and committed to one another.
Laurie/Eric Matthews are the much-cooler-than-the-protagonist elder siblings, who Eric/Corey sometimes compete with.
Angie/Jack are the previously unknown sibling of Hyde/Shawn who shows up midway through the series and tries to forge a relationship with them
Several of the core friendships and romances on the two shows are also uncanny in their similarities.
The friendship between Eric/Hyde and Corey/Shawn is nearly identical in some respects. Both pairs are already friends when the series begins - they have been friends since childhood. Shawn and Hyde are both 'the tough kid' with a traumatic upbringing, compared to Eric and Corey's loving and stable suburban upbringing. Corey & Shawn are a lot more affectionate with one another than Eric & Hyde are, but both pairs of friends are deeply close and loyal to each other above all their other friends. At one point in both series, Hyde/Shawn moves in with Eric/Corey's family.
Eric/Donna and Corey/Topanga have eerily similar relationship arcs. Both couples are childhood best friends, and have been in love since they were five (both shows also have done some convenient re-writing when it comes to their childhood history). Both couples have the 'she's out of his league' dynamic, and the 'Mom and Dad of the group' dynamic. Both couples had a big break-up storyline mid-way through the series, but all the other characters pretty much acted like they would eventually get back together the whole time (and they did). Both considered marriage far too young - Eric and Donna get engaged when they're still in high school, and Corey and Topanga actually do end up getting married when they're in college. Both shows have a whole arc about Eric/Corey wanting to have sex, and Donna/Topanga not being ready yet - and eventually a big focus on them losing their virginities to each other (looking back, the '90s were so puritanical in a sense 😵💫). We even know, thanks to the spin-off series That '90s Show and Girl Meets World, that they both end up married with daughters (Leia Forman & Riley Matthews, who have several similarities of their own)! Like I said - eerie.
The secondary relationships on the show between Jackie/Hyde and Shawn/Angela were also very similar, right down to their unsatisfying conclusions and being the fan favorites. Both Hyde and Shawn are shown to be suave, experienced, and popular with the ladies, but they never have a serious relationship or find the right girl until midway through the series. For Hyde it's Jackie, for Shawn it's Angela. All of the characters recognize that its different this time, and that the guy who never seemed interested in a serious relationship is finally in love. But sadly, both relationships were ended abruptly, with poor writing, leaving fans upset about lack of closure.
Some of the literal same plots are used in both series. '90s TV sitcoms were so incredibly formulaic.
Prom Night - Both Eric/Donna and Corey/Topanga find themselves in a hotel room after prom night, planning to consummate their relationship. Both decide to wait until the right moment, instead.
Freaked Out By Love - The first time Donna says 'I love you,' Eric responds with the world's best line: "I love cake." Eventually he admits to Donna that using the word love is a big deal to him and why - and he's able to sincerely say it back to her. The first time Corey says 'I love you', Topanga basically ignores it. She then breaks up with him - he's devastated, until they talk at the end of the episode and she tells him that his strong feelings (and hers) scare her. He explains what love means to him, and she's able to sincerely say it back to him.
Strong Women Making Sacrifices For Their Relationships - Donna gives up going off to college at UW-Madison to stay home with Eric when his dad has a heart attack. Topanga gets into Yale, but gives it up to go to Penbrook with Corey and their friends.
Engaged Too Young, Parents Are Unsupportive - Both Eric/Donna and Corey/Topanga get engaged when they're 18 and both Red/Kitty and Allen/Amy are against it and think they are far too young. The couples butt heads with their parents over this.
Romantic, Corny Reunions - Eric goes across the country to California to win Donna back, and they romantically (satirically) run into each other's arms on the beach. Corey follows Topanga across the country to Disney World, and they have a romantic, fairy-tale kiss in front of the fountains.
Late In Life Baby - Red/Kitty had a pregnancy scare in S5, and for an episode they thought she was pregnant with a "change of life baby" as Kitty called it 😂. Allen/Amy actually do have an unexpected, late in life baby: their son (and Corey's baby brother) Joshua is born in S7.
Emotional Sendoff With Family - In Eric's final on-screen moments he has a heartfelt moment with Red (and Kitty) before he heads off to his adventure in Africa. Corey and Topanga say goodbye to his parents in the finale, as they head off to their new life in New York.
Storylines from BMW that I wish T70 copied:
Eric and Donna are offended that their friends keep calling them Mom and Dad, and tease them about being boring. They decide to throw a wild party to show everyone just how fun they can be. In the end, it's a pretty boring party and nobody stays long 😂. But they have a great time. 😏
An entire episode done in a film noir style satire. A main character (maybe Jackie?) finds herself in a black-and-white 1940's world where she can't remember who she is. All of the other characters exist in the film noir world, and help her solve the case by the end of the episode. I feel like this could've worked really well with the fantasy sequences and other fun stuff T70S used to do.
An episode that looks into the future, and what their lives would be like if they lost their friendship with each other. Eric's guardian angel could've made a reappearance!
Kelso's new girlfriend is a witch. Like, an actual witch (guest star Melissa Joan Hart ❤️) but he's too far in 'love' to see it. His friends do, though - and they're freaked out!
A group of women Hyde has 'dated' in the past show up on Valentines Day to protect Jackie from his womanizing ways, certain he's going to ruin his relationship with her. They kidnap Hyde and make him late for his dinner plans with her, but Jackie figures it out and rescues him. The whole episode shows how this relationship (and the effort Hyde is putting into it) is different from anything he's ever done before.
Boy Meets World was able to successfully pivot their show to a new setting when their characters grew up. They didn't try to keep Eric, Corey, Shawn and Topanga 17 years old forever - in seasons 6 & 7 the characters move to college together and the setting changes from high school and the Matthews' house to the fictional Penbrook University. Boy Meets World was far from perfect but oh how I wish That '70s Show had taken an approach like this for the later half of the series. 🥲
