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The Facts of Life (TV series)
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The Facts of Life
The Facts of Life season one title screen
Genre
Sitcom
Created by
Dick Clair
Jenna McMahon
Developed by
Howard Leeds
Ben Starr
Jerry Mayer
Starring
Charlotte Rae
John Lawlor
Jenny O'Hara
Lisa Whelchel
Felice Schachter
Julie Piekarski
Kim Fields
Molly Ringwald
Julie Anne Haddock
Mindy Cohn
Nancy McKeon
Pamela Segall
Mackenzie Astin
George Clooney
Cloris Leachman
Sherrie Krenn
Theme music composer
Al Burton
Gloria Loring
Alan Thicke
Opening theme
"The Facts of Life"
Country of origin
United States
Original language(s)
English
No. of seasons
9
No. of episodes
209 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
Jack Elinson
(seasons 2–7)
Jerry Mayer
(seasons 3–6)
Linda Marsh
Margie Peters
(seasons 5–6)
Deidre Fay
Stuart Wolpert
(seasons 6–7)
Irma Kalish
Richard Gurman
(seasons 8–9)
Producer(s)
Jerry Mayer
(seasons 1–3)
Linda Marsh
Margie Peters
(seasons 3–4)
Rita Dillon
(seasons 5–9)
Kimberly Hill
(season 6)
Camera setup
Multi-camera
Videotape
Running time
22 mins.
Production company(s)
T.A.T. Communications Co.
(1979–1982)
(seasons 1-3)
Embassy Television
(1982–1986)
(seasons 4-7)
Embassy Communications
(1986–1988)
(seasons 8-9)
ELP Communications
(1988)
(season 9)
Columbia Pictures Television
(1988)
(season 9)
Distributor
Embassy Communications
(1986–1988)
Columbia Pictures Television
(1988–1989)
Release
Original network
NBC
Audio format
Monaural (1979–1984)
Stereo (1984–1988)
Original release
August 24, 1979 (1979-08-24) – May 7, 1988 (1988-05-07)
Chronology
Followed by
The Facts of Life Reunion
Related shows
Diff'rent Strokes
The Facts of Life is an American sitcom and a spin-off of Diff'rent Strokes that originally aired on NBC from August 24, 1979 to May 7, 1988, making it one of the longest-running sitcoms of the 1980s. The series focuses on Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae) as she becomes a housemother (and after the second season, a dietitian as well) at the fictional Eastland School, an all-female boarding school in Peekskill, New York.[1]
Contents
[hide]
1 Plot
1.1 Season 1
1.2 Seasons 2–8
1.3 Final season
2 Cast
2.1 Main characters
2.2 Recurring characters
2.3 Celebrity guest stars
3 Production
3.1 Development
3.2 Theme music
4 Episodes
4.1 Television films
4.1.1 The Facts of Life Goes to Paris
4.1.2 The Facts of Life Down Under
4.1.3 The Facts of Life Reunion
5 Syndication
6 International airings
7 Reception
7.1 Ratings
7.2 Awards
8 Home media
9 Attempted spin-offs
10 Notes
11 References
12 External links
Plot[edit]
Season 1[edit]
A spin-off of Diff'rent Strokes, the series featured the Drummonds' former housekeeper, Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae) becoming the housemother of a dormitory at Eastland School, a private all-girls school. The girls in her care included spoiled rich girl Blair Warner (Lisa Whelchel); the youngest, gossipy Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey (Kim Fields); and impressionable Natalie Green (Mindy Cohn).
The pilot for the show originally aired as the last episode of Diff'rent Strokes' first season and was called "The Girls' School (aka Garrett's Girls)." The plotline for the pilot had Kimberly Drummond (Dana Plato) requesting that Mrs. Garrett help her sew costumes for a student play at East Lake School for Girls, the school Kimberly attended in upstate New York, as her dorm's housemother had recently quit. Mrs. Garrett agrees to help, puts on a successful play, and also solves a problem for Nancy. Mrs. Garrett is asked to stay on as the new housemother but states she would rather remain working for the Drummonds at the end of the pilot.
Following the pilot, the name of the school was changed to Eastland and characters were replaced, with Natalie, Cindy (Julie Anne Haddock), and Mr. Bradley becoming part of the main group featured. Although Kimberly Drummond is featured as a student at East Lake, her character did not cross over to the spinoff series with Mrs. Garrett.
In the show's first season, episodes focus on the troubles of seven girls, with the action usually set in a large, wood-paneled common room of a girls' dormitory. Also appearing was the school's headmaster, Mr. Steven Bradley (John Lawlor), and Ms. Emily Mahoney (Jenny O'Hara), an Eastland teacher who was dropped after the first four episodes. Early episodes of the show typically revolve around a central morality-based or "lesson teaching" theme. The show's pilot episode plot included a story line in which Blair Warner insinuates that her schoolmate Cindy Webster is a lesbian because she is a tomboy and frequently shows affection for other girls. Other season one episodes deal with issues including drug use, sex, eating disorders, parental relationships, and peer pressure.
Seasons 2–8[edit]
The producers felt that there were too many characters given the limitations of the half-hour sitcom format, and that the plot lines should be more focused to give the remaining girls more room for character development. Four of the original actresses—Julie Anne Haddock (Cindy), Julie Piekarski (Sue Ann), Felice Schachter (Nancy), and Molly Ringwald (Molly)—were written out of the show (although the four did make periodic guest appearances in the second and third seasons, and all but Molly Ringwald appeared in one "reunion" episode in the eighth season). Mr. Bradley's character was also dropped and replaced by Mr. Parker[2] for the rest of the series. In addition to being housemother to the remaining girls, Mrs. Garrett became the school dietitian as the second season began. Jo Polniaczek (Nancy McKeon), a new student originally from the Bronx, arrived at Eastland on scholarship. A run-in with the law forced the four to be separated from the other girls and work in the cafeteria, living together in a spare room next to Mrs. Garrett's bedroom.
The season two premiere of the retooled series saw an immediate ratings increase. By its third season (1981–82), Facts of Life had become NBC's #1 comedy and #2 overall NBC program, beating out its predecessor, Diff'rent Strokes, for the first time.[3]
In 1983, Jo and Blair graduated Eastland Academy in the highly anticipated season four finale "Graduation". To keep the four girls under one roof, the hour-long season five premiere "Brave New World" saw Mrs. Garrett go into business for herself and open a gourmet food venture named Edna's Edibles (it placed #9 in the weekly ratings). The four girls would come to live and work with Mrs. Garrett in this new refreshed space.
In September 1985, NBC moved the seventh season of the series to its burgeoning Saturday night lineup at 8:30 p.m., as a lead-in for the new series The Golden Girls at 9:00 p.m. In an attempt to refresh the "ratings work horse" and increase ratings, George Clooney was added to the regular cast and Mrs. Garrett's store was gutted by fire in the season seven premiere "Out of the Fire". The follow-up episodes "Into the Frying Pan" and "Grand Opening" had the girls join together rebuild the store with a pop culture-influenced gift shop, called Over Our Heads. The changes proved successful as all three episodes placed in the top ten ratings each week. By the end of the season, TV Guide reported, "Facts' success has been so unexpected that scions of Hollywood are still taken aback by it.…Facts has in fact been among NBC's top-ranked comedies for the past five years. It finished twenty-third overall for the 1985–1986 season, handily winning its time slot against its most frequent competitors, Airwolf and Benson. Lisa Whelchel stated, 'We're easily overlooked because we've never been a huge hit; we just sort of snuck in there.'"[4]
Charlotte Rae initially reduced her role in seasons six and seven, and later decided to leave the series altogether, believing she had done all she could do with her character and desired to move on to other projects.[5] In season eight's heavily promoted one-hour premiere, "Out of Peekskill" Mrs. Garrett married the man of her dreams and joined him in Africa while he worked for the Peace Corps. Mrs. Garrett convinces her sister, Beverly Ann Stickle (Cloris Leachman), to take over the shop and look after the girls. Beverly Ann later legally adopted Over Our Heads worker Andy Moffett (Mackenzie Astin) in the episode "A Boy About the House". Describing the new changes to The Facts of Life Brandon Tartikoff, NBC Entertainment President, said he "was surprised that The Facts of Life performed well this season, as, with a major cast change and all, I thought it might not perform as it had in the past. Facts has been renewed for next season."[6]
Final season[edit]
In the ninth and final season, the series aired on NBC's Saturday night lineup at 8:00 p.m. NBC still had confidence in the series, making it the 8:00 p.m. anchor, kicking off the network's second-highest rated night (next to Thursdays). For February sweeps, the writers created a controversial storyline in this season for the episode titled "The First Time", in which Natalie became the first of the girls to lose her virginity. Lisa Whelchel refused this particular storyline that would have made her character, not Natalie, the first among the four young women in the show to lose her virginity. Having become a Christian when she was 10, Whelchel refused because of her Christian convictions. Whelchel appeared in every episode, but asked to be written out of "The First Time".[7] The episode ran a parental advisory before starting, and placed 22nd in the ratings for the week.[8]
With the show still comfortably winning its timeslot, NBC made plans to renew The Facts of Life for a tenth season, but two castmates—Mindy Cohn and Nancy McKeon—chose to leave at the conclusion of season nine.[9]
Cast[edit]
Main article: List of The Facts of Life characters
Main characters[edit]
Actor
Character
Seasons
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Charlotte Rae Edna Garrett Main Guest Absent
Lisa Whelchel Blair Warner Main
Kim Fields Tootie Ramsey Main
Mindy Cohn Natalie Green Main
Nancy McKeon Jo Polniaczek Absent Main
John Lawlor Steven Bradley Main Absent
Jenny O'Hara Emily Mahoney[note 1] Main Absent
Felice Schachter Nancy Olsen Main Recurring Absent Guest Absent
Julie Piekarski Sue Ann Weaver Main Recurring Absent Guest Absent
Julie Anne Haddock Cindy Webster Main Recurring Absent Guest Absent
Molly Ringwald Molly Parker Main Guest Absent
Pamela Segall Kelly Affinado Absent Main Absent
Mackenzie Astin Andy Moffett Absent Recurring Main
George Clooney George Burnett Absent Main Recurring Absent
Cloris Leachman Beverly Ann Stickle Absent Main
Sherrie Krenn Pippa McKenna[note 2] Absent Main
Recurring characters[edit]
A key recurring character was Geri Tyler (Geri Jewell), Blair's cousin who has cerebral palsy. Other recurring characters included the judgment-impaired Miko Wakamatsu (Lauren Tom), the delivery boy Roy (Loren Lester) who was enamored with Jo, the royal princess Alexandra (Heather McAdam) and the snobbish Boots St. Clair (Jami Gertz). Shoplifter Kelly (Pamela Segall) was billed as a regular during the fifth season. Other guest roles included the boyfriends of the girls; Jo's parents, played by Alex Rocco and Claire Malis; Blair's parents, played by Nicolas Coster and Marj Dusay (Blair's mother was played by Pam Huntington in one episode during the first season); Tootie's parents, played by Kim Fields' real-life mother, actress Chip Fields, and Robert Hooks; and Natalie's parents, played by Norman Burton and Mitzi Hoag. (Natalie's grandmother was played by Molly Picon, and appeared in two episodes.) Hugh Gillin appeared in four episodes as Howard. Officer Ziaukus was played by Larry Wilmore, and appeared in 2 episodes. A 1984 episode was built around Natalie coming to terms with the sudden death of her father. Characters from Diff'rent Strokes also appeared in some episodes of both season one and season two. Shawnte Northcutte from The New Mickey Mouse Club appeared as Madge in the 1980 episode "Who Am I?". Other recurring characters included Tootie's boyfriend Jeff Williams (Todd Hollowell), Blair's boyfriend Cliff (Woody Brown), and Mr. Charles Parker (Roger Perry), who served as headmaster of Eastland following Lawlor's exit from the show.
Celebrity guest stars[edit]
Celebrities who made guest appearances on the show included Helen Hunt, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Jermaine Jackson, Eve Plumb, Jean Smart, John Astin, Bobby Rydell, Fabian, Dick Van Patten, Penelope Ann Miller, Doug Savant, Dennis Haysbert, Lois Nettleton, Richard Moll, David Spade, Richard Grieco, Juliette Lewis, Seth Green, Charo, Mayim Bialik, Deborah Harmon, Irene Tedrow, El DeBarge, Joyce Bulifant, Stacey Q, and Anne Jackson.
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
The Facts of Life was produced first by T.A.T. Communications Company, later known as Embassy Television (Norman Lear's production companies), and then as Embassy Communications, and Columbia Pictures Television (through ELP Communications) on January–May 1988 episodes of the series. Sony Pictures Television currently owns the distribution rights to the sitcom.
From 1979 to 1982, the show was produced at Metromedia Square in Los Angeles, California. In 1982, production moved to Universal City Studios and then to Sunset Gower Studios in 1985.
Theme music[edit]
The show's theme was composed by Al Burton, Gloria Loring, and her then-husband, Alan Thicke. The well-known opening lyric "You take the good, you take the bad…" came later as the first season lyrics, some of them performed by Rae, and the original cast, differed from those that followed, later sung by Loring. The original lyrics eventually shifted to the closing credits before being dropped entirely. Burton, Loring, and Thicke had previously composed the theme to Diff'rent Strokes, which was sung by Thicke.
Episodes[edit]
See also: List of The Facts of Life episodes
Season
Episodes
Originally aired
First aired
Last aired
1 13 August 24, 1979 (1979-08-24) June 11, 1980 (1980-06-11)
2 16 November 19, 1980 (1980-11-19) June 3, 1981 (1981-06-03)
3 24 October 28, 1981 (1981-10-28) May 5, 1982 (1982-05-05)
4 24+movie September 25, 1982 (1982-09-25) May 4, 1983 (1983-05-04)
5 26 September 21, 1983 (1983-09-21) May 9, 1984 (1984-05-09)
6 26 September 26, 1984 (1984-09-26) May 15, 1985 (1985-05-15)
7 24 September 14, 1985 (1985-09-14) May 10, 1986 (1986-05-10)
8 24+movie September 27, 1986 (1986-09-27) May 9, 1987 (1987-05-09)
9 24 September 26, 1987 (1987-09-26) May 7, 1988 (1988-05-07)
Television films[edit]
The Facts of Life Goes to Paris[edit]
The Facts of Life Goes to Paris, a two-hour TV movie in which Mrs. Garrett and the girls travel to France, aired September 25, 1982. It scored 18.1/31 in the Nielsen Ratings. The movie was later added to the U.S. syndication package, separated into four half-hour episodes; however, the original cut of the film appears on the 2010 Season four DVD set. The television movie was directed by Asaad Kelada.[10]
The Facts of Life Down Under[edit]
The Facts of Life Down Under, another two-hour TV movie, aired Sunday February 15, 1987 placing a strong #13 for the week garnering 21.4/32.[11] This was strategic counterprogramming by NBC, which placed the movie against the conclusion of ABC's highly publicized mini-series Amerika.
The Telemovie was also syndicated as four half-hour episodes in later U.S. airings.[12]
The Facts of Life Reunion[edit]
On November 18, 2001, The Facts of Life Reunion aired on ABC, in which Mrs. Garrett and the girls are reunited in Peekskill, New York, for the Thanksgiving holiday. It airs sporadically in the U.S. on ABC Family. Nancy McKeon does not appear in this movie. Her character is explained as being on assignment as a police officer.
Syndication[edit]
NBC aired daytime reruns of The Facts of Life from December 13, 1982 until June 7, 1985 at 10:00 AM (and later 12:00 noon) on the daytime schedule. Episodes aired on various television stations from September 15, 1986 to September 10, 1993, then aired on the USA Network on and off from September 13, 1993[13] to September 11, 1998.[14] In August 1994, the network celebrated the show's 15-year anniversary with a day-long marathon of 14 episodes featuring new interviews with Rae, Whelchel, and Cohn.
Episodes aired on Nick at Nite from September 4, 2000 to June 28, 2001, although the network did not air certain episodes that contained highly mature content during prime time (including the first-season episode "Dope"), instead opting to air episodes with more serious topics at late night/early morning times. TV Land aired 48 hours of The Facts of Life episodes on its "Fandemonium Marathon Weekend" on November 17–19, 2001.
The Hallmark Channel aired The Facts of Life from July 1 to November 1, 2002. Episodes were available on Comcast's Video-On-Demand service from August 8, 2005 to July 31, 2006 and again from the August 6, 2007 until Tube Time's shutdown date on December 31, 2009.
On July 16, 2008 full episodes and short "minisodes" of The Facts of Life became available online via Hulu.[15]
On March 12, 2012, Teen Nick added the series to their morning line-up; however, the series' addition to the channel was short-lived, as it left the schedule on April 3, 2012.[16] The series premiered on The Hub on April 2, 2012, where it played through the end of March 2013. Currently the series airs on Logo TV. Since August 21, 2017, the series has also aired on MeTV.
International airings[edit]
In Brazil, the show aired on Nick at Nite as Vivendo e Aprendendo (Living and Learning, in English).
In Italy, seasons one through five were aired in 1983–1986 (dubbed as usual in Italian), on the terrestrial TV Canale 5, the first Italian commercial network, and later on other local commercial TV networks. The Italian version was named L'albero delle mele, which means the apple tree (the word 'apple' is popularly used euphemistically in Italian as a reference to teenage girls).
In France, seasons two and three (dubbed in French and titled Drôle de Vie) aired in 1987 on the terrestrial TV La Cinq, and seasons one, eight and nine aired on TF1.
In the United Kingdom, unlike Diff'rent Strokes, The Facts of Life has never aired on terrestrial TV. A few seasons aired on the UK BSB satellite channels, and after BSB merged with Sky Television plc, the entire series was shown on Sky One.
In Canada, The Facts of Life was a mainstay on CBC – the Canadian Public broadcaster, airing weekdays 4:00 p.m.(4:30 p.m. in Newfoundland) until April 1992. CTS, a Christian-based network, aired it from September 2006 to 2009. Beginning on September 15, 2007, The Facts of Life aired weekends at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on CanWest's digital specialty channel, DejaView, which later moved it to weekdays at 4:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. in March 2010.
Reception[edit]
Ratings[edit]
The Facts of Life was originally not a ratings winner on Friday nights in its summer debut in 1979 or in its second tryout in the spring of 1980. It ranked 74th out of 79 shows on the air in the year-end Nielsen ratings, and was NBC's lowest-rated series.
The show was put on hiatus and extensively retooled in preparation for season two. In November 1980, season two of The Facts of Life premiered in a Wednesday 9:30 p.m. time slot, where it immediately flourished, peaking in January 1981 with a 27.4 rating and 41 share; it ranked #4 for the week. The program became NBC's fourth highest-rated scripted series, after Little House on the Prairie, Diff'rent Strokes, and CHiPs.[17]
By the third season, the series moved time slots to 9:00 p.m. Wednesdays, and soon became NBC's highest-rated comedy series, and NBC's #2 overall series, after Real People.[18] For its seventh season, it moved to Saturdays at 8:30 p.m., to bolster the premiering series The Golden Girls at 9:00 p.m. in the newly formed Saturday night comedy block.
At the start of the eighth season, the series was moved back a half-hour to the toughest time slot on television—Saturday at 8:00 p.m., which brought the ratings down from its season seven high. Still, the series easily won its time slot, and garnering high numbers in the coveted teen and 18–49 demographics. One of the highest rated season eight episodes saw the original season one cast return for a mini reunion. Titled "The Little Chill", it placed #19 for the week with a 18.2 rating and 31 share.
In the article "Ratings Top with Teens" appearing in the January 19, 1988 edition of USA Today, The Facts of Life was ranked as one of the top 10 shows in a survey of 2,200 American teenagers.[19]
Awards[edit]
Emmy Nomination for Best Actress (1982)—Charlotte Rae
Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Technical Direction/Electronic Camerawork/Video Control for a Series (1986)—For episode "Come Back to the Truck Stop, Natalie Green, Natalie Green".
Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling for a Series (1987)—For episode "'62 Pickup".
TV Land Award Won for Pop Culture Icon in 2011.
Home media[edit]
On April 21 and 22, 2001, Columbia House released The Facts of Life: The Collector's Edition, a 10-volume "Best of" the series on VHS (40 episodes in all). With the advent shortly thereafter of TV on DVD and Columbia House's eventual move from the direct marketing model of exclusive series, the tapes were discontinued.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the first two seasons on DVD in Region 1 on May 9, 2006 with new interviews with most of the cast, including first season regulars Felice Schachter and Julie Anne Haddock. To promote the DVD's release, McKeon, Whelchel, and Cohn appeared together on various TV shows such as Entertainment Tonight, Today Show and CNN Showbiz to reminisce about their time on the show and talk about their lives presently; unfortunately, Fields was unable to take part due to other commitments. The third season was released on October 24, 2006. This release failed to match the success of the first and second seasons, sales-wise.
The first and second seasons were also released in Region 4 on March 7, 2007.[20]
In 2010, Shout! Factory acquired the rights to the series and released the fourth season on Region 1 DVD on May 4, 2010.[21] Special features include The Facts of Life Goes To Paris, a made-for-TV-movie (which originally aired a few days prior to the fourth season debut) and a "Know The Facts: Trivia Game." They have subsequently released seasons five through nine on DVD.[22][23][24][25][26]
Mill Creek Entertainment re-released the first and second seasons on DVD on May 20, 2014.[27] It is unknown as to whether or not Mill Creek will release any further seasons.
On January 13, 2015, Shout! Factory released The Facts of Life – The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.[28] The 26-disc set contains all 201 episodes of the series as well as the two made-for-TV films (The Facts of Life Goes to Paris and The Facts of Life Down Under) and other bonus features including an all-new cast reunion. The Facts of Life Reunion film is not included in this collection and is yet to be released on DVD.
DVD Name
Ep #
Release date
The Complete First and Second Seasons 29 May 9, 2006
May 20, 2014 (re-release)
The Complete Third Season 24 October 24, 2006
The Complete Fourth Season 23 May 4, 2010
The Complete Fifth Season 26 November 2, 2010
The Complete Sixth Season 26 June 9, 2015
The Complete Seventh Season 24 October 20, 2015
The Complete Eighth Season 24 January 26, 2016
The Complete Ninth Season 24 May 17, 2016
The Complete Series 201 January 13, 2015
Attempted spin-offs[edit]
The various attempts at spin-offs were backdoor pilots, which were shown as episodes of The Facts of Life.
"Brian & Sylvia" — A season two episode in which Tootie and Natalie go to Buffalo, New York to visit Tootie's Aunt Sylvia, a black woman (played by Rosanne Katon) who has recently married a white man, played by Richard Dean Anderson (the future star of MacGyver and Stargate SG-1). Ja'net Dubois of Good Times played Ethel, who was both Tootie's grandmother and Sylvia's mother.[29] The episode never developed into a series and in the season five episode "Crossing the Line", Tootie mentions Brian's and Sylvia's interracial marriage and says that the two have recently gotten divorced.
"The Academy" — A season three episode set at Stone Academy, an all-boys military school that was near Eastland. In this episode, the girls at Eastland attended a dance with the boys from the military school. The boys included actors Jimmy Baio, Ben Marley, David Ackroyd, Peter Frechette, and John P. Navin, Jr.
"Jo's Cousin" — Another season three episode, in which Jo visits her family in the Bronx, including her cousin Terry, a fourteen-year-old girl (played by Megan Follows) going through adolescence in a family full of men. The family included actors Grant Cramer, John Mengatti, Donnelly Rhodes and D.W. Brown.
"The Big Fight" — A season four episode set at Stone Academy, a boys' military school. Natalie comes to visit a boy who tries to impress her with his boxing. This episode includes the same cast from the season three episode "The Academy", with the addition of '80s 'nerd' icon Eddie Deezen.
"Graduation" — This spinoff was to revolve around Blair and Jo's life at Langley College.
"Big Apple Blues" — A season nine episode in which Natalie spends the night with a group of eccentric young people living in a Soho loft, and decides to remain in New York to begin her life. Two of the tenants in the loft were played by David Spade and Richard Grieco.
"The Beginning of the End/Beginning of the Beginning" — The two-part series finale sees Blair buying Eastland to prevent its closing. Blair finds that the school is in such dire financial straits that she is forced to make the school co-ed. Blair then essentially adopts the Mrs. Garrett role as she presides over the school and is forced to deal with the trouble-making students in a plot line that is highly reminiscent of the season two premiere. The new Eastland students included Seth Green, Mayim Bialik and future Oscar-nominee Juliette Lewis.
Notes[edit]
Jump up ^ O'Hara's character was dropped after the fourth episode, "I.Q."
Jump up ^ Krenn was introduced in "Up from Down Under", the sixth episode of season 9, as a recurring character. She was promoted to the main cast beginning with the episode "Something in Common".
References[edit]
Jump up ^ "Movie Reviews".
Jump up ^ Jones, Sarah (22 October 2017). "'The Facts Of Life' Cast: Where Are They Now?". Greeningz. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
Jump up ^ "Top Rated Programs - 1980-1985".
Jump up ^ TV Guide July 5–11, 1985
Jump up ^ Bobbin, Jay (October 17, 1986). "Charlotte Rae Leaves Series Life Behind". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
Jump up ^ "Web Brass Dissect Past Season" Variety April 22, 1987
Jump up ^ Whelchel, Lisa (2001). The Facts of Life: And Other Lessons My Father Taught Me. Multnomah Books. pp. 35–37. ISBN 1-576-73858-2.
Jump up ^ "Facts of Life Site: Ratings History".
Jump up ^ "DJ Nocturna interviews actress Mindy Cohn from "The Facts of Life (Part 1)"". YouTube.com. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
Jump up ^ "The Facts of Life Goes to Paris". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
Jump up ^ Variety Feb 18 1987, Weekly Ratings Scorecard, page 112
Jump up ^ Ed. Scott Murray, Australia on the Small Screen 1970–1995, Oxford University Press, 1996 p55
Jump up ^ The Intelligencer – September 13, 1993
Jump up ^ TV Guide – September 5–11, 1998
Jump up ^ "Hulu—The Facts of Life". Retrieved 26 July 2010.
Jump up ^ "Facts of Life Removed From TeenNick Line-Up; More MeTV Network Clearances Announced - SitcomsOnline.com News Blog".
Jump up ^ "ClassicTVHits.com: TV Ratings > 1980's".
Jump up ^ http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1981.htm 1981–82 television ratings
Jump up ^ USA Today Information Network, Jan 19, 1988 When teenagers watch TV, they like to laugh.
Jump up ^ "Facts Of Life, The: The Complete First And Second Seasons". Retrieved 26 July 2010.
Jump up ^ "The Facts of Life – Shout! Takes the Good, and There Ya' Have…Season 4 on DVD!". January 26, 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
Jump up ^ "The Facts of Life DVD news: Announcement for The Facts of Life - The Complete 5th Season - TVShowsOnDVD.com".
Jump up ^ "The Facts of Life DVD news: Announcement for The Facts of Life - The Complete 6th Season - TVShowsOnDVD.com".
Jump up ^ "The Facts of Life DVD news: Box Art for The Complete 7th Season - TVShowsOnDVD.com".
Jump up ^ "The Facts of Life DVD news: Box Art and Details for The Complete 8th Season - TVShowsOnDVD.com".
Jump up ^ "The Facts of Life DVD news: Announcement for The Final Season - TVShowsOnDVD.com".
Jump up ^ "The Facts of Life DVD news: Box Art for The Facts of Life - Seasons 1 & 2 - TVShowsOnDVD.com".
Jump up ^ "The Facts of Life DVD news: Press Release for The Facts of Life - The Complete Series - TVShowsOnDVD.com".
Jump up ^ ""The Facts of Life" Brian and Sylvia (1981)". Retrieved 2008-07-18.
External links[edit]
The Facts of Life Site At www.televisionhits.com: Extensive site for the television series.
The Facts of Life on IMDb
The Facts of Life at TV.com
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The Facts of Life
Episodes
List of The Facts of Life episodes
TV movies
The Facts of Life Goes to Paris (1982)
The Facts of Life Down Under (1987)
The Facts of Life Reunion (2001)
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Characters
Diff'rent Strokes (1978–1986)
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List of Boy Meets World characters
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Boy Meets World is an American television sitcom that chronicles the coming of age events and everyday life-lessons of Cory Matthews (Ben Savage). The show aired from 1993 to 2000 on ABC, part of the network's TGIF lineup for seven seasons.
Several of the characters that originated on Boy Meets World later appeared in its sequel, Girl Meets World. The only main characters not to make an appearance on Girl Meets World are Rachel McGuire and Eli Williams. For a listing of characters unique to that series, see the list of Girl Meets World characters.
Boy Meets World's 6th and 7th seasons' cast members during the filming of the series finale, save Trina McGee, whose character's storyline was wrapped up in the penultimate episode
Left to right: Rachel McGuire, Topanga Lawrence-Matthews, Shawn Hunter, Jack Hunter, Eric Matthews, Alan Matthews, Morgan Matthews, Amy Matthews, George Feeny and Cory Matthews
Contents
[hide]
1 Main characters
1.1 Cory Matthews
1.2 Mr. Feeny
1.3 Amy Matthews
1.4 Eric Matthews
1.5 Shawn Hunter
1.6 Stuart Minkus
1.7 Morgan Matthews
1.8 Alan Matthews
1.9 Topanga Lawrence
1.10 Mr. Turner
1.11 Eli Williams
1.12 Jack Hunter
1.13 Angela Moore
1.14 Rachel McGuire
2 Recurring characters
2.1 Lauren
2.2 Chet Hunter
2.3 Joshua Matthews
2.4 Frankie Stechino
2.5 Joey Epstein
2.6 Harley Keiner
2.7 Griff Hawkins
2.8 Jedidiah and Rhiannon Lawrence
2.9 Jason Marsden
2.10 Janitor Bud
2.11 Lila Bolander
2.12 Tommy
3 See also
4 References
5 External links
Main characters[edit]
Character
Actor
Seasons
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Cory Matthews
Ben Savage Main
Mr. Feeny
William Daniels Main
Amy Matthews
Betsy Randle Main
Eric Matthews
Will Friedle Main
Shawn Hunter
Rider Strong Main
Stuart Minkus
Lee Norris Main Does not appear Guest Does not appear
Morgan Matthews
Lily Nicksay (s. 1–2)
Lindsay Ridgeway (s. 3–7)
Main Recurring Main
Alan Matthews
William Russ Main
Topanga Lawrence
Danielle Fishel Recurring Main
Mr. Turner
Anthony Tyler Quinn Does not appear Main Does not appear
Eli Williams
Alex Desert Does not appear Main Does not appear
Jack Hunter
Matthew Lawrence Does not appear Main
Angela Moore
Trina McGee-Davis Does not appear Recurring Main
Rachel McGuire
Maitland Ward Does not appear Main
Cory Matthews[edit]
Main article: Cory Matthews
Cornelius A. "Cory" Matthews (Ben Savage) is the main character of the series. His best friend is Shawn Hunter, and his mother and father are Amy and Alan Matthews. By the end of the series, he has three siblings: Eric, Morgan, and Joshua. Cory is friends with Topanga Lawrence, his "first true love", whom, he eventually marries late in the series. Sometimes, Cory does not get along with Topanga, when Cory is not doing the right thing, or not doing things the right way (humorously), complete with deadpan humor and puns. Mr. George Feeny is Cory's teacher/principal, mentor, and neighbour. He goes to him for advice on his problems. Cory always works his problems out. In the last episode, it is revealed that Cory is actually short for 'Cornelius'. He is not fond of this fact, yet he ends up forgetting about it and going on with his life.
Cory struggled in high school, where he often had trouble with bullies and has less-than-stellar study habits. Cory's personality changes somewhat as he gets older. For the first few years, he's a slacker and just barely a better student than Shawn. One major difference between Cory and Shawn is that Cory seems to get more worked up or neurotic about random things, whereas Shawn is more laid back. If Cory does not want to do something school-related, he will make a big production about the fact that he does not want to do it, and how unnecessary he finds it; whereas Shawn will just not do it, preferring to fall asleep or make paper airplanes. During the junior and senior years in high school, Cory becomes a hard working student, able to raise his GPA in addition earning an adequate SAT score to get accepted into colleges. As the series progresses, Cory's "slacker" tendencies diminish, and his neuroses increase, along with his pessimism and paranoia. This leads Cory to occasionally develop an inferiority complex; such as Shawn gets better ideas than him when participating their high school's work study program, meeting art prodigy Alexandra Nechita, and Topanga gets a better job than this after they got married.
When Cory and Topanga begin their relationship, many women seem to be attracted to Cory, which Shawn explains as girls being attracted to men who are off the market. In the past, Cory has kissed other women while with Topanga; Lauren (Linda Cardellini), whom Cory develops an affectionate bond with at a ski resort, led to him being suffered indecision between the two women and break up with Topanga for a while until they reconcile, and a college girl almost had sex with him once.
By the end of the series, Cory, Topanga, and their friends eventually left Philadelphia for an internship that Topanga got with a law firm in New York City, and by the time of the events of Girl Meets World, Cory has had two children with Topanga, a daughter named Riley plus a son named Auggie. Cory is, at this point in his life, a seventh-grade history teacher and his daughter is also in his class. In this spin-off series, Cory, who is now matured and experienced, plays the similar role as his father Alan and George Feeny had; mentoring his children and their friends about life, while still learning his craft as a young teacher (akin to Jonathan Turner).
Mr. Feeny[edit]
George Hamilton Feeny (William Daniels) Throughout the series, Feeny tries his best to guide young Cory, Shawn, and their friends as they encounter problems in their lives on their road to adulthood. He first appears on the show as their grade-school teacher. He eventually becomes their principal, and lastly college professor (teaching such diverse courses as archaeology, English literature, and quantum physics). Cory mentions more than once that Feeny is the only teacher he has ever had since kindergarten. Later on in the show, Mr. Feeny becomes the mentor and idol of Eric Matthews. Feeny is a Boston native and enjoys gardening. He delivers the final line of Boy Meets World dialogue in the series finale, directed to an empty classroom just vacated by his beloved students: "I love you all. Class dismissed."
Mr. Feeny was once married to a woman named Lillian, who died before the series began. Although Feeny had dated another teacher named Elizabeth from Boston off-screen for 15 years, a conversation with Eric made him to realize that, despite that he and his romantic partner each believed that they are not married because of their careers; they simply do not love each other. He later marries Dean Lila Bolander (played by William Daniels' real-life wife Bonnie Bartlett; the duo similarly portrayed spouses on St. Elsewhere), whom he finds success after his relationship with Elizabeth and competition with Dean Bolander's ex-husband Dr. Curtis Kincaid (Francis X. McCarthy) for her affection.
He makes a brief cameo at the end of the Girl Meets World pilot episode as a figment of Cory's imagination, telling him, "Well done, Mr. Matthews", and Topanga likens Cory to him in a later episode.[1] The character made two appearances in the second season, and appeared again in the third and final season. [2]
Amy Matthews[edit]
Amy Matthews (Betsy Randle) is the wife of Alan Matthews and the mother of Eric, Cory, Morgan, and Joshua Matthews. During the earlier years of the show, Amy was a real estate agent and eventually became an art gallery worker toward the end of the show.
Amy often plays counterpoint to Alan in giving their children discipline and guidance. In dealing with Eric, she always discourages "babying" him, whereas several episodes involving Cory see a much more gentle and motherly Amy.
Eric Matthews[edit]
Main article: Eric Matthews (Boy Meets World)
Eric Randall Matthews (Will Friedle) is the elder brother of Cory, Morgan, and Joshua Matthews. He began the show as a suave, popular young man, who constantly went out on dates. He was originally portrayed as the stereotypical elder brother. Eric's character changed mid-series from preppy elder brother to "crazy, moronic brother". During the fourth season, Eric takes a year off from school when he doesn't get into a college of his choice.
Eric often plays off his hero and mentor, Mr. Feeny. Though Eric and Feeny are not originally seen as having a close relationship, the two develop a bond, that—at least in Eric's mind—is one of love. It was even implied once that Eric likes to tell people (such as Rachel) that Feeny is his grandfather. This culminates at the end of the fifth season when Eric sings a rousing of "To Sir, With Love" at Cory's high school graduation. Eric is also the creator of the "Feeny call", and even makes a talking doll for Feeny to "make the call", so Feeny will not miss him when he moves to New York with the others.
Eric is actually highly intelligent, and Feeny mentions that Eric can get passing grades in his sleep (in fact, he once did). He compares this to Cory who, though lacking Eric's natural intelligence, makes up for it by being hard-working when he wants to be, and thus succeeds. Eric, on the other hand, is too lazy and immature to be anything but a ridiculous "goof-off", to the annoyance of his family and Mr. Feeny, in addition lacking confidence to his own capability to succeed academically. In Girl Meets World, Cory mentions that Eric is the only person he knows who can do the impossible, and later Jack Hunter asks if he's still an "idiot genius".
During the later years, storylines involving Eric became stranger and wackier, often bending the rules of reality itself, such as an episode where Eric continually tries to sneak up on Topanga by using many disguises and crazy situations. The change from a girl-crazy cool-conscious teenager (the first half of the series) to a scatter-brained odd-ball (the second half of the series) was a drastic change. Eric often provides comic relief in tough situations throughout the series. It is hinted that he is a fan of the raunchy animated comedy South Park, as he has made references to the program, by doing voice impressions of Cartman and other South Park characters on different occasions.
On the contrary, Eric has appeared sensitive when it comes to matters of family and friends, as in the episode "Brotherly Shove", where Eric feels rejected by Cory when he was not asked to help clean out the garage, which was filled with memories from their childhood. Also, in the episodes "The War" and "Seven the Hard Way", the audience realizes that Eric finds friendship a serious matter and values it more than anything, apparent in his quote, "Lose one friend, lose all friends. Lose yourself." At one point be befriends a young orphaned boy named Tommy and wants to adopt him, but ultimately decides against it, so Tommy can live with a family that can better support him. Upon graduating college in the series finale, Eric decides to get a new lease on life, and in doing so: he moves to New York City with his brother, sister-in law, and Shawn.
During the interim between the events of Boy Meets World and the sequel series Girl Meets World, Eric moves upstate, and is elected mayor of [the fictional] St. Upidtown, on the Quebec border. By his own admission, he has no understanding whatsoever of the town's political problems, but the electorate trust him because of his handling of their personal issues. Topanga intentionally mispronounces the municipality's name by disregarding the period and space, thus rendering it "Stupidtown".[3]
Initially, Friedle declined to reprise his role in the sequel series Girl Meets World, but later became a recurring character; Eric made his initial appearance in the season 2 episode "Girl Meets Mr. Squirrels"; when Cory's daughter Riley and her best friend Maya have a major argument that threatens to destroy their friendship, Eric is called in by Cory to mediate and he successfully reconciles the girls. The episode title is a reference to the Boy Meets World Season 7 episode "Seven the Hard Way"; and he again administers his "Lose one friend…" mantra. Early plans for the sequel had Eric's son, Troy, being a prominent part of the cast; the role of the teenage relative is instead filled by Cory and Eric's youngest brother, Joshua (now portrayed by Uriah Shelton).
At the end of "Girl Meets Mr. Squirrels", a TV news anchor reports a major political blunder by Jefferson Davis Graham, a six-term Senator from New York, wrecking his chances of re-election, unless he can find someone even more incompetent to run against him, and the anchor hints at the prospective opponent by showing a picture of Eric (in his guru garb). In the later episode "Girl Meets Mr. Squirrels Goes To Washington", Eric is chosen to run in the upcoming senatorial election against the incumbent Graham, but when it is revealed that Eric was recruited by Graham's own political advisor in an attempt to get Graham back in good graces with the electorate, Eric is crushed, but Riley and Maya, using a giant bowl of Cocoa Puffs, encourage him to get back in the race. During the televised senatorial debate, the public gets a first-hand opportunity to compare Eric's innate goodness against Graham's incompetence, and Eric goes on to win the election. He gets strong praise and recommendation from a blogger named T.J. who turns to be a now-grown up Tommy.[4]
Shawn Hunter[edit]
Main article: Shawn Hunter
Shawn Patrick Hunter (Rider Strong) was born in Ohio and lived in Oklahoma for a while as a child. He had been in five different schools before the age of 12. Shawn has been the best friend of Cory Matthews for nearly their whole lives, since the two met when Cory fell into an animal pen at a zoo and Shawn came to his rescue. Shawn has a personality almost opposite Cory's; Shawn takes more risks and has more of a bad boy image. Their personality differences do cause problems between the two a few times, but these problems never destroy their friendship. Later seasons depict the relationship between Cory and Shawn as being so intimate that it causes Topanga to be jealous, and several innuendos are made referencing the subconscious homoerotic nature of their friendship.
In the first season of Boy Meets World, not much is known about Shawn except that he is Cory's best friend. In season two and thereafter, the show begins to focus on Shawn's life as well. In the beginning, Shawn lives with both his parents, Chet and Virna Hunter. One day, Virna runs off with the trailer and Shawn is left under the care of the Matthews family while Chet chases after his wife. When the Matthews find out that Chet will not be returning for a while, Jonathan Turner, a teacher at John Adams High School, offers to take care of Shawn and eventually to become his legal guardian. About a year later, Chet comes back and Virna temporarily rejoins her family before eventually taking off again. Shawn goes through several ups and downs throughout the show, including briefly joining a cult and nearly succumbing to alcoholism, similar to his father. In a later season, Shawn's half-brother Jack arrives in town for college. Shawn moves in with Jack and Eric Matthews, Cory's older brother, leaving Chet free to take off again. However, on a trip back to town, during which Chet attempts to reconcile with Shawn and promises to finally stay, Chet dies of a heart attack. In later seasons, Shawn is able to talk to Chet as a ghost. During the final episodes of the series, Shawn discovers that Virna is not his biological mother when she sends him a letter after Chet's death. Apparently, Chet was left to take care of Shawn after his biological mother, who was actually a stripper, left shortly after his birth. Despite the Matthews family's offer to legally adopt Shawn after he discovers this, Shawn declines, declaring that he still has Jack as family and he still needs to take care of the Hunter clan.
Shawn is a ladies' man, a trait which Cory is constantly envious of. However, Shawn is jealous of Cory's close, long-term relationship with Topanga. Later in the series, Shawn falls in love with a girl named Angela. They have a tempestuous relationship, but genuinely care for each other. Angela eventually leaves as well, to travel with her military father.
In the episode "Fraternity Row" it is revealed that during high school Shawn was challenged in writing, but "Poetic License: An Ode to Holden Caulfield", reveals that during college he has improved significantly and additionally has had a lifelong affinity for poetry. He is also a skilled photographer, and nearly chooses a job at a glamour magazine company over college.
At the end of the series, Shawn moves to New York with Cory, Topanga, and Eric. Revealed during Girl Meets World, however, Shawn left New York the day of the birth of Cory and Topanga's daughter Riley, ultimately making a name for himself as a world-traveling writer and photographer. When he returns to the city, he forms a bond with Riley's best friend Maya, sharing a similar childhood upbringing and both coming from broken homes. He also forms a bond with Maya's mother Katy, who shares a similar feeling of abandonment due to her husband and Maya's father's leaving. By the second season, Riley is hopeful that Shawn will become Katy's husband and Maya's father, although Shawn still has unresolved feelings for Angela. Angela returns with news that she has since married a military man, like her now-deceased father, and wants advice on whether she'd be a good mother or not, which she insists can only come from Shawn. Shawn encourages her to be a mother, and Angela encourages Shawn to pursue a relationship with Katy. Shawn and Katy eventually date and get married, and Shawn becomes a father figure to Maya. [5]
After directing two first-season episodes of Girl Meets World, Rider Strong has become a fixture behind the scenes, while also making appearances in a recurring role.
Stuart Minkus[edit]
Stuart Minkus or simply just Minkus (Lee Norris) was the resident genius and nerd in Cory's sixth grade class. During his time on the show, he was shown as being in love with Topanga, and was often made fun of by Cory and Shawn. Everyone referred to him as simply "Minkus", except Topanga and Mr. Feeny. Before Topanga's character changes, he was the one constantly obsessed with grades and academic achievements. Minkus was on the show from 1993–1994, reappearing in the "Graduation" episode in 1998, with Minkus and Topanga now portrayed as bitter rivals. The reason given for his absence was that his classes were on the other side of the school all along.
He is never seen or mentioned again afterwards in Boy Meets World.
Despite his brief tenure on Boy Meets World, Stuart appears as a major recurring character in the sequel Girl Meets World, with Norris reprising his role. He makes his first appearance the episode "Girl Meets Maya's Mother" where he is revealed to be the doppelganger father of Farkle, one of Riley Matthews' best friends. He brags to Cory and Topanga that he has become a wealthy businessman who owns a helicopter. Despite being a married man, Stuart still longs for Topanga. His wife and Farkle's mother, Jennifer (Kristanna Loken) an ex-girlfriend of Shawn Hunter makes her first appearance in the second season. Jennifer appeared as the main antagonist in two episodes of Boy Meets World. In the updated series she is shown to be a much nicer, doting parent.
Morgan Matthews[edit]
Morgan Matthews (Lily Nicksay; seasons 1-2/Lindsay Ridgeway; recurring season 3, main seasons 4–7) is the only daughter of Alan and Amy Matthews, the younger sister of Eric and Cory and the older sister of Joshua. She inexplicably disappeared after the show's second season and reappeared midway through the following season played by a different actress. In the episode of her return, a joke is made about her long absence. Upon her reappearance, she says, "That was the longest timeout I ever had!" With the introduction of a new actress in the role came a shift, not just in age, but also in personality as Morgan went from being the cute and innocent girly girl little sister interested in dolls and pretty dresses and perfume to being a more sassy, rude and sarcastic and more tomboyish character who delights in making fun of her brothers, especially Cory. In the series finale she, along with Amy and Alan, say goodbye to Cory, Eric, Shawn and Topanga when they depart for New York.
Both Nicksay and Ridgeway appear as Morgan in the series finale of Girl Meets World. A joke is even made about the two, with Cory and Topanga's son, Auggie being frightened when he is comforted by both.
Alan Matthews[edit]
Alan Matthews (William Russ) is the husband of Amy Matthews, and the father of Eric, Cory, Morgan, and Joshua. Alan, as the father of the Matthews children, provides guidance to his children. He has a quick temper, though when it shows up, usually through consultation with his wife, he often apologizes afterwards for words spoken in anger. In some later episodes, Alan does not support Eric in all of his ventures, and Amy, in turn, tells Alan that his coddling of Eric is the reason Eric has turned out the way he is.
Alan was also somewhat of a "father figure" for Shawn Hunter. He explained to Cory in the first season that he saw a lot of his younger self in Shawn, and encouraged Cory to be there to help Shawn through his tough life. While there were times when he thought that Shawn was too much of a negative influence, such as when Cory and Shawn were arrested for underage drinking, he always cared about Shawn's well-being, even stating in the fourth season that he would "kill to protect Shawn from con men like you" to a cult leader who was trying to take advantage of Shawn's feelings of isolation.
He began his career as the manager of the Market Giant supermarket, eventually winning a prized "Grocie" Award. Prior his marriage, Alan joined the United States Navy instead of enrolling in college after high school, a decision he is regretting and glad that his children did not made the same choice. In the episode "Better Than the Average Cory", reveals that after Alan's father's health deteriorated, he took over his job as a janitor for a factory before working at Market Giant. Eventually, he becomes disillusioned with his standard "9-5" job that he had worked for so many years, and quits without discussing it with his family first. A brief period of family distress follows, with Amy proclaiming that she will, in turn, "make a major decision that affects the entire family without consulting with him first". Accordingly, she purchases a sporting goods and outdoor supply store that is up for sale, which Alan happily takes over, and renames Matthews & Son.
Topanga Lawrence[edit]
Topanga Lawrence-Matthews (Danielle Fishel) is Cory's main love interest. Her character underwent dramatic changes during the course of the series. When she was initially introduced in the first season, first as a guest character and later recurring, she was a hippie vegetarian and somewhat of an outcast, sitting at the table with the other "weird kids". Even her name was taken from a hippie hangout, Topanga. California. However, once the characters entered high school (and Danielle Fishel became a main character), she became more of a "regular teenage girl", and her beliefs about the environment and other topics were less emphasized. Much was now made of the fact that Topanga was the most attractive and the most popular girl at school, and academically successful. She also cut her trademark long hair in an episode in season 4 while trying to show Cory that true beauty is on the inside. She grows distant from her parents, whom she once was very close to; by the fourth season. In A Long Walk To Pittsburgh Part 1, her parents force her to move to Pittsburgh; but in part 2, she runs away from them back to Philadelphia to be with Cory. Her relationship with her parents became further apart after their divorce.
Also starting in high school, her on-again/off-again relationship with Cory became one of the major elements of the show. Their relationship seems to mirror traditional high school sweethearts, dealing with normal boyfriend/girlfriend problems; such as Cory suffers indecision between Topanga and another girl named Lauren (Linda Cardellini) which causes them to break up until reuniting in "Starry Night". The series tries to justify this by saying that Cory and Topanga first met as toddlers and became best friends, only to be driven apart as they grew older and Eric pressured Cory to think of girls as "icky". By the time of the first-season episodes, Cory has apparently completely forgotten about Topanga and knows almost nothing about her.
Although Topanga was accepted to Yale University, she decided to attend Pennbrook College with Cory and their friends. She proposed to Cory at their high school graduation. They married during their sophomore year (during the final season), after which the show attempted to put them in stereotypical marriage problem situations. At the end of the series, she and Cory, along with Eric and Shawn, moved to New York City where Topanga pursued a law internship.
Shortly after the Boy Meets World finale, Topanga became pregnant and later gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Riley. Several years later, she had a second child, a son named August "Auggie" Matthews. In addition to raising the family, Topanga continues her pursuit of a career in law and eventually passes the bar exam. Cory and Topanga's marriage continued in Girl Meets World, by which point Topanga has become a successful attorney and soon the owner of a local Ukrainian bakery, and Riley is thirteen years old.
It is strongly implied that Topanga's name is the result of a journal entry by her maternal grandmother, Rosie McGee, concerning a chance encounter with a young artist in 1961.[6]
She has, in her own words, a middle name even more embarrassing than "Topanga".
Mr. Turner[edit]
Jonathan Turner (Anthony Tyler Quinn) was the teacher of Cory, Shawn, and Topanga starting in the second season. His more laidback approach to teaching often clashed with Mr. Feeny's more traditional methods, and the students found that they could more easily identify with the hip, Harley-riding Mr. Turner. In the second season, Shawn found residence with Mr. Turner (when his dad went on a cross-country search for Shawn's mother Verna), and found in him a friend and mentor. Mr. Turner remained on the show until midway through the fourth season, when he was put in the hospital after being involved in an accident. When Chet Hunter got back, Shawn again lives with his father briefly, until Chet had him to live with his half-brother, Jack, as his roommate; thus Jack taking over the guardianship for Shawn from Chet. As homage to the character, the show made a references to him in the last episode of Season 5; when Stuart Minkus returns for a cameo and calls out to an unseen Mr. Turner, indicating that he has recovered from his accident and returned to work. Mr. Turner is also best friends with Eli Williams.
Mr. Turner later returns as a recurring character in Girl Meets World beginning with the episode "Girl Meets the New Teacher" where it is revealed that after his accident he fell in love with his nurse and married her. He has also gone on to become the superintendent of New York's public school system. Cory's daughter, Riley, sees him as an uncle figure as he has formed an even closer affinity with the Matthews family than before, visiting their home often. Though thankful for him being a good educator, Topanga holds a grudge against Turner because he gave her an A- in high school. He made another appearance in the episode "Girl Meets Creativity".
Eli Williams[edit]
Eli Williams (Alex Désert) was another teacher to Cory, Shawn, and Topanga. He joined the show in season three when his best friend and former college roommate Jonathan Turner got him a job at the school, teaching media arts. Like Turner, Williams is considered "hip and cool", and can relate easily to the young students. However, being a former journalist at a television station in Philadelphia, he sometimes finds teaching and reaching out to students to be a difficult chore, something that Turner helps him out with. Stories in the third season were written to focus on the friendship between Turner and Williams and the single bachelor life of dating, partying, and socializing that they experience outside of their teaching, showing the life of young adults post-college. Williams had a starring role throughout the third season, and is last seen in the episode "Brother, Brother".
Although he is never mentioned again after season three, he is featured in flashbacks via archive footage in the series finale "Brave New World", and as a result, Alex Désert (who by this time was co-starring on Becker) is credited as a special guest star despite never making an actual appearance.
In the DVD commentaries, Michael Jacobs and some of the actors discuss the network pressure during seasons 2 and 3 to bring more young adult characters to the cast. Eli Williams strongly reflects this trend.
Despite Michael Jacobs' intention to include every Boy Meets World cast member on Girl Meets World, Eli Williams never made an appearance.
Jack Hunter[edit]
Jack Hunter (Matthew Lawrence) is Shawn's paternal half-brother, and very different from him. Growing up in a wealthy stepfamily at New York City, Jack has money, works out, and has experienced relatively little difficulty in his life. Besides Shawn, Jack has at least one maternal half-sister at home.
Jack's mother left Chet Hunter with her son due to not being able to cope with her former husband's alcoholism, and eventually she and Chet both remarried after their divorce. Shawn learned about Jack's existence from his father when he was seven years old, he was happily written to his half-brother in hopes of getting acquainted as brothers. Jack's mother, however, hid Shawn's letters from her son, leaving Shawn to believe that his half-brother turned his back on his paternal family with his mother for years until Jack finds out. Despite of it, Jack and Shawn did meet before the former enrolled to Pennbrook College at some point, but they weren't yet aware of Jack's mother's deception at the time.
Despite Jack resenting his father for his past alcoholism, he also wants to have relationships with him and Shawn, which leads him to choose Pennbrook in hopes of becoming close to them. Dialogues imply that though Jack has a good relationship with his stepfather, but never as close as Jack would like with his father. Jack's aversion to his family's alcoholism makes him vow never to drink, and tries to save Shawn from it in one episode. However, despite having been raised by his stepfather, Jack had a gambling problem—a trait he shares with his father, but falls into brief relapse when placing a school bet. When Chet visiting his sons at Pennbrook, he is beginning to reconcile with them before his death, leaving both Jack and Shawn devastated.
Chet had Shawn to live with Jack during the latter's senior year in high school, effectively having Jack taking over the guardianship for Shawn from his father and Jonathan Turner until his half-brother's graduation, though Shawn eventually move back in with him later. Like Eric and Cory Matthews, Jack and Shawn share a comical and somewhat hostile sibling rivalry which ultimately ends with reconciliation; they have acknowledged each other brothers with Jack entering Shawn's life.
He became Eric's roommate, and the pair developed a friendship parallel to their siblings'. Jack, along with Eric, pined for Rachel after she moved in with the two, eventually winning this battle once Eric realizes he was competing more for the sake of competing, rather than due to any genuine feelings for Rachel. The relationship between Jack and Rachel ultimately doesn't work out. Jack's personality was often adapted to the episodic storyline, rather than having his own distinct character.
He once mentions having six percent body fat, though he confides that in high school he was referred to as "Jumbo Jack", much to Eric's amusement.
In the Girl Meets World season two episode "Girl Meets Semi-Formal", it is revealed that Jack left the Peace Corps and ended his relationship with Rachel. He has joined a corporation looking to buy Eric's vote for a pipeline which would harm the environment. Jack ultimately decides not to go through with the pipeline after Eric reminds him about how simple life was when they were younger, by taking him to a middle school semi-formal dance. Jack happens to meet Cory's daughter Riley at the dance.
Angela Moore[edit]
Angela Moore (Trina McGee-Davis) was the sweetheart of Shawn Hunter in Seasons 5–7. Her first appearance, uncredited, was in Season 5, and she became a regular cast member later that season but was only billed in the closing credits with a special "And Starring" credit. Angela is witty and passionate about causes and people. She enjoys things for their artistic value. Although she broke up with Shawn during one or two episodes, and once for a longer period in the show's Pennbrook stage, eventually revealing that, like Shawn, Angela also comes from a broken family as her mother left her and her father. Angela fears that she would hurt Shawn as her mother did to her father. They resolved their issues and became very close, declaring their love for each other. Angela left for Europe with her father to be close to him in the series' second to last episode, therefore she is the only main character absent in the series finale. There was never a mention of Angela's race over the course of her relationship with Shawn, except for her mentioning a paper she did about "maintaining black identity when you have three very white friends", and commenting that she "has to get some black friends".
Angela later returns in the sequel series Girl Meets World in a guest appearance. Prior to her debut, she is mentioned in the program's season one episode "Girl Meets Master Plan" when Cory and Topanga explain to their daughter Riley, and her friend Maya, how Shawn and Angela met. It's also revealed that Angela and Shawn never spoke again after she left (unwittingly fulfilling her prediction that she would leave Shawn after all). She is similarly referenced in season two's "Girl Meets Pluto". Angela finally makes an appearance in the episode "Girl Meets Hurricane" where she not only reveals to Shawn the tragic news that her father Sgt. Maj. Moore (Julius Carry) died in a fishing accident, but she has also gotten married to a man in the military much like her father was. Her reason for meeting up with Shawn is to get some advice and council about her fears of becoming a mother out of fear that she may end up like her own. Shawn encourages Angela to start a family with her husband, and experience the joy of being a parent (subtly implying how he feels about being a father figure for Maya in the process). After this, Angela encourages Shawn to pursue a relationship with Katy – Maya's mother – and leaves to go back home.
Rachel McGuire[edit]
Rachel Kimberly McGuire (Maitland Ward) is the final addition to the main cast, appearing in the sixth and seventh seasons of the series. Rachel is a very sweet, and mature young woman who forms a bond with Jack and Eric almost instantly. She and Jack date for a relatively short period of time, before deciding on being just friends. Still, it's strongly implied that the two harbor feelings for one another. Prior to moving in with Jack and Eric, she lived down the hall with her Texan boyfriend. She also roomed with Topanga and Angela for a few episodes until she got an on-campus job as a resident assistant, allowing Jack, Eric, and Shawn to get the apartment back. Rachel was the focus of a two episode story-arc in season seven when a prank war goes wrong, leaving Rachel (as well as Angela and Jack) feeling like the outcast of the gang. After Eric and Feeny intervene in an effort to save their friendships, the gang realizes the whole thing was petty and make up. In the series finale, she joins the Peace Corps with Jack.
Despite Michael Jacobs' intention to include every Boy Meets World cast member on Girl Meets World, Rachel never made an appearance. However, she is mentioned in the season 2 episode "Girl Meets Semi-Formal" in which Matthew Lawrence reprises his role as Jack. Eric reveals that he and Rachel are still close, whereas Jack and Rachel no longer speak.
Recurring characters[edit]
Lauren[edit]
Lauren (Linda Cardellini), is Cory Matthews' potential love interest and archenemy of Topanga Lawrence during Season 5; Cory meets Lauren when he sprained his ankle getting off a bus for a ski trip. She appeared on two episodes in Season 5 and one episode in Season 6. Cory develops an affectionate bond with Lauren and they had kissed, causing Cory and Topanga to break up for a while. Cory ultimately chooses Topanga after realizing his love for her and ended his potential relationship with Lauren off-screen. Topanga herself also kissed another guy during her separation with Cory, making her realizes that sometimes she and Cory need to endure trials in their relationship to prove whether their love for each other is strong; Cory and Topanga ultimately got back together.
Despite Cory being happy in his relationship with Topanga, one episode reveals that Cory occasionally thinks about Lauren, and she later appears in Cory's dream in a Season 6 episode after he and Topanga got engaged, implying Cory is wondering in his subconscious what life could have been like if he chose Lauren instead.
Lauren is later mentioned in the sequel Girl Meets World and it is revealed in the two-part episode "Girl Meets Ski Lodge" that she too has become a parent. Her teenage son, Evan, appears in the episode as a friendly employee at the Mount Ski Lodge. However, Evan's relation to Lauren isn't shown until the ending moments of the second part where he innocently tells Cory that his mother says hello. Cory freaks out and runs out of the ski lodge, much to Evan's confusion.
Chet Hunter[edit]
Shawn's father, Chet Hunter (Blake Clark), is an on-again, off-again father figure, frequently leaving town for months or even years at a time. He is a jack-of-all-trades, holding a wide variety of (usually low-paying) jobs over the course of the series. Shawn originally idolizes his father and thinks himself responsible for his father's frequent departures. In time, though, he grows angry and resentful at the way his father treats him. Chet's eldest son, Jack, also resents his father for his past alcoholism and subsequent divorce from his mother, but he is looking for an opportunity to reconcile with him, out of hope they can be a family with Shawn.
During his first major departure, Chet leaves Shawn in the care of Alan and Amy Matthews, but this ends quickly and Shawn goes to live with Jonathan Turner instead. He moves back in with his father when Chet returns to town, but at Chet's insistence, moves in with his half-brother Jack and Eric Matthews. When Shawn goes to Pennbrook, Chet goes to Jack's stepfather to ask for money to pay for Shawn's tuition. Chet returns to Philadelphia briefly, prompting a conflict with Shawn, who finally loses patience with his father's inability to stay around. Chet tells Shawn he always wanted the best for him, and stayed away because he didn't think he was good enough for him. Chet has a heart attack soon after; while in the hospital he and Shawn begin to take steps toward reconciliation when Chet dies from a second heart attack.
Chet appears as a ghost in four episodes, "Road Trip" in Season 6, as well as "Family Trees", "Brave New World (Part 2 – Series Finale)" in Season 7, and "Girl Meets Hurricane" in Girl Meets World’s Season 2. He acts as a spirit guide for Shawn in the hard times portrayed in the first two episodes, giving him counsel and advice. His appearance in the series finale is a comical one; in a moment played for laughs as he otherwise proudly watches over his sons, Chet is outraged when he hears Jack deciding to give up his wealth for happiness, but is later proud after knowing that he is joining the Peace Corps. Unlike his other ghost appearances, no one can see or hear him in this scene, so Jack is unaware of Chet's reactions.
Chet's only appearance in Girl Meets World is in the season 2 episode "Girl Meets Hurricane"; he encourages Shawn to pursue a romantic relationship with Katy, and implies that Shawn would be a good father-figure for Katy's daughter Maya.
Two episodes involving Chet ("We'll Have A Good Time Then..." and "I'm Gonna Be Like You, Dad") are named for lines from the Harry Chapin song "Cat's in the Cradle", which is about a broken father-son relationship.
Joshua Matthews[edit]
Joshua Matthews, (Daniel Jacobs) is the youngest of the Matthews siblings. He is born in the episode "My Baby Valentine" but only weighs 5 lbs and is very ill. He soon gets better in the episode "Resurrection". He makes his final appearance in the last episode where Cory gives him a speech about all of things that he has learned over the past seven years.
He later returns as a teenager in the sequel series Girl Meets World, this time playing a larger role and being portrayed by Uriah Shelton. Joshua has grown up to be a handsome young man who has a great relationship with Cory and Alan. He also seems to have a charming yet silly personality, akin to Eric. Maya has a small schoolgirls crush on him for a brief episode. In the episode Girl Meets Game Night, Joshua talks to Maya about her crush on him. He says that he is too old for her and asks if she understands that. Maya sadly confirms it but says she will still fight for him. Later though in the episode Girl Meets the Tell Tale Tot, Josh says that she's not so little anymore and that he guesses he should stop looking at her like that.
Frankie Stechino[edit]
Francis Albert "Frankie the Enforcer" Stechino (Ethan Suplee) is one of Harley Keiner's "lackeys" at John Adams High, and an eventual close friend of Cory Matthews and Shawn Hunter. Surviving much longer than his counterparts, Harley and Joey, Frankie's character began his tenure on the show's second season as the "enforcer", torturing the other students, especially the seventh graders, including Cory and Shawn Hunter. Having realized the error of his ways along with longing for true friends, Frankie reforms into a much kinder person in season 3 and begins his friendship with Cory and Shawn. Afterwards, Frankie held Cory (and to a lesser extent, Shawn) with very high esteem, often turning to them for help and advice.
He enjoys writing poetry. His father is the professional wrestler Vader (whose real name is stated on the show as both Francis Albert "Frankie" Stechino, Sr., and Leslie). He has a younger brother named Herman, who develops a crush on Morgan Matthews. Oddly, he lives in the same trailer park as Shawn despite his father's high-profile career.
His last appearances as a recurring character were in the fourth season, and he returned once more, along with Joey, for the graduation episode in season 5.
Joey Epstein[edit]
During the series' second and third seasons, Joey "The Rat" Epstein (Blake Sennett) is Harley Keiner's other "lackey", also antagonizing both brother Shawn and Cory. Joey's exact purpose in the bully entourage is never really explained. Sennett left the show in season three to pursue music with his band Rilo Kiley, but he made one last appearance in season five's graduation episode.
Harley Keiner[edit]
First appearing as the bane of Cory's existence at the start of season two, Harvey "Harley" Keiner (Danny McNulty/Kenny Johnston) was a major antagonist and recurring character for about a year of the show's run. One of the gags surrounding his character was the oddball sophistication he added to the bullying trade, often referring to the harassment of underclassmen as if it were a career and to his gang as if it were a corporation. He has a younger sister, Theresa "TK" Keiner (Danielle Harris), of whom he is overprotective.
When McNulty left the cast toward the end of the second season, Harley made one more appearance (played by Kenny Johnston), only to be subsequently written out under the pretense of going to "juvenile boot camp". The original actor made one last token cameo appearance in the third season.
Harley was later a recurring character on the sequel series Girl Meets World. In the interim, Harley has become much more friendly; he cares a great deal about the students' well-being and is not proud of his past. Unlike their own school days, Harley now holds Cory in high esteem, mainly because it was Cory's influence that got him hired as custodian at John Quincy Adams Middle School, earning him the affectionate nickname "Janitor Harley" by the students. He is now good friends with Cory, and also with the four main kids (Cory's daughter Riley, Maya Hart, Lucas Friar, and Farkle Minkus). In the season 1 episode "Girl Meets Flaws", when Farkle is bullied by another student, Harley sympathizes with him and even confronts the bully about his actions.
In all, Harley appeared in six episodes of the sequel, including the series finale, "Girl Meets Goodbye".
Griff Hawkins[edit]
When Danny McNulty left the show at the end of season 2, Griffin "Griff" Hawkins (Adam Scott) stepped in briefly as his replacement. A far different sort of bully than Harley. While much friendlier, Griff was a smooth-talking freeloader who used his wits and charm to weasel his way out of many an obligation and punishment. He was on the show from 1995–1996.
In an episode of the sequel series Girl Meets World, there's an easter egg that alludes to Griff. When Cory is presenting his class with awards, he gives Maya Hart the "Griff Hawkins Totally Cool" Award.
Jedidiah and Rhiannon Lawrence[edit]
Jedidiah (Peter Tork, Michael McKean, and Mark Harelik) and Rhiannon Lawrence (Annette O'Toole and Marcia Cross) are Topanga's estranged parents. Dialogue suggests they were married at the same age as Cory Matthews and their daughter, Topanga, however their relationship is not as strong due to Jedidiah's (off-screen) extramarital affair with a woman named Marie.
For Topanga's sake and without her knowledge, Jedidiah and Rhiannon spend years in counseling in an effort to salvage their marriage. Topanga stays with her aunt, Prudence Curtis (Olivia Hussey), in Philadelphia during the attempt. After their reconciliation failed, they eventually divorced. Rhiannon kept their house in Pittsburgh, while Jedidiah moved into an apartment. Their separation caused Topanga to doubt whether her relationship with Cory would last, which led to her breaking their engagement. However, touched by Cory's perseverance, Topanga ultimately gives their love another chance. By the time of the events of Girl Meets World, Topanga and Cory are shown happily married with two children.
Rhiannon is obliquely referred to by her granddaughter Riley at the end of "Girl Meets 1961", an episode centering on Rihannon's mother, Rosie McGee.
Jason Marsden[edit]
Jason Marsden (Jason Marsden), Eric's best friend from the age of three. He is often more calm than Eric, and can either be his voice of reason or the one who gets him into trouble. He is quite fond of girls, as is Eric. He was on the show from 1993–1995; he left the show after graduating and going to college, leaving Eric at home to be a "townie", and was never referenced again. He was the only character on the series to have the same exact name of the actor portraying him.
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008)
Janitor Bud[edit]
Janitor Bud (Bob Larkin), the high school janitor, who later becomes Mr. Feeny's secretary due to Cory's getting him fired from his janitorial duties. After the change is made, he never appears on the show again, though he is referred to in an episode in a later season. He was on the show from 1994–1997.
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008)
Lila Bolander[edit]
Lila Bolander-Feeny (Bonnie Bartlett, William Daniels' real-life wife), Dean of Pennbrook, who later begins a romantic relationship with Mr. Feeny. She was on the show from 1997–1999.
In the show, she is stereotypically portrayed as a strict, disciplinarian college administrator who is romantically attracted to George Feeny, who initially did not reciprocate her affection for years until he is under her employ.
In her first appearance in the episode "Learning to Fly", she was having doubt of whether Eric Matthews of being serious of enrolling into colleges because of his less-than-stellar grades and history as a slacker, but Eric persuasively convinced her after an interview.
George Feeny eventually sees the Dean's reasonable side when she is willing to trust his judgment over Cory Matthews after he started a fight with a corrupted young professor named Stuart (portrayed by Ben Savage's real-life brother Fred) who made an advance towards Topanga Lawrence. Dean Bolander had Cory under a probationary period of one day for starting physical violence on campus instead of expelling him, and the professor under an investigation for his misconduct. Bolander and Feeny fall in love afterward and eventually they are married. After marrying Feeny in the last episode of season six, she isn't seen again and is mentioned only a few times during the seventh and final season.
Bolander was previously married to archeologist Dr. Curtis Kincaid (Francis X. McCarthy). In contrast with Feeny, Kincaid cares more about his personal success than the well being of others, which ultimately leads Dean Bolander to choose Feeny over Kincaid during the latter's attempt at salvaging their past marriage.
Tommy[edit]
Tommy (J.B. Gaynor) was an orphan that Eric, Jack, and Rachel met while Eric was playing Santa at the mall one Christmas. After Eric gave Tommy a toy for Christmas, Tommy became convinced that Eric was really Santa and asked Eric for parents for Christmas. Eric, touched by the boy's request, decided to volunteer as Tommy's Big Brother.
Eric and Tommy became very close after this, to the point where Tommy refused to be adopted by anyone other than Eric. Eric found this out when he was informed that a couple in California wanted to adopt Tommy. At first, Eric tried to adopt Tommy himself, before being convinced that Tommy would have a better future with a real family. Eric finally told Tommy that he would not adopt him, though doing so left him saddened. Heartbroken, Tommy decided to go to California, but not before giving Eric one last goodbye.
Tommy, now known as Thomas Jonathan "T.J." Murphy, was next seen on Girl Meets World in "Girl Meets Mr. Squirrels Goes to Washington" as a political activist and founder of a website called Thorn in Your Side, that reports on political scandals. He volunteers to help when Eric is nominated to run for Senator from New York, though the others are unaware of his identity. Later, at a debate against Eric's opponent, Tommy reveals his identity and speaks of Eric's compassion and how Eric had sacrificed himself for Tommy's future. Eric joyfully reunites with Tommy, who expresses his desire to continue working with Eric's campaign.
See also[edit]
List of Girl Meets World characters
References[edit]
Jump up ^ In "Girl Meets Smackle", Topanga defends her insufficient familiarity with all of the life lessons that Cory teaches by explaining that "he has so many of them". This leads her to gasp, "Oh my God; I married Feeny!"
Jump up ^ "Girl Meets Gravity", "Girl Meets Pluto".
Jump up ^ "Girl Meets Mr. Squirrels". Girl Meets World. Season 2. Episode 5. May 15, 2015.
Jump up ^ "Girl Meets Mr. Squirrels Goes to Washington". Girl Meets World. Season 2. Episode 9. July 10, 2015.
Jump up ^ "Girl Meets Hurricane"
Jump up ^ In "Girl Meets 1961", Rosie McGee (Rowan Blanchard) ventures down to Greenwich Village for the first time. At Café Hey, she unknowingly meets the ancestors of three of her great-granddaughter's classmates (along with an off-camera Bob Dylan and Joan Baez). A mysterious blonde artist (Sabrina Carpenter) tells of her plan to travel to Topanga Canyon, leading Rosie to remark in her diary about what a nice name Topanga is for something one loves.
External links[edit]
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