Danielle Fishel Says ‘Girl Meets World’ Was Too Focused on Its Original Series

Danielle Fishel has opened up about her frustrations with Girl Meets World, saying the Disney Channel sequel became too focused on Boy Meets World instead of developing its own identity.

Fishel, who played Topanga Lawrence in both shows, discussed the experience on the Pod Meets World podcast with former co-stars Will Friedle and Rider Strong.

According to Fishel, she had expected Girl Meets World to be a completely new show connected to Boy Meets World, rather than a continuation heavily built around the original series.

Before production began, Fishel said she spoke with executive producer Michael Jacobs, who created both shows, about making the sequel stand on its own. Jacobs even encouraged her to write a blog explaining that fans would see familiar references but should not expect another version of Boy Meets World.

However, Fishel said she was surprised by what happened once production started.

“We got in there, and every day from morning until night was Michael and the writers trying to shoehorn Boy Meets World things into it,” she said.

Strong, who returned as Shawn Hunter for seven episodes of Girl Meets World, said he had a similar experience. He recalled being asked to recreate moments and behaviors from the original series that he did not even remember.

“I remember just being like, ‘Do we have to?’” Strong said.

Strong believed Disney was comfortable with the sequel being different, while Jacobs and the writers wanted it to feel more directly connected to Boy Meets World. Fishel agreed, saying the decision came mainly from the creative team rather than Disney.

Despite her frustration, Fishel made clear that she never regretted joining the series. She said she would have agreed to do the show regardless, but having a clearer understanding of its direction would have helped.

Strong also questioned whether Girl Meets World should be considered a true continuation. In his view, it was more of a reflection of Boy Meets World, using familiar characters, themes and references without actually continuing the original story.

Fishel agreed, saying the new series should have been a reflection of its predecessor rather than living in its shadow.

“Every time there was an opportunity for the new show to step out into the sun, the shadow would come back,” she said.

Girl Meets World ran for three seasons on Disney Channel from 2014 to 2017. The original Boy Meets World aired for seven seasons on ABC from 1993 to 2000.

Fishel also believes the move from a major broadcast network to a cable channel made it harder for the sequel to reach the same audience. She argued that the show was trying to appeal too much to adults who had grown up with Boy Meets World, even though Disney Channel's primary audience was younger viewers.

Looking back, Fishel's comments suggest that the biggest challenge for Girl Meets World was finding the right balance between honoring the original series and allowing its new generation of characters to create an identity of their own.