One night I was with a friend, we were hanging out with the television on Disney Channel as background noise. We noticed that the show that was on was touching on a more serious subject about growing up and moving on. I thought this was a wonderful one-time thing for the show, until I watched another episode, then another episode, then another and they all had important life lessons!
That show was "Girl Meets World," a revelation for the younger generation. Starting in 2014, "Girl Meets World" has changed youth television for the better and is now nominated for the Emmy Award "Outstanding Children's Program." The show follows young girls and boys growing and learning about life and what they can do to make the world a better place. For young people today, it may seem like there is no way they can make a difference in this world, but "Girl Meets World" shows them that it’s possible through important life lessons. Though it is a show intended for kids, I believe everyone can learn something from this show, myself included.
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Much of my generation grew up watching "Boy Meets World," a Disney original show about the adventures of young Cory Matthews and his best friend Shawn Hunter. Though I only watched a couple episodes, I got the gist of the series: Cory and Topanga are the number one couple, Cory and Shawn are the number one bromance, Mr. Feeny taught them literally every year, and most episodes had an important life lesson for us all. For the younger generation (and for those of us who missed "Boy Meets World"), Disney Channel has created "Girl Meets World," the next generation of "Boy Meets World." Just 14 years after the end of the show, we start up again with Riley Matthews, daughter of Cory and Topanga. Like "Boy Meets World," the show follows Riley and her best friend Maya Hart through life and school, introducing us to many friends and life lessons that everyone should learn. What's fun for those of you who watched "Boy Meets World" as a kid is that you get to see the different characters they bring back from the original show and to watch clips of little Cory and Topanga!
Each episode deals with a different dilemma, and the show does a fantastic job at displaying different issues, how to deal with them and that not every problem can be fixed. Issues that the characters have faced include broken homes, crushes, divorce, self-acceptance, bullying, religion, Asperger’s, growing up and how important children are for the future. An overarching lesson that has followed the characters through most of the show is “people change people,” a lesson that I think everyone needs to understand. The show has given several instances where this lesson comes into play. It has also shown that changing people can be good, but it can also be bad, and that sometimes it’s best to stay true to who you are and not to change for anyone else. This show has been nothing but uplifting, a breath of fresh air in a world where bad things are around every corner.
Not only is this show uplifting and educational, it’s funny! Disney has been struggling to have a show that could be both serious and funny since the end of shows like "That’s So Raven." The humor of this show, though sometimes cheesy, is great for people of all ages. Another one of my favorite things about this show is that the actors are all the age or close to the age they are supposed to be playing, something the media has never really accomplished until now. This allows for growing children to see that there are awkward phases everyone goes through, and that not everyone in school is supposed to look like a supermodel.
Even if you think you’re too old to watch this show, show it to your younger siblings, your children, or the neighbor kid you babysit. Let them watch this incredibly uplifting show, let them learn that there is good in the world and that it can come from them. Then try to watch an episode or two yourself!
