It’s now been greater than 5 years since Disney pulled the plug on Lady Meets World, with the spinoff wrapping on a large reunion from as many Boy Meets World vets as potential. However one thing that many followers will not be clued in on is that the TGIF staple’s creator had plans for a totally totally different sort of offshoot sequence that will have occurred through the family-friendly flagship’s preliminary run on ABC. It might have centered on Will Friedle’s Eric Matthews, with a proto-Mates vibe in thoughts to separate it from its predecessor, and it was a sufficiently big objective {that a} little bit of episode dialogue was written as a softballed lead-in to his potential exit.
Will Friedle talked concerning the groundwork that was laid for the Boy Meets World spinoff concept within the newest episode of the looking-back podcast Pod Meets World, which he co-hosts alongside former co-stars Danielle Fishel and Rider Sturdy. It was the second a part of a enjoyable Q&A sesh, with the query of notice being “Which character do you suppose would have had one of the best spinoff?” And somewhat than answering that instantly, Friedle received into the nitty gritty for what might have occurred with Eric. (We’ll simply assume his personal character would have been his reply.) This is how he began:
I used to be going to depart the present at one level. I imply, to the purpose the place Michael and I had had conferences —we had had conferences with ABC — and he’d already written to it. There’s a scene the place Mr. Feeny says, ‘Are you aware what you’re going to do in life?’ And I speak about, ‘No,’ and it’s as a result of there was a superb likelihood I wasn’t going to come back again the next season. As a result of Michael and I — nicely, it was all Michael, however I used to be in on the pitches — had pitched an concept the place Eric strikes to Los Angeles.
Now that’s a totally totally different a part of the world, even when it’s nonetheless in the identical nation. Eric can be excessive on the record of Boy Meets World characters who rocked the charisma and vitality wanted to presumably make it in L.A. The Philadelphia suburbs inherent to the sitcom have been actually removed from the imply streets, because it have been, regardless of the common presence of bullies corresponding to Harvey Keiner and Ethan Suplee’s Frankie. I’ve to suppose that somebody like Cory would get eaten alive in his first week, whereas Shawn would in all probability fall method too arduous into the grittier facet of life. Eric, in the meantime, is the exact quantity of dim, assured and oblivious to coast by any points.
Friedle continued, saying that the pilot was all deliberate out, together with the intro, and that he and creator Michael Jacobs actively introduced the concept to the suitable higher-ups. In his phrases:
This was Season 4, Season 5? And we met with ABC, we met with Disney, he had the pilot all arrange. I keep in mind Eric was driving his automotive, and the beginning was going to be he jumps the ramp on the Santa Monica Pier and the automotive slams onto the seaside. Eric stumbles out and simply walks into the ocean. and that was going to be the beginning of the episode. It was going to be like a ‘younger Mates,’ and he was going to satisfy these individuals in Los Angeles. We not solely had conferences and talked about it, and he was writing the pilot, however he wrote to it on Boy, so you’ll be able to truly see a time the place it’s like, ‘Oh, they’re writing me off,’ and it was as a result of Eric was going to have a by-product.
It is amusing to consider Eric’s BMW spinoff being known as a ‘”younger Mates” since, as a by-product a couple of goofball lead character relocating to Los Angeles, it is clearly extra similar to NBC’s personal Mates spinoff Joey, and would have made it to the air six or seven years earlier than the short-lived Matt LeBlanc comedy. Possibly even then, they by some means knew it would not be an important transfer to make use of Joey as a advertising and marketing ploy.
In any case, it is clear that each Jacobs and Friedle have been firmly behind the concept Eric and a bunch of recent characters have been worthy of main their very own new present. Sadly, they gave the impression to be the one ones totally sharing that perception. The challenge by no means got here to gentle, despite the minor tease involving Mr. Feeny, and never even the actor himself is conscious of when the concept fell aside, saying:
I’m not even positive why it by no means occurred, to be trustworthy with you. I simply by no means left Boy. I by no means received a motive why we didn’t do it.
Clearly, it is arduous to know what this different challenge would have been like, however contemplating Lady Meets World served as an much more youth-oriented household comedy, it is arguably a disgrace that followers did not get to see a minimum of one among these characters in a markedly totally different sort of set-up. It is also value noting that Friedle talked about there have been conversations about an Eric and Jack spinoff through the again half of the present’s run, however he stated none of it went past talks just like the prior spinoff plan did.
Whereas we’ll should rely solely on our brains’ make-em-up powers with a purpose to envision no matter Eric Matthews’ spinoff was going to be, followers can rewatch each season of Boy Meets World and Lady Meets World with a Disney+ subscription. And don’t overlook to take heed to new rewatch episodes of Pod Meets World each Thursday, with an extra installment dropping a couple of days later.
