‘Girl Meets World’ season 3 debate: Should it move from Disney Channel to Freeform?
At the end of “Girl Meets World” season 2, it was unveiled that Riley Matthews and the rest of her friends were graduating from middle school, and as a result of that getting ready to take on some of what could await them within the walls of high school. It’s an interesting change, and one that will probably bring about some more serious stories and issues that high schoolers go through.
With that, we do have to look at one simple fact that is tied to the show’s existence: It airs on the Disney Channel. When you think about it, just how edgy can a show get that airs on what is mostly a kid-friendly network? It’s been an issue really since the start of the series for some, and as it progresses, it could become even more of one. There’s even a petition out there with more than 2,000 signatures to move the show to Freeform, which has programming that is geared to teens and young adults more so than the 13-and-under crowd.
Is this possible? Sure, but is it likely to happen? That’s what we want to map out in our newest debate piece below.
The case for the move – It’s fairly clear that the show is going to have to gloss over some issues that impact teenagers in high school if they stay on the Disney Channel, and if you look back at “Boy Meets World,” that’s not something they did. While the original show was family-friendly, ABC did give it a little creative freedom to stretch its wings and discuss difficult topics. While the “Girl Meets World” ratings are not strong enough most likely for ABC, it could fare well over on Freeform where they have many other series that have featured teen characters prominently.
The case against the move – First and foremost, you’re having to convince an entire audience to switch networks, and while the diehard fans would do it without a problem, you have to find a way to reach casual viewers. That’s a risk. Also, having a big change in content in the middle of the series could be difficult, and ultimately, the Disney Channel may not want to let go of a successful property. Thy may think that they can figure out a way to address high-school issues in a way that makes the show still appropriate for all audiences. It has happened on different shows.
Ultimately, we think it’s doubtful a big move will happen. We do understand why the interest is there, but if something is not broke from a network point of view, it’s unlikely to be fixed.
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