Should a ‘Girl Meets World’ season 4 air on Freeform?

Before we send anyone into a frenzy running around the internet with a megaphone (or before some other outlet decides to report speculation as fact — it happens, people), let’s start this particular “Girl Meets World” article with a disclaimer: We’re not saying that the show has been renewed. On the contrary. It doesn’t seem like even the cast has any idea what the future holds, and creator Michael Jacobs constructed a season 3 finale for 2017 that could function as a big send-off to the series, should it come to that. Obviously, we don’t want to see that happen. The feeling’s probably mutual behind the scenes.

We concede that the future with “Girl Meets World” on the Disney Channel may be dicey, or at least at a crossroads between childhood idealism and realism. If you look back, “Boy Meets World” was a show where stories were often neatly-tied-together, but there were opportunities to tackle issues that actually happen in high school / young adulthood. It’s a little trickier on a network catering mostly to kids. The TV House of Mouse worked fine during the candy-coated middle-school era, but we’re moving to adulthood here! This is where things get nitty-gritty, and we all make decisions we’d prefer to forget. Also, this show is high school in New York City; it’s not as though Riley Matthews is stuck in Middle-of-Nowhere-Town (as opposed to Rileytown?) where there’s nothing to do but mosey down a cornfield on a tractor. There are temptations, scary people, and reminders that you gotta grow up fast if you want to stay ahead of the curve.

Now, enter Freeform as a contender — at least in our mind.

We’d be incredulous to sit here and boast that we were the first person to think of the idea that the show should move to the “Pretty Little Liars” network. Heck, we’re probably not even the 500th person to come up with the idea online. There’s a reason why the speculation is so widespread: It just makes SO MUCH SENSE.

1. The template is there – Look at “Baby Daddy” or “Young & Hungry.” They’ve got much of the familiar heart and youthful spirit, but tell jokes and stories that would make the Disney Channel fan itself before passing out. A more mature “Girl Meets World” is a perfect fit.

2. Brand synergy – It’s not like there are two trillion negotiations that would need to go down. Both networks share a parent company. Moving it would give the Disney Channel a chance to continue catering to its demo, and Freeform would get an influx of new viewers and may be able to convince some of its own to check this out.

3. More flexibility – Think if you’re the cast: Wouldn’t you want to be somewhere that expands your universe and what you can do? This is no slam on the Disney Channel, who does great stuff for their audience and sometimes will tackle tough subjects. There are just more limitations there, and aging up the show goes in lockstep with the characters and what they’d be like as some of the innocence fades.

Now, intrepid viewer, we turn the all-familiar question to you: Should we be so lucky as to get a season 4, should it come on Freeform? Share in the comments!

While you’re here, why not check out a promo for Friday’s “Girl Meets World” episode? That one is airing on the Disney Channel.

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