‘Girl Meets World’ premiere review: Nostalgia meets Disney Channel

The “Girl Meets World” premiere airs Friday night on the Disney Channel, and the very first episode of the show is probably going to be just as polarizing as you would expect.

For many, the “Boy Meets World” that they love is the “Boy Meets World” that they remember, which means some of the later seasons. Not many remember the show when it started. A good comparison here is that nobody really remembers that first episode of “Seinfeld,” where Elaine wasn’t around and Kramer was agoraphobic and George was way too concerned about coffee. “Girl Meets World” feels more like a first-season episode of the original, with another layer of cheese stacked on top of it. It is really going to take a nostalgic “Boy Meets World” fan to completely turn off their adult brain to get into what makes the show work.

The writing for the pilot contains some of the original show’s charm, from the happy resolution to the silly students to of course the love interest made clear right away. But doesn’t Lucas (Peyton Meyer) look at least two years older than everyone else in the class? It’s like your childhood soccer team when one of the rival team’s players shows up a foot taller than everyone else.

While there aren’t any obvious gimmicks for young fans, we feel like most of them should still enjoy the show’s throwback quality. Farkle has potential as an oddball, and Maya is probably a character that can be related to.

There are really two things that have us worried about the series the rest of the way.

1. Rowan Blanchard. It feels weird being critical of a young actor who is doing her best, but we have to be honest. Her delivery feels somewhat stunted, and she is occasionally hard to understand when compared to the other young actors.

2. Where’s Topanga? We hear she will be more active in future episodes, and that’s a good thing, given she was barely in here.

“Girl Meets World” is a welcome addition to the Disney Channel, mostly because the network does need something that can get parents and children watching together these days. It just needs to do a little more of tapping into what old fans love, and not say “world” two thousand times an episode. It’s a little obvious, but there are still a few warm and fuzzy moments in the end. Grade: B- (for kids), C+ (for adults).

If you want some further TV news now, sign up today for our CarterMatt Newsletter.

Photo: Disney Channel