Danielle Fishel, who portrayed Topanga Lawrence onBoy Meets World, opens up about the difficult environment on the set of its sequel series,Girl Meets World. The Disney Channel show, which ran from 2014 to 2017, followed Topanga and Cory Matthews' (Ben Savage) daughter, Riley (Rowan Blanchard), as she navigates her preteen years. Rotten Tomatoes gave the series an 84% critical score for its crossover appeal, though it was regarded as less comical thanBoy Meets World. Both series areavailable for streaming on Disney+.
Fishel shared her experiences on the sequel show during a recentPod Meets Worldepisode,revealing that theGirl Meets Worldset was far from the positive environment viewers might have expected.She explained that the atmosphere on set was “tumultuous,” unlike the fun, supportive experience she remembered fromBoy Meets World. Fishel admitted that her initial hope of recreating the camaraderie from the original series did not materialize, and instead, she felt ostracized and criticized. Check out her comments below:
It was a very, very difficult set that in those three years were, you know, the memories. Let’s put it this way, the memories we have of the fun set of Boy Meets World were not the memories of the fun set of Girl Meets World. It just wasn’t. And I went into it hoping it was going to be. I went into it expecting it to be, and it wasn’t. It was a rather tumultuous place. It was a place I felt very ostracized. I felt very criticized. I felt a lot of different things being on that set. That was not the set of Danielle being carefree and running around shaking hands and kissing babies.
What This Means For Girl Meets World’s On-Set Drama
Fishel’s comments highlight the internal struggles she experienced withtheGirl Meets Worldcastand crew, suggesting that the atmosphere on set was less collaborative and more tense than expected. It can be assumed that the production of a spinoff will always inherently be different from its predecessor simply because of the changing cast and crew, butGirl Meets Worldwas so different fromBoy Meets World,it seemed to alter Fishel’s own demeanor. It is unclear if she was the only actor on set who felt this way.
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Despite gaining a loyal viewer base, Disney Channel canceled the Girl Meets World spinoff after season 3—and here’s the primary reason why.
The tension between Fishel and formerBoy Meets Worldcast member Maitland Ward, who played Rachel McGuire, was also discussed during the podcast, further emphasizing the impact of the set’s difficult environment. On the podcast, Ward mentioned feeling excluded inGirl Meets World, andFishel acknowledged that the set dynamics made it hard for her to connect with others, including Ward. Moreover, expectations forGirl Meets Worldwere high, givenBoy Meets World’sacclaim. Fishel’s experience shows that pressures on set and personal struggles can overshadow the creative process and even hinder working relationships.
Our Take On Fishel’s Set Challenges On Girl Meets World
Sometimes Pressure Takes Precedence On Set
Fishel’s candid reflection of working onGirl Meets Worldis a reminder of the personal and professional obstacles that can arise on set. WhileBoy Meets Worldhad its share of behind-the-scenes moments, the contrast Fishel describes inGirl Meets Worldpoints towardshow challenging it can be to recreate the same dynamic under different circumstances. It’s a sobering look at the realities of working on a high-pressure production, where the excitement of areunion between frmer castmates can be overshadowed by personal conflicts and a difficult work environment.
