Romeo and Juliet, Danny and Sandy, Jim and Pam. When you think of some of the greatest couples in literary and on-screen history, these are just a few names that come to mind. If you were a ‘90s kid who happened to be transfixed to ABC (and later Disney Channel) for weekly episodes of theforever-classic sitcom,Boy Meets World, then you’d add Cory Matthews (Ben Savage) and Topanga Lawrence (Daniel Fishel) to that list. From the moment we met the duo in the sixth grade during the show’s premiere season, it seemed they were destined to be together, and they were, as by the end of the seven-season run, the duo would be married. Their love would even lead them to start their own family and land a spinoff series years later titledGirl Meets World, in which audiences would tune in for a younger generation and the return of someold favorites.
But, according to Season 1 writerJanette Kotichas, who appeared as arecent gueston theBoy Meets Worldpodcast,Pod Meets World, she “didn’t see the long-term” compatibility. On the podcast, which ishosted by a trioof the show’s stars including Fishel,Rider Strong,who played Shawn Hunter, andWill Friedle,who appeared as Cory’s older brother Eric Matthews, Fishel questioned Kotichas on where she saw the budding relationship going. This is when Kotichas dropped the bomb that penning the early days of the pair’s relationship “was a logical step for the progression of the show.”
As she puts it, Strong’s Shawn “was a little older or more mature,” adding that he was already going after girls while Cory sat on the sidelines. Wanting to “keep up” with his suave best bud, Cory decides that he’s going to make a move and ask Topanga to be his girlfriend. Kotichas explains that while Cory and Topanga “were the core of the show,” Cory hesitated after that initial question, leading to some drama for the couple down the line - we’re looking at you Lauren (Linda Cardellini)!
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After departing the writer’s room following the show’s debut season, Kotichas says that the series was “painful to watch” because of how quickly and decisively Cory and Topanga’s relationship moved forward. The writer added that she believed the hit show could have made it to at least 10 seasons, as opposed to seven, had the later writers “slowed the world. A little bit.”
And, while we can’t imagine a world in which Cory and Topanga didn’t end up together (and we never will!) Kotichas certainly has a point in saying that they could have paced it out in a different way to keep the series on the air longer. The duo was not without their breaks and uncertainty as both characters dealt with doubt in their relationship, but they would always come back stronger than ever and seemingly destined to be together.
So, were Cory and Topanga always endgame? The answer is a complicated one, but we’re happy their love lives on and continues to give us hope.
