Big brother Fred Savage had a hit on his hands with The Wonder Years. Little brother Ben Savage decided to follow in his footsteps with his own show Boy Meets World. As part of ABC's Friday Night Lineup beginning in September of 1993, the show was an immediate success introducing viewers to the world of Cory, Topanga, troubled friend Shawn and of course respected teacher Mr. Feeney (William Daniels).
Ben Savage proved he could be just as endearing as his older brother, and coupled with some solid writing that did a nice job of mixing social issues of teens with comedy, the show found a niche. Like many shows, though, the first season was marked by young actors learning to be themselves, cliched writing and growing pains. The series didn't really reach its stride until the third or fourth season but things certainly built during this initial season.
Some of the highlights from this season include the pilot which feels like a reincarnated version of Leave it to Beaver with Cory becoming distraught over his older brother choosing to take a girl to a baseball game instead of him. Later in the season things become even more hilarious with Cory cheating on an IQ test and having to face the consequences when Mr. Feeney tries to enroll him in a special school. The season ends with Cory making a wish that seems to come true and bites him in the ass.
The complete season contains 22 episodes which can be found online at http://www.tvtome.com/BoyMeetsWorld/season1.html
The Disc:
Like most televised shows from the nineties and before, the DVD brings them home in their original 1:33:1 standard presentation. THis is a show that has held up quite well over the years and the transfer looks good for the show. Comedy is rarely more than stereo sound and there's little hear to excite your home theater. Still the disc offers clear sound that works really well.
Extras on the disc are anemic with Commentary by cast and crew on four episodes which is a delight to hear. These were kids, afterall, when the series was filmed and now the cast are all adults in most regards. There's also a bonus episode from Season 4 that seems really weird but fits in with the 22 other episodes nonetheless.
bottom line:
A solid comedy that gets better with each season. This set offers some laughs but could have used a boost in the extras department. Still if you're a fan you should be fairly pleased with this release.
3 out of 5
By - Brian Gray
