Boy Meets World: Season 02 (1994)

Season two of Boy Meets World evidently takes place two years after season one, because series protagonist Cory Matthews (Ben Savage), an 11-year-old attending sixth grade in the first season, has now become a 13-year-old high school freshman. Likewise aging rather rapidly are Cory's best friend Shawn (Rider Strong) and erstwhile girlfriend Topanga (Danielle Fishel), who are also launching their first year at John Adams High School. Also on hand -- much to Cory's dismay -- is his least favorite elementary school teacher Mr. Feeny (William Daniels) who has been appointed principal of John Adams. Incidentally, this plot development represents one of the many in-jokes pervading Boy Meets World: William Daniels had played president John Adams in both the Broadway and film versions of the musical 1776. Another excellent example of this strain of humor can be found in the second season episode "Who's Afraid of Cory Wolf," in which Phyllis Diller guest stars as a gypsy woman named Madame Ouspenskaya -- an homage to actress Maria Ouspenskaya, who essayed the same type of role in the original Wolf Man movies of the '40s! But getting back to Boy Meets World, season two ushers in several new recurring characters: high school bully Harley Keiner (Danny McNulty); Cory's new buddies Joey (Blake Soper) and Frank (Ethan Suplee) -- aka "The Rat" and "The Enforcer"; and the school's coolest teacher, Mr. Hunter (Anthony Tyler Quinn), who favors leather jackets and drives a motorcycle, Fonzie-style. Also, this season introduces the kids' favorite after school hangout, Chubbie's Malt Shoppe. Perhaps the most noteworthy plot development this season is the desertion of Shawn Hunter, whose truck driver dad heads off for parts unknown to search for Shawn's runaway mom. As a result, Shawn moves out of his trailer park home and into the Matthews household, the first of many relocations for this nervously nomadic character. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi