TGIF

Photo Credit: www.retrojunk.com

While the typical Friday greeting TGIF conjures up images of a relaxing weekend for some, to me it will always represent Friday nights and Boy Meets World. TGIF was the slogan of the family-friendly prime time programming block on ABC. The slogan comes from the initials of the popular phrase Thank God It's Friday, but for viewers of the program, it stood for so much for.

When we were kids, television hours were sharply monitored on weekdays to ensure the completion of homework. We were allowed to choose one show per night and had to sneak in all of our other favorites. There was no online streaming back then, so kids were forced to choose between their beloved television friends.

Everything changed on Friday nights. Rules were thrown out the windows and parents were happy to have their kids piled in front of the television, entertained for the night. No longer did we have to choose between Sabrina and Topanga and Harvey and Corey - we could watch them all. While Sabrina the Teenage Witch was definitely a fan favorite in my house, Boy Meets World always stole the show.
Boy Meets World was a TGIF classic, running for seven seasons. The show focused on the events and everyday lessons of Cory Matthews (Ben Savage), who grows up from a young boy to a married man on the show. Other main characters include Cory's childhood love and future wife Topanga (Danielle Fishel), his best friend Shawn (Rider Strong) and his brother Eric (Will Friedle). Teacher and neighbor George Feeny (William Daniels) gave the show its heart and gave kids an image of the ideal high school teacher.

Honestly, there was nothing to hate about Boy Meets World. While the writing was obviously a bit lax and the subject matters were much more conservative than what we see in today's programming, Boy Meets World set the bar for me. It gave me a crush (Rider Strong), a couple to admire (Cory and Topanga) and a teacher to wish for (Mr. Feeny).

How amazing would it be if ABC ran a Boy Meets World marathon, complete with a cast reunion. I bet that every fan of the show would tune in to that. After all, with LOST and Ugly Betty gone, the network needs something to fill its schedule with.

What do you think of when you hear the term TGIF?