It’s been almost 22 years since Boy Meets World fans are still obsessed with the Matthews family and their tight-knit group of friends. Cory and Topanga’s relationship was an ongoing storyline that fans never wanted to end, but so was the friendship between Cory and Shawn. However, as loved as these main characters and their storylines are, fans aren’t always fond of them or their development.
With Boy Meets World being on Disney+, fans who grew up with the show in the ’90s are watching the characters with fresh eyes. As much as they loved certain characters when they were kids, they appear differently in the eyes of adults and those differences keep them up at night.
Jack Hunter Had “No Substance”
No one knew Shawn had a half-brother until Jack came back into town in season 5 looking for a roommate at Pennbrook. He soon created a tight bond with Eric — which was viewed as one of Boy Meets World‘s best relationships in the series — after becoming roommates and Jack became a main cast member soon after.
However, some fans didn’t love his character. Fleetingb told Reddit, “Jack’s character has no substance or continuity.” They continued saying Jack wasn’t believable enough as a character and acted similarly in most scenes.
Professor Stuart Was A Monster
Boy Meets World touched base on multiple serious topics for a family-friendly television show. One of them was the inappropriate behavior between a college professor and a student. In season 6, the group adored Professor Stuart, but he proved himself to be a monster when he hit on Topanga. When Topanga and Cory filed a complaint against him, Stuart flipped the narrative.
Klutzy_Strike did a poll on Reddit to see who fans thought the worst character was and Professor Stuart won by a landslide. DaisySong85 agreed that Stuart was the worst and wrote, “Stuart took advantage of his position of power to hurt a student. He sucks the most.”
Chet & Virna Abandoned Their Son Multiple Times
Shawn Hunter had amazing friends but he did not have a supportive household or upbringing. Considering how alone he was throughout his childhood and teenage years, it’s surprising what a good brother Shawn became with Jack instead of harboring resentment towards him for disappearing as his parents did.
In the early seasons, Shawn’s mom Virna abandoned the family for unsaid reasons. Shortly after, Shawn’s dad Chet left to find Virna. This left Shawn in the arms of the Matthews family and his teacher, Mr. Turner. GoAvs14 noted that Chet and Virna were the worst characters and wrote “[They] have a kid. Stop being selfish…and be responsible.” Chet came back eventually, but he couldn’t make up for the time he lost.
Mr. Mack Ran A Cult For Minors
In season 4’s “Cult Fiction,” Shawn was introduced to a man named Mr. Mack. Mr. Mack ran a center for troubled youth who felt judged or alone. Since Shawn’s parents were never around, Shawn fell victim to Mr. Mack’s ploys. Joining a cult was definitely an outrageous arc for Shawn but it was his journey.
Luckily for him, the entire Matthews family and Mr. Feeny got involved and rescued Shawn — but that didn’t mean Mr. Mack was off the hook. ILoveBMWAndGMW thought that Mr. Mack was worse than Stuart. “I think Mr. Mack is worse, just because he runs a cult. He takes advantage of so many more people than Stuart does,” they wrote.
Lauren Was “Obsessive”
In season 5, Cory and co. traveled upstate for a class ski trip. On Cory’s first day, he hurt his knee wasn’t able to ski . He stayed behind in the ski lodge with a worker named Lauren (played by forgotten Boy Meets World guest star Linda Cardellini) and the two got along a little too well for Topanga’s liking…
Cory and Lauren shared a kiss and she left him with a love letter. Unfortunately, Topanga found the letter, learned about the kiss, and broke up with Cory because of his actions. A lot of fans found this to be one of Boy Meets World‘s worst episodes because no one wanted to see Topanga and Cory’s demise. JessikaPepper questioned why some fans liked Lauren, writing, “How do people wish he stayed with such an underdeveloped and thoughtless, obsessive character?” After all, Cory barely knew her, how could he compare his feelings with Topanga to Lauren?
Rachel Overstayed Her Welcome
Rachel became Eric and Jack’s third roommate when Shawn moved out. She was a great friend and fit in with the group but many fans weren’t accepting of her character.
PhilG92 wrote, “She overstayed her welcome. The initial triangle with Eric and Jack was funny but should’ve ended sooner. After that, she just seemed unnecessary.”
Cory Became Selfish As The Series Went On
As the main character, Cory said plenty of memorable quotes on Boy Meets World. However, that didn’t mean that he was a perfect character without flaws. In Cory’s younger years, he learned from his mistakes and tried to be the voice of reason for his friends. But as he aged, a new side of his came to light.
StigWeird85 told Reddit that Cory was “selfish and aggressive” as the show went on. StencilBoy admitted that the writers got “lazy” with Cory’s character. They said, “[The writers] had him be a jerk to his friends to create that conflict and situation instead.”
Amy Shouldn’t Have Lashed Out At Topanga
Boy Meets World fans who are Pisces may have connected with Amy Matthews because she was compassionate, loving, and a good listener. She never got too involved with her kids’ antics but tried to be their support system when they needed her. But like most characters in the series, Amy had her mistakes.
Solovergudhjem felt like Amy go on their “nerves” over the course of seven seasons. And while most fans in the series like Amy, Bmh534 hated when she lashed out at Topanga on occasion. To these fans, it felt “annoying and seemed out of character.”
Morgan Disappeared
It’s not that Morgan was a bad character on Boy Meets World, but she wasn’t given the same spotlight as her brothers Cory and Eric. For starters, the actress who originally played Morgan left the show and her character was replaced by an older actress who looked similar. With a change in actresses, Morgan’s personality changed too.
StrawberryLover8 told Reddit that the second Morgan “didn’t have the same charm as the [original Morgan].” ErieCoast agreed and said that the writers didn’t “utilize her correctly at all.” They continued saying, “She only seems to appear when they need a girl or a third kid.” Even though Morgan is a Matthews, she’s not really around.
Alan Was Mean To His Kids When Things Didn’t Go His Way
Alan Matthews was the kind of dad who would do anything for his kids. He was hard on Eric and Cory when they needed to be reeled in, but he also gave them enough freedom to spread their wings and fly. However, Alan had his moments where he was hurtful.
AshMichael73 noted how rude he was to his kids on their birthdays or when things didn’t go his way. Bmh534 agreed that Alan was rude to his kids on their birthdays and wrote, “I’m usually pretty lax on continuity with this show and give everything a pass but the fact he was so mean results in getting his pass revoked on this one.” Alan got a fitting ending when he found a new job that he loved, which made him a nicer person, but he still had his foul moments.
