By now you’ve probably heard that “Boy Meets World” is coming back. Well, it might be coming back. The spin off series, titled “Girl Meets World”, could be on Disney channel next year if the series gets picked up. Right now it is considered ‘in development,’ the same place that Joss Whedon’s The Avengers spin off is along with what could be the new “Downton Abbey”. Networks are developing pilot episodes before to determine if these would be successful series. These are just a few of the series that television fans are keeping their fingers crossed to see on their screens next year.
“Girl Meets World” centers on 13 year-old Riley, Cory (Ben Savage) and Topanga’s (Danielle Fishel) daughter, according to TVLine.com. Savage and Fishel have officially signed on to do the show, should it be given the green light for a season. There might not be too many original cast members hanging around.
Rider Strong, who portrayed Shawn, announced that he would not be joining the cast right now. Don’t count him out completely. On his website, Strong wrote, “There might be a chance to see some of the BMW cast in a guest spot, and I think it would be nice to find out where our characters have been all these years. But Girl Meets World will be, and I think it should be, [its] own show. It will be about Cory and Topanga, their daughter, and a new set of characters.”
Don’t expect the new show to be all about Cory and Topanga because this is being developed for Disney channel. The channel is aiming to attract kids today, kids who didn’t necessarily grow up with life lessons from Mr. Feeny. The show is about Riley, her older brother Elliot, and her best friend Maya, an edgy girl who might not be as dark as she seems (who sounds like the Shawn to Riley’s Cory). They will probably be learning their lessons from their history teacher, Cory Matthews.
Riley has not been cast yet, nor have any other characters. The show truly has to take their time in finding the right actress to play her. The show could plummet quickly if they don’t.
While “Girl Meets World” has hype around it because of the actors. The Avengers television spin off, “S.H.I.E.L.D.”, has hype around it because of the man creating it, Joss Whedon.
Whedon, Marvel’s The Avengers director, wants to explore the world of those around the Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. The show is due in part to Whedon’s three year deal with Marvel Studios (which is owned by Disney, which owns television network ABC).
The main S.H.I.E.L.D. agents viewers saw in the summer blockbuster were Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) and Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg). Smulders is already occupied with her regular gig on “How I Met Your Mother”. Viewers should remember, spoiler alert for those who haven’t seen Marvel’s The Avengers, Gregg’s character was fatally stabbed. However it was announced that Gregg will be reprising his role in the new show. In what capacity he will return (human? ghost? hologram?) is currently unknown.
Other actors being added to the series seem to be unknown. Whedon is known for repeatedly working with the same actors. Aside from Gregg, Whedon has yet to cast familiar faces. The only official cast members, as of press time, are Ming Na and Brett Dalton, two relatively unknown actors. It has yet to be announced who they are playing, although the series is looking to cast five series regulars.
The news is exciting for both fans of The Avengers and old school fans of Whedon. He knows how to do television spectacularly. He is the mastermind behind cult hits like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Firefly”. He can make a small budget look huge, and he can easily balance multiple storylines. Because of these factors, many fans believe that ABC’s pick up of “S.H.I.E.L.D.” is almost guaranteed.
If you’re not excited about the potential for a wholesome family show or an action-packed superhero drama, maybe you’re more of a history fan. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Downton Abbey” creator Julian Fellowes is in the midst of creating a new show about New York in the 1880s titled “The Gilded Age.” The series will follow the lives of several millionaires. Rumored characters include J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, and Cornelius Vanderbilt.
The intention to develop the series was only announced last week, so not much information has been made public about the series. Historical dramas do not often get picked up because typically there is less interest among audiences. However the recent success of Fellowes’ “Downton Abbey” really changes everything. The British series has picked up nine Emmy awards in addition to another 18 Emmy nominations.
“Downton Abbey” wasn’t Fellowes’ first foray into period dramas. “The Young Victoria”, a miniseries about Queen Victoria starring Emily Blunt, was critically acclaimed and his film Gosford Park, an English drama set in 1932, won an Oscar.
The series airs on PBS stateside, but Fellowes is developing “The Gilded Age” for ABC. Should the drama be picked up, it will be Fellowes’ first drama developed for American television.
While none of these series will definitely make it to the small screen, they are safe bets.
