History Trivia / BoyMeetsWorld

* TheCastShowoff: Lindsay Ridgeway and Rider Strong both get to show off their singing voice in "Better Than the Average Cory" and "Cutting the Cord", respectively

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The reason for Eric and Shawn didn't have many scenes together, even while roommates, was because Rider Strong had a tendency to start {{Corpsing}} during scenes with Creator/WillFriedle

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The reason for Eric and Shawn didn't have many scenes together, even while roommates, was because Rider Strong had a tendency to start [[Corpsing]] during scenes with Creator/WillFriedle

** Originally, Harry Barandes played Eric in the pilot but he was the same height as Ben Savage so Will Friedle was cast and his parts were reshot. Matt McCoy had also played Alan Matthews in the original pilot, but was replaced in reshoots by William Russ

** Originally, another actor played Eric in the pilot but he was the same height as Ben Savage so Will Friedle was cast and his parts were reshot.

** [[Series/TheLoveBoat Ted Lange and Bernie Kopell]] as themselves as celebrities Jack hired to make the frat he and Eric started seem more credible.

** With just a light remodel Mr. Turner's apartment from seasons 2 and 3 becomes Jack and Eric's apartment for season 5-7

* ClassicallyTrainedExtra: William Daniels, a renowned film, theater and dramatic television actor, playing the put-upon sitcom neighbor. He admitted he was initially not interested in the role because he thought it would be mocking teachers, the creators understood his concern and Mr. Feeny instead became a legendary character who had more screen time with the kids than with their own parents.

* EnforcedMethodActing: In the third season finale "Brother Brother" Betsy Randle (Amy Matthews) and Lindsay Ridgeway (Morgan) were not told that Will Friedle would be returning with the rest of the cast for season 4 until ''after'' the scene where Eric says goodbye to his family.

* DawsonCasting: 28-year-old Trina [=McGee=] as high school senior Angela Moore. [[AvertedTrope Averted]] by ''everyone else'' in the main cast. At the start of the show the actors were, on average, two years older than their characters but the character's ages were bumped up by two years at some point in show's run. By the end of the series, Danielle Fishel was actually playing older than she was.

** Ben Savage's brother Fred Savage appears in the episode "Everybody Loves Stuart" as a creepy lecherous college teacher.

** In "The Provider" a singed and smoking Eric shows up at Cory's door to ask for his lucky penny back (don't ask, [[ItMakesSenseInContext just watch the episode]]). Rather than take it with his hand he makes Cory put it in his mouth and then walks over to the (non-ringing) telephone and says "Hello?" Ben Savage immediately loses it.

* ThrowItIn: The crazier Eric got, the more Will Friedle started to improvise and mix things up. Most of the time, it worked as Eric is the ONLY funny thing in some of the more serious episodes and in a lot of ways was the funniest character in the show.

** Parodied in the "Kid Gets Acquainted with the Universe" episode with the Morgan expy being played by a woman who was much older, who was still being played by Morgan's [[TheOtherDarrin other Darrin]], a still-preteen Lindsay Ridgeway.

* TheOtherMarty: Originally, another actor played Eric in the pilot but he was the same height as Ben Savage so Will Friedle was cast and his parts were reshot.
** Marla Sokolof was originally cast as Topanga in "Cory's Alternative Friends" with Danielle Fishel set to play the role of Becky. The parts were switched and the rest is history.
* QuoteSource: ThreesomeSubtext

** The plot of "A character crossdresses to hit on a guy." is used in both "Chick Like Me" and "What A Drag". Though in the former it was for a school project and in the latter Jack and Eric did it to avoid getting pounded by a guy they almost got arrested

** In "Kid Gets Acquainted With The Universe" this is lampshaded, with Ben Sandwich screaming "How can I learn so much every week and still be so stupid!?" at the writers. Then they lampshade ''that'' at the end of the episode, when Will Friedle, playing "[[AlterEgoActing himself]]", flips out at Ben Savage for changing a punchline. He storms off, and then enter Rider Strong as Shawn, telling Cory "I blew up another mailbox" (a reference to a first-season episode).

* ActorAllusion: Several:
** Cory incorrectly refers to Ricky, the guy Topanga kissed during their second break-up as a soap opera actor, not a artist. His actor Jonathan Jackson was best known for playing Lucky Spencer on the soap opera General Hospital
** 'John Adams High School' is a nod to Creator/WilliamDaniels, who played John Adams in ''[[Theatre/SeventeenSeventySix 1776]]''.
** In "Boy Meets Real World", Mr. Feeny says that ''Film/TheGraduate'' is a great film. Mr Feeny's actor William Daniels was also in ''The Graduate''. In another episode, when Cory is looking for his father's silver glove necklace, Cory is seen scuba diving similar to Benjamin in ''The Graduate'', with the same POV shot of William Daniels.
** In "The Truth About Honesty", while telling his date increasingly obvious [[BlatantLies lies]], Eric eventually culminates by declaring that he's Batman. This was a ThrowItIn line Will Friedle improvised in celebration of realizing his life-long dream of working in animation, upon being cast as the new Batman in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond''. The scene even closes by playing a Batman-esque piece of music (reused from "And Then There Was Shawn").
** In "Rave On", Topanga calls Frankie, played by Ethan Suplee, a "mallrat". Suplee was in the film ''Film/{{Mallrats}}'' which came out a month before the episode aired.
*** At the end of "Rave On", the band manager, played by Dave Madden, tells the guys who played at the rave that he used to be the manager for a family act, alluding to his role on ''Series/ThePartridgeFamily''.
** Creator/JenniferLoveHewitt appeared in a horror-themed episode, playing Jennifer Love ''Fefferman'' (AKA Feffy), an expy of her character from ''Film/IKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer'', and there is also a bait-and-switch allusion to Hewitt's show ''Series/PartyOfFive'':
-->'''Jack:''' I like that one with the hotty hot hot from ''Party of Five''.
-->'''Feffy:''' Neve Campbell?
-->'''Eric:''' Duh!
*** Also, she was dating Will Friedle at the time, and Eric showed interest in her romantically in that episode.
*** They also appeared as love interests in Trojan War.
** The episode "A Long Walk to Pittsburgh" features Topanga's aunt Prudence, who according to Topanga "has never been in love, never been married, and wouldn't even know who Romeo and Juliet were". Said aunt was played by Creator/OliviaHussey, who played Juliet in the 1968 film adaptation of ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet''.

* TheCameo: [[Series/TheLoveBoat Ted Lange and Bernie Kopell]] as themselves as celebrities Jack hired to make the frat he and Eric started seem more credible.

** Parodied in the "Kid Gets Acquainted with the Universe." episode with the Morgan expy being played by a woman who was much older, who was still being played by Morgan's [[TheOtherDarrin other Darrin]], a still-preteen Lindsay Ridgeway.

** Similarly Topanga's parents were played by the husband-and-wife Michael [=McKean=] and Annette O'Toole [[TheOtherDarrin for one episode]], although their characters' situation is reversed from the above in that [[spoiler:the episode portrays their marriage's disintegration.]]

** Topanga's parents also went through several sets of very different actors (three for her father and two for her mother). The contrast is pretty evident when Jedidiah goes from being [[TheMonkees Peter Tork]] to [[Film/ThisIsSpinalTap Michael McKean]].

** 'John Adams High School' is a nod to Creator/WilliamDaniels, who played John Adams in ''[[SeventeenSeventySix 1776]]''.

* TheCameo: [[TheLoveBoat Ted Lange and Bernie Kopell]] as themselves as celebrities Jack hired to make the frat he and Eric started seem more credible.

* BillingDisplacement: Gradually happened over the course of the series, as the new additions to the cast were added to the roster in the order they joined the show[[note]]Except for Matthew Lawerence, who received a "With" credit[[/note]]. By Season 6, this meant that Betsy Randle was billed prior to everyone ''except'' Ben Savage & William Daniels, and Lindsay Ridgeway was billed prior to Maitland Ward & Trina [=McGee=], despite their severely reduced roles in the final seasons.

* TheOtherMarty: Originally another actor played Eric in the pilot but he was the same height as Ben Savage so Will Friedle was cast and his parts reshot

** Similarly Topanga's parents were played by the husband-and-wife Michael [=McKean=] and Annette O'Toole [[TheOtherDarrin for one episode]], although their characters' situation is reversed from the above in that [[spoiler: the episode portrays their marriage's disintegration.]]

* RecycledScript: The show wasn't that shy about it, sometimes teaching the same lesson different ways.

** Both Eric and Shawn go on road trips of self-discovery (Eric when he doesn't make it into college, Shawn after his father passes away) with Cory along for the ride. Eventually they get to the point where Cory is ready to go home, but they're afraid to. They end differently though - Eric realises that he has to return to real life, whilst Shawn learns of how proudly Chet spoke of Shawn from another patron at a truck stop & opts to continue on his journey alone, [[spoiler:[[TearJerker although Chet's spirit appears sat next to Shawn in the final scene of the episode]]]].

* ThrowItIn: The crazier Eric got, the more Will Friedle started to improvise and mix things up. Most of the time it worked as Eric is the ONLY funny thing in some of the more serious episodes and in a lot of ways was the funniest character in the show

** Shawn and Cory learn how hard it is to be a girl in "Chick Like Me" and Jack and Eric learn the very same lesson years later in "What a Drag."

* ClassicallyTrainedActor: William Daniels, a renowned film, theater and dramatic television actor, playing the put-upon sitcom neighbor. He admitted he was initially not interested in the role because he thought it would be mocking teachers, the creators understood his concern and Mr. Feeny instead became a legendary character who had more screen time with the kids than with their own parents.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Griff Hawkins (the guy that replaced Harley) is a pre-''Series/ParksAndRecreation'' Adam Scott.
** [[Series/FreaksAndGeeks Linda Cardinelli]] as Lauren, the girl at the ski-lodge that kissed Cory.
** One of Shawn's ex-girlfriends became a [[Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines Terminator]].

** In "Boy Meets Real World", Mr. Feeny says that ''TheGraduate'' is a great film. Mr Feeny's actor William Daniels was also in ''TheGraduate''. In another episode, when Cory is looking for his father's silver glove necklace, Cory is seen scuba diving similar to Benjamin in ''TheGraduate'', with the same POV shot of William Daniels.