Matthew Lawrence said returning to the Boy Meets World universe through Girl Meets World was a much stranger experience than his time on the original series. The actor noticed “some dysfunction” among the adults and ultimately decided he likely would not return for more episodes.
Matthew Lawrence recalls “dysfunction” and a strange “retread” on the Girl Meets World set
Lawrence reprised his role as Jack Hunter in a second-season episode of Girl Meets World in 2015. However, reuniting with his former castmates felt unusual because the sequel centered on a younger generation.
Lawrence told Entertainment Weekly, “It was interesting, I can tell you that.” He described the experience as a “retread in a strange way” because he was back with people from an “amazing experience” while watching the focus shift to Cory and Topanga’s daughter, Riley.
He said, “You’re still there with these people, but it’s now focused on the younger kids, which was a totally fine take, but it was very weird. It was very weird.” While Lawrence felt “the kids were doing fine,” he noticed “some dysfunction” in the “adult half of the show.” He admitted that the situation “really bummed me out and made me sad.”
Lawrence said he did one episode and “probably wouldn’t have done more” because “it felt odd.” Still, he declined to reveal specifics, explaining, “I love them all, and I know they’ve all worked it out at this point.” He later added that there was “definitely a tug and a pull between the adults.”
Meanwhile, Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, and Will Friedle have discussed tensions surrounding the spinoff on their Pod Meets World podcast. Fishel said her role became “insignificant … because everything was given to Cory,” while Strong recalled storylines they considered “troubling” and “inappropriate.”
Will Friedle and Rider Strong have also said they were not informed about the sequel before it was announced. “They didn’t tell us Girl Meets World was happening,” Friedle recalled. Strong said he learned about it after receiving congratulatory texts.
Despite the complicated memories, Lawrence is now revisiting his ’90s roots with his brothers. Their graphic novel, The Lawrence Brothers Detective Agency, follows the trio as they search for missing stars from the decade.
