“A BS Send-Off”: Boy Meets World Cast Share Conflicted Reactions To A Beloved Discarded Character

The cast of Boy Meets World candidly reacts to Mr. Turner’s one-sentence sendoff. Played by Anthony Tyler Quinn, the character of Jonathan Turner was important in the early seasons of the family sitcom. Appearing in 51 episodes, which went from season 2 to season 4, Turner develops a fatherly relationship with Shawn Hunter (Rider Strong). It makes it all the more jarring when Mr. Turner is abruptly written off the show after getting into a motorcycle accident, with Quinn not reprising the role until the spinoff Girl Meets World.

With the rewatch podcast Pod Meets World revisiting the season 5 finale “Graduation”, which features a joke about the fact that Mr. Turner wanders a part of the school that the protagonists never visit along with other disappeared supporting characters. Danielle Fishel (Topanga) and Will Friedle (Eric) reacted to the Mr. Turner joke, along with Strong, and they shared mixed feelings. While they acknowledged that it was funny, they took issue with Mr. Turner’s absence. Their quotes are below:

Friedle: It is such a joke.

Strong: But it’s harsh.

Friedle: But it is such a good joke. That’s the battle I have inside of me. I’m like, ‘oh god, it’s such a good joke’. But man, it’s harsh. We loved it. I remember, distinctly, all of us like, ‘oh my god, that’s so clever’. But ugh.

Fishel: It’s a BS send-off for a beloved character.

Friedle: It is. It’s a great joke. Unfortunately.

Why Mr. Turner Was Written Off Boy Meets World & What It Meant For The Show

The Actual Explanation Is Not Uncommon

As odd as Mr. Turner’s sudden absence was, with a somewhat grim joke about him being banished to an unseen part of the high school, the reason for it is fairly common. Even though there was an initial plan to focus more on the Shawn and Turner dynamic, it was ultimately decided that the show would head in a different direction now that the main Boy Meets World characters were starting to age up.

Quinn explained his Boy Meets World departure during a previous appearance on the rewatch podcast, reflecting on the difficulty of being let out of his contract with the series. Many years later, Quinn reprised his role for Girl Meets World and Mr. Turner received proper closure. It was explained that he made a full recovery and that he still views Shawn as a son, even recommending Cory (Ben Savage) for a job.

Our Take On The Mr. Turner Joke In Boy Meets World

Thankfully, There Was A Spinoff

Reboots and revivals generally aren’t the best thing for a show’s legacy, and Girl Meets World did suffer from the usual unease of trying to recapture something that was once popular. But one thing the spinoff did well was to close the loop on many of Boy Meets World‘s lingering threads. The joke may have been clever, but a heartfelt conversation between Shawn and his parental figure would have had a greater impact.

Source: Pod Meets World

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In this coming-of-age sitcom, Cory Matthews navigates middle and eventually high school, exploring his relationships with his friends and family and learning life lessons along the way.

Release Date

September 24, 1993

Finale Year

November 30, 1999

Cast

Ben Savage
, William Daniels
, Will Friedle
, Rider Strong
, Lee Norris
, Lindsay Ridgeway
, Danielle Fishel
, Alex Désert
, Maitland Ward

Seasons

7

Writers

Michael Jacobs

Directors

Michael Jacobs

Showrunner

Michael Jacobs

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