Podcast Review: Pod Meets World

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Laughs and memories

Cons: No cons meet world

The Bottom Line:

Cast watches their show

Shares thoughts, memories with us

For twice weekly smiles

I’m So Glad I Came Up with the Idea for Pod Meets World

Last year, I was lucky enough to hear about Pod Meets World right before it started.  I quickly became hooked on this rewatch podcast and can’t wait for each new episode to come out.

No, I hadn’t heard of rewatch podcasts before I heard of this, but apparently, they are a thing.  In this case, we have three cast members of the 1990’s sitcom Boy Meets World watching each episode in order and discussing it, analyzing what works, what doesn’t work, and what hasn’t aged well.  Plus, they share their memories of filming the episodes.  Additionally, we also get interviews with the cast and crew of the show.

The podcast is hosted by Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, and Will Friedle, aka Topanga Lawrence Matthews, Shawn Hunter, and Eric Matthews.

Which brings us to the elephant in the room, or in this case the actor not on the podcast.  Fans of the sitcom immediately noticed that Ben Savage, aka Cory Matthews, aka the boy of Boy Meets World, isn’t part of things.  As Danielle, Rider, and Will explained, they did invited Ben to join them, and he declined.  Considering he’s focused on a political career right now, I can see why he wasn’t interested in joining – he’s busy working on other things.  There is still a standing invitation to him, and I hope he does join at some point.

However, after five minutes, you won’t think about the fact that Ben isn’t part of it.

Danielle, Rider, and Will have remained friends since the show ended, and you can hear that history in the podcast as you listen.  They are comfortable with each other in a way only 30 years of friendship can deliver.  This also comes through in the “preshow chatter,” aka the discussions they have before the main episode topic.  I’ll admit, sometimes this part gets close to too much information, at least for me.  But that’s an extremely minor complaint.

In a typical week (and there are exceptions every so often), we get two episodes.  Monday morning, we have an interview episode.  The trio sit down with fellow cast member or a member of the behind-the-scenes crew.  Yes, they’ve interviewed many of the main cast members already (although not all of them), but they will also talk to guest stars, sometimes tracking down someone who had a memorable role in one episode, for example.  They’ve talked to tons of people from the crew as well, giving us a glimpse of what it took behind the scenes to see the show we loved each week.  And yes, sometimes these interviews are with someone else who was popular in the 1990’s but had little if any connection to the show.  You know what?  It doesn’t matter.  I can’t get enough no matter who they are talking to.

Thursday mornings, they have the recap episode of the week.  As I said earlier, they dig into each episode in order, talk about their memories from filming it, analyze what works and what doesn’t, and anything else that crosses their minds.  I have a great deal of respect for them – when they talk about the acting, they have nothing but praise for the others on the screen and save their biggest criticisms for themselves.  Of course, it is true that you are your own worst critic, and I usually disagree with their critiques of themselves.

Depending on how familiar you are with the show, you really could just listen to these episodes without rewatching the show yourself.  They do a good enough job of breaking the story down that you won’t get confused by any plot points.  I am rewatching the episodes myself before I listen (and sometimes after if they point out something I want to go back and pay close attention to), and I’m enjoying forming my own opinions and seeing where we agree and disagree.  I am finding my opinions are being influenced by these ongoing discussions, but I think that’s for the better overall.  Although there are times I feel like shouting at them “You are talking about a sitcom!”  When this happens, I at least see where they are coming from, but sometimes I feel like they are expecting a bit too much from the show given that it has twenty-two minutes to tell a story and make us laugh as much as possible.  But it’s never a big deal.

Obviously, if you are looking for something that does nothing but praise the show, this isn’t the podcast for you.  However, this podcast is 97% positive.  They are not tearing down the show just to tear it down.  And they are all gaining a new appreciation for the show as they watch it for the first time from start to finish.  Plus, let’s face it, the show has some weaknesses.  Like continuity, for starters.  They definitely point out things they like to change to things they wish we’d seen more of (I hope someone is working on that time machine), but it is from a place of love.  They aren’t hating on the show, only looking for ways to strengthen it.

This also applies to the behind-the-scenes stories.  There were some power struggles on the show, so not all of these memories or stories told are positive.  Most of these power struggles were from the adults writing and producing the show, so Danielle, Rider, and Will are learning some of these things for the first time, and you can hear as things click into place for them.   But again, this podcast is 97% positive.  They are trying to share what things were really like, but they are not out to be ruin anything for us.  I appreciate the honesty we are getting.  And, let’s face it, life is never perfect, and no job is ever perfect.  I love the balance we are getting.  I’ve also gotten a couple of answers to things I’ve wondered about since I watched the last few seasons when they originally aired.

And, just to be clear, this podcast is a delight.  I can’t think of an episode where I wasn’t smiling for most of the time and laughing several times as I listened.  I will sometimes listen to a portion while I am out walking, and I can only imagine how crazy I look with a big smile on my face, or when I suddenly start laughing.  (You aren’t alone, Will.)  There are plenty of in jokes at this point, too.  (And yes, that does explain my review title.)

The podcast is part of the I Heart Radio Network, which means there are ads.  Yes, I get it, people need to be paid.  My frustration here is that we get the same two or three ads every commercial break.  A little variety would be nice.  And yes, the breaks aren’t always spread out well over the course of the episode.  But, I am more than willing to put up with them given how much I love the pod.

The podcast as been going for a year at this point (and this is how long I’ve been meaning to review it).  We’ve finished season 2 of Boy Meets World and will be diving into season 3 this coming week.  Yes, that means there are a lot of episodes if you haven’t been listening.  Trust me, you’ll breeze through them one after the other.

Each episode is roughly an hour, sometimes shorter, sometimes longer.  I really could listen to them for much longer, so this isn’t an issue for me at all.

I haven’t explored many other rewatch podcasts, but I feel like Pod Meets World has spoiled me for the genre.  If you are even a marginal fan of Boy Meets World, you should be listening to this.  And if you are a huge fan of the sitcom, you’ll absolutely love ever second of it.

I love you all.  Review dismissed.