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.
