“Boy Meets World” creator had to rewrite ‘entire script’ overnight because one star threatened to leave
“Boy Meets World” creator had to rewrite ‘entire script’ overnight because one star threatened to leave
Daysia TolentinoWed, November 11, 2026 at 3:45 PM UTC
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‘Boy Meets World’ cast in 1995Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via GettyKey Points -
Boy Meets World creator Michael Jacobs had to rewrite the pilot script because of William Daniels, who played Mr. Feeny.
Daniels threatened to quit the show after reading the first version of the episode.
Book Meets World: The Definitive Inside Story of the Hit Sitcom Boy Meets World is out now.
Boy Meets World could have looked very different if not for this major last-minute change.
In their new book, Book Meets World: The Definitive Inside Story of the Hit Sitcom Boy Meets World, the teen show’s stars Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, and Will Friedle recount the uncertainty around the pilot.
“I remember it being super stressful, and the script changing completely,” Strong said.
The biggest concern that the producers had was around Mr. Feeny, played by William Daniels, because the actor was unsatisfied after the initial table read. As a result, creator Michael Jacobs had to overhaul the script to appease Daniels, who was “hesitant from the start.”
Daniels “was upset, the network was upset, and Michael was sort of stuck in between the two impulses and ended up rewriting the entire script that night,” Strong further explained. “I remember [Daniels] threatening to leave.”
The 99-year-old had “extremely high” standards and Jacobs worked overnight to write a new script because “he was one of the anchors for the series.” Luckily, his changes convinced Daniels to stay in the role.
“The pilot was filmed, and soon, ABC ordered the series,” the book continued. “It was the chain of events producers dreamed of when trying to get a show on the air.”
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William Daniels as Principal William Feeny in ‘Boy Meets World’Credit: Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty
In his 2017 memoir There I Go Again: How I Came to Be Mr. Feeny, John Adams, Dr. Craig, KITT, & Many Others, Daniels detailed that initial uncertainty about playing Mr. Feeny, confirming that he intended to quit after the first table read. He was dissatisfied with the original version of the pilot script after telling Jacobs ahead of production that he “didn’t want to play a high school teacher who’s made to look foolish for the sake of some cheap laughs.”
“Michael and I are very close. He likes to tell the story that we had one read-through of the rehearsal and I went to his office and I quit. And he said, ‘Bill, that was just a read-through.’ I said, ‘Yeah, but —.’ He said, ‘Listen to me. I’m going to rework this tonight and you tell me tomorrow. If you want to [quit], okay. But wait until I revise it,’” Daniels told PEOPLE in 2017. “So the next day, the whole thing, it was different! He rewrote the damn thing. So, I stayed.”
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Even with Daniels on board though, the Book Meets World authors wrote that “something felt off.” Specifically, the network wasn’t satisfied with Harry Barandes’ casting as Eric Matthews, older brother to protagonist Cory Matthews (Ben Savage). As a result, the hunt was on for a new actor, which is how Friedle landed the gig.
“I kind of hooked onto him then,” casting director Sally Stiner recalled in the book. “I really thought he was special.”
Book Meets World: The Definitive Inside Story of the Hit Sitcom Boy Meets World is out now.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
