How ‘Boy Meets World’ Star Danielle Fishel ‘Changed the Whole Show’ As Topanga
Boy Meets World, starring Danielle Fishel, Ben Savage and Rider Strong, was a hit coming-of-age TV series that ran from 1993-2000. It provided plenty of young viewers on-screen proxies for their own ups and downs with adolescence and young adulthood. Without a doubt, the element that made the show so meaningful to so many was the connections between the characters.
It’s hard to imagine that the show almost didn’t include one of its most famous couples: Cory and Topanga.
On ‘Boy Meets World,’ Danielle Fishel played Topanga
Boy Meets World is remembered today for its core cast of characters. That includes best friends Cory (Ben Savage) and Shawn (Rider Strong), their teacher Mr. Feeny (William Daniels), and Cory’s brother Eric (Will Friedle). The list would not be complete without Cory’s long-time girlfriend and eventual wife, Topanga (Danielle Fishel).
Topanga was an important part of the series for its entire seven-year run. She first appeared as an eccentric child of hippie parents obsessed with environmental concerns. Later, she developed into a studious and competitive student determined to ace every exam. Along the way, she and Cory began a relationship that would serve as a cornerstone for many of the series’ most important lessons about life, love, and friendship.
Topanga would even become a core character in the three-season reboot Girl Meets World. The show premiered in 2014 and featured Savage and Fishel reprising their roles as Cory and Topanga to tackle parenthood.
Topanga was originally a guest role that transformed
Shockingly, Topanga wasn’t meant to become such a core part of the show. As People reports, Fishel explained that “it was only supposed to be, I think, one episode — possibly a recurring — and then she basically became the rest of the show.”
This may explain why the initial version of Topanga was very quirky and less developed. It also has a tie-in to her unusual name. “I think the truth is there was a woman who created the character of Topanga — she was in the writers’ room — and I think she wanted the character to be a flower child. And she picked the name Topanga because in the San Fernando Valley, where the show was filmed, there is an area called Topanga Canyon, and that canyon was kind of a known hippie hangout.”
That strange flower child ended up getting many more dimensions and is now a beacon of burgeoning adulthood for many ’90s kids.
Danielle Fishel still has ties to ‘Boy Meets World’
In addition to playing Topanga on both Boy Meets World and Girl Meets World, Danielle Fishel has even more ties to the role.
These days, Fishel has teamed up with Strong and Friedle to host Pod Meets World. The popular podcast explores the lore and behind-the-scenes stories from the show. Together, the former castmates bring on guests (including other co-stars) and provide fans with insights into the show that they couldn’t get anywhere else.
As IMDb demonstrates, Fishel has also kept a foot in the world of teen TV series, though she is often behind the cameras instead of in front of them. She has served as a director for many popular shows, including Just Roll With It, Raven’s Home, and Lopez vs. Lopez.
She is also teaming up with her husband, Jensen Karp, on the upcoming Classmates, a comedy-drama that involves identity-switching. Karp serves as the writer, while Fishel will be directing and producing.
Fans may wonder if they’ll ever see Topanga in another role. While Girl Meets World ended, the clear connection between the original cast and the ongoing appreciation from fans means that a revival can’t be completely ruled out.
