Jeff McCracken Meets World: The Finale

Summary

Pod Meets World – "Jeff McCracken Meets World: The Finale"

Date: July 27, 2026
Hosts: Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle, Ryder Strong
Guest: Jeff McCracken (Director, Producer, Actor, Painter)

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Episode Overview

In this milestone episode, the hosts close out their seven-season Boy Meets World rewatch journey by inviting Jeff McCracken, the show's legendary director and producer, for an in-depth discussion. The episode is a reflective, emotionally charged look back at the making of Boy Meets World, spotlighting behind-the-scenes stories, creative regrets and triumphs, and the profound impact the show and its crew have had on those involved—on- and off-screen. Jeff McCracken shares rarely-heard insights about the series finale, explains decisions made in the final seasons, and weighs in on his personal connections and lasting impressions.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reflections on the Series Finale and Clip Show

• The last two episodes were always meant to be a two-part clip show, a decision driven by the need to fit in all the highlights from the series (15:09).
• Writers, producers, and Jeff collaborated closely to select the most impactful clips, ensuring the finale felt both nostalgic and meaningful.
• The cast and Jeff reminisced about the emotional process of filming the final scene, intentionally avoiding rehearsal to capture genuine reactions (46:12).

“The idea of now really saying goodbye was just overwhelming to me.”
— Jeff McCracken (46:12)

2. Unrealized Spin-Offs and Character Directions

• There was internal talk about possible sequel shows, particularly with characters moving to New York (16:05).
• Jeff expressed regret over Eric Matthews’ character arc, wishing the show had leaned further into his intelligence and nuanced personality instead of turning him into broad comic relief.
• The writers’ and producers’ attempts to leave storylines open were motivated by the popularity of the characters.

“For me, I think they missed a huge opportunity... because there were certain episodes where you were really smart... I just thought that we missed a boat on developing your character, Will, in showing off your intelligence.”
— Jeff McCracken (17:28)

3. Actor Self-Reflections and Artistic Growth

• Each host shared what they’d tell their younger selves given the chance:
  • Ryder Strong: Wishes he’d been more present and less distracted by outside ambitions during later seasons; felt let down by repetitive writing for his character (27:09).
  • Will Friedle: Regrets not taking more ownership of Eric’s direction and not advocating for deeper character development, especially as his own mental health battles began affecting his work (30:04).
  • Danielle Fishel: Regrets not pursuing acting classes earlier and internalizing misogynistic beliefs; thanks Jeff for his encouragement and mentorship (32:51).

“One, listen to Jeff McCracken. Because Jeff McCracken tried to tell me over and over again, Danielle, you're good. Get into some classes. Pursue the craft.”
— Danielle Fishel (32:51)

4. The Creative Ecosystem and Behind-the-Scenes Realities

• The show’s quality often reflected how spread thin the creative leadership was, especially as Michael Jacobs and Jeff managed multiple shows (24:04).
• Guest additions like Matt Lawrence (Jack) came from outside deals with Disney, sometimes disrupting story continuity (40:21).
• Jeff lamented continuity errors, like Topanga’s revolving family and double casting, as undermining the show’s authenticity (41:21).

5. Legacy, Writing Staff, and Favorite Moments

• Boy Meets World’s mix of heart, humor, and real life helped make it a lasting favorite, despite its flaws (54:50).
• Jeff praised writers Matt Nelson, Susan Jansen, and David Kendall for balancing comedy, drama, and moral depth (58:18).
• The cast and Jeff agreed Season 4 was their favorite, with “And then there was Shawn” named among the most fun and well-remembered episodes (75:21).
• Blake Clark’s portrayal of Chet Hunter was recognized as a standout guest (77:49).

“The joy that you have in revisiting the show has been so contagious and wonderful. I think that’s the thing I most treasure...”
— Jeff McCracken (79:31)

6. Taping the Final Scene: Emotion and Authenticity

• The decision not to rehearse the classroom goodbye scene (Feeny’s “dream, try, do good, I love you all") allowed raw emotion to shine through. The audience’s reaction was palpable, with audible gasps and tears from everyone on set (47:41, 51:03).
• The cast described the week of the finale as a blur filled with anxiety, nostalgia, and pride (49:10).

“The audience literally gasped. They just were like... so. Yeah. No, no, it was...”
— Jeff McCracken (51:03)

7. Looking Back and Moving Forward

• Jeff was proud but surprised by the show’s enduring popularity and multi-generational fan base.
• The hosts appreciated Jeff’s support and reflected on their own growth, with Jeff imagining a painting blending their young and current selves—a metaphor for their shared journey (64:40).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you could talk to yourselves... was there a particular point in the show that you would want to give yourself advice at this point?”
  — Jeff McCracken (26:11)

• “It’s hard when you’re a child actor. And you’re coming up, and you’re so as talented as you are... It’s not that you take it for granted, but it’s like... It’s all-consuming.”
  — Jeff McCracken (35:02)

• “And the branching out that you’ve done by taking care of this, this, this audience and also this, this format is really inspiring.”
  — Jeff McCracken (63:36)

• “The classic, you know, version would be these... an echo of your younger selves against your older selves.”
  — Jeff McCracken, on painting the cast (64:40)

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Key Timestamps

• 03:50 — 90s Lingo Skit & Reflections on Slang with Jeff
• 14:00 — Welcoming Jeff McCracken; emotional reactions to the finale
• 16:05 — Spin-off/show future rumors and Eric’s character trajectory
• 24:04 — Discussion of creative leadership spread and multiple projects
• 27:09 — Hosts’ retrospective advice to themselves
• 40:21 — Behind-the-scenes of casting and continuity concerns
• 46:12 — Filming the final scene, the choice not to rehearse, and emotions
• 54:50 — Impact and legacy of Boy Meets World on audiences and cast
• 55:49 — Lasting joy and reflections on TV’s imperfections
• 58:18 — Praising the show’s core writers and their influence
• 75:21 — Favorite episodes and guest stars (“And then there was Shawn,” Chet Hunter)
• 79:14 — Jeff’s final thoughts on the podcast and the series’ legacy

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Episode Takeaways

• The Boy Meets World finale was crafted with deep care, emotional authenticity, and thoughtful callbacks to the entire series.
• Jeff McCracken’s influence was foundational: he shaped not only episodes but the personal growth of the young actors.
• The cast’s honest retrospection, mixed with humor and warmth, highlighted the unique challenges and joys of growing up on TV.
• Both triumphs and regrets were acknowledged, but gratitude for the journey—and to each other—remained central.
• The episode stands as a fitting, heartfelt tribute to the behind-the-scenes family that brought Boy Meets World to life and continues to resonate with fans decades later.

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“Pod dismissed. We love you all.”
— Will, Danielle, Ryder, and Jeff (83:11)

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[Summary excludes advertisements, promotional segments, and unrelated content.]

Transcript

[Announcer]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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whole home scented exactly the way you want it.

[Will Friedle]

Visit pura.com wholehome to start building yours. So seeing as it's 1989 and we're about to enter the 90s, I thought we could get a little bit of help from somebody to just kind of make it easier to step into the new decade ahead of us with some of the lingo.

[Danielle Fishel]

Do you want us to tell you what year it is or.

[Will Friedle]

No, I already know what year it is. It's 1989. Okay, the 80s have been rad.

[Ryder Strong]

80s have been radical, but the 80s

[Will Friedle]

have been really been radical and tubular. We all know that.

[Danielle Fishel]

Are both of you insane? What year is it, Ryder?

[Ryder Strong]

What?

[Will Friedle]

Come on, bro.

[Ryder Strong]

Clearly, Will Friedle just told me what year it was, so.

[Will Friedle]

Exactly.

[Ryder Strong]

We're entering a whole new world.

[Danielle Fishel]

Sorry for a second.

[Ryder Strong]

We're entering the 90s.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, there was coffee in there.

[Ryder Strong]

Now there's coffee in your hair.

[Danielle Fishel]

In my hair. Great. Okay, 1989.

[Ryder Strong]

I love.

[Danielle Fishel]

The 80s have been amazing. I'm only eight.

[Will Friedle]

Well, yeah, well, that's great, but this is even better because as you enter the 90s, we're going to be hit with all this new lingo, and I think we should be prepared. So maybe somebody can teach us a little bit about it. Easton, can you. Can you roll that so we can figure out how to speak in the 90s?

[Jeff McCracken]

If you've stayed up with the times, you know that awesome or big time will get the point across. As in, that was an awesome evening segment I just saw. Well, here are some other phrases you want to know if you want to be sure to sound hip in the 90s. Yo. A greeting.

[Will Friedle]

Yo, Curb, what's up?

[Jeff McCracken]

Clutch the Pearls. Said in amazement or disbelief.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, you know, he's married.

[Jeff McCracken]

Clutch the pearls. In the 80s, it was just wasted. I don't know how many I had, but, boy, did I get bucked.

[Will Friedle]

I sure felt it the next morning.

[Jeff McCracken]

That was really the worst thing I'd ever done. I hope you didn't drive home.

[Ryder Strong]

No way.

[Jeff McCracken]

MacGyver is in the TV show where the impossible is often accomplished. I can't believe you got off that speeding ticket.

[Will Friedle]

What a MacGyver.

[Jeff McCracken]

Norville to secretly undermine What? I can't believe she stole your job. You've really been Norville Black and Decker or a real tough assignment? You get the analogy, right?

[Danielle Fishel]

This job is a real grind. It's just a Black and Decker.

[Jeff McCracken]

Some phrases may be around forever. Well, look, I gotta run.

[Danielle Fishel]

Peace.

[Announcer]

Bye.

[Jeff McCracken]

Tom, one last word for words of the 90s. You gotta remember that hip slang changes rather quickly. So if you want to use any of these phrases, you better use them in a hurry. I mean, think of Hart, Simpson. Cowabunga is dreadfully out of date, hardly out of style. And you don't want to appear byzotic, do you?

[Announcer]

What?

[Jeff McCracken]

Bizotic.

[Danielle Fishel]

Byzotic.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay. Yo. Definitely did become popular.

[Danielle Fishel]

Sure.

[Ryder Strong]

For sure.

[Will Friedle]

But when's the last time you Norvilled somebody?

[Danielle Fishel]

That was a real black and decor.

[Ryder Strong]

But also MacGyver did have a moment where you'd be like, you told me MacGyver.

[Danielle Fishel]

You MacGyvered.

[Will Friedle]

They said it.

[Jeff McCracken]

No, the way they said it was

[Ryder Strong]

like you got out of us tricky.

[Danielle Fishel]

What a MacGyver. Yeah. Like you're calling that person MacGyver.

[Ryder Strong]

No to verb. Like you could MacGyver something people. I don't think they still use it how they do.

[Will Friedle]

How did nobody realize as they were shooting that the guy saying, I got so bucked last night and man, I'm hurting this morning. No one was like, let's maybe come up with a different scenario for bucks. I know.

[Danielle Fishel]

Also, I never heard anyone say bucked for drama.

[Jeff McCracken]

Never ever.

[Danielle Fishel]

And what's Norville? Was there a show?

[Ryder Strong]

There must have been a character from something. Yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

That's a weird.

[Will Friedle]

So Norville.

[Jeff McCracken]

Yo.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. Clutch the pearls.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's a.

[Will Friedle]

That's still around kind of, isn't it?

[Ryder Strong]

But that's an old saying. That's like an old timey saying.

[Danielle Fishel]

And I think the use now is like faux outrage. So, like, you know, she was wearing a pink purse with red shoes. Oh, no. Clutch the pearls.

[Will Friedle]

Gotcha. Okay. So there. Yeah. I wanted us to be prepared as we hit the 90s. And these are apparently the big popular slang we're gonna need to know.

[Ryder Strong]

Sure.

[Danielle Fishel]

I mean, I missed Straw de Bright. So. Yeah. It's not my list. It's not on my list of slang.

[Will Friedle]

Norville is.

[Danielle Fishel]

I know. Gotta look that up.

[Will Friedle]

I thought the acting was so great in some of those clips too. I watched that like 10 times. Like, oh, God, this is.

[Jeff McCracken]

Is brilliant.

[Ryder Strong]

There was a. There was a moment where a group of friends from Sebastopol would. You would call each other Stanley, which was like calling them a tool.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, interesting.

[Danielle Fishel]

I kind of remember that.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Stanley.

[Jeff McCracken]

Okay.

[Ryder Strong]

Stanley.

[Danielle Fishel]

Remember cool beans, Stanley.

[Will Friedle]

Cool beans.

[Ryder Strong]

Cool beans is cool.

[Danielle Fishel]

Let's bring that back.

[Ryder Strong]

Cool beans is cool beans.

[Jeff McCracken]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

I have noticed people using heck a lot lately.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, my kids love heck.

[Will Friedle]

Heck. Like as in hell, but not hell. Like what the heck?

[Ryder Strong]

No, but also like heckin.

[Danielle Fishel]

Heckin. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Heckin.

[Danielle Fishel]

Huh? Heck. Yeah. It's a heck of a good time.

[Will Friedle]

Good. Is that just so they don't say the F word?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay. But it's also just a cool earth. I don't know. I don't love it. I like heck.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Heck yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

I think I like Heck yeah because it just, it has a good, like, I mean, it's a good replacement for. Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Keaton says. Keaton says.

[Jeff McCracken]

Dang it.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, dang. It's good.

[Danielle Fishel]

I love Dang it.

[Ryder Strong]

You with Dang it.

[Danielle Fishel]

I with Dang it.

[Will Friedle]

I with Dang it.

[Danielle Fishel]

Welcome to Pod Meets World. I'm Danielle Fishel.

[Ryder Strong]

I'm Rider Strong.

[Will Friedle]

And I'm Bucked.

[Ryder Strong]

I'm Wilfred L. You got bucked last night.

[Will Friedle]

He doesn't even remember it. I got so bucked last night I

[Ryder Strong]

could barely walk today.

[Danielle Fishel]

I hope you didn't drive home.

[Will Friedle]

Of course not. My God.

[Danielle Fishel]

Could barely sit.

[Will Friedle]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Danielle Fishel]

That's POD20. Your home tells a story and scent is part of it.

[Ryder Strong]

With Pura's smart diffusers, every room can have its own fragrance, its own feeling.

[Will Friedle]

Bright and energizing in the kitchen, calm and grounding in the bedroom.

[Danielle Fishel]

Set schedules, adjust intensity and control every diffuser right from the Pura app.

[Ryder Strong]

Your whole home scented exactly the way you want it.

[Will Friedle]

Visit pura.com wholehome to start building yours.

[Danielle Fishel]

Honestly, it's very difficult to impress me, especially when you're talking about bathroom design. Until I saw the Kohler Smart Toilet collection.

[Will Friedle]

Ah, now you're speaking my language. Let's talk about that design. The Kohler Vail Smart Toilet especially has this sleek, sculptured look that feels so elevated and modern it almost doesn't even match what most people picture when they think of a toilet.

[Ryder Strong]

It blends into the space beautifully and somehow makes the entire bathroom feel more luxurious and intentional.

[Danielle Fishel]

And that's what Kohler does so well. They understand that design isn't just about how something looks, it's about how it changes your everyday experience.

[Will Friedle]

Even routines you normally don't think about can feel more elevated with thoughtful innovation behind them.

[Ryder Strong]

The Kohler Smart Toilet collection really feels like proof that great design can transform the way a space looks and feels without ever sacrificing function.

[Danielle Fishel]

It's subtle, modern and ready to make everyday life easier and more enjoyable.

[Will Friedle]

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[Danielle Fishel]

Over the past four years and seven seasons of recaps, we hope you've not only learned more about the show Boy Meets World, but you've also gotten to know the people who made it possible. The folks you didn't see on screen are, in most cases even more important than those you did. Making a TV show is hard. Making a good one is sometimes impossible. It's vital to have strong contributors in departments like wardrobe, hair and makeup, stage managers, script supervisors, props, the writer's room. The list goes on and on and on. Without a well oiled machine and a strong showrunner, it would be very difficult to produce a show that warrants a Rewatch podcast 30 years later and today, as we approach the final episode of Boy Meets World, to recap, there's only one person from that legendary crew we wanted to talk to. He's not only the last person to ever yell cut on the Boy Meets World stage. As the director of the clip show Adjacent two part series finale, he was also around for the entire journey, watching us walk in as bright eyed teens and leave as jaded 20 somethings. He shaped our performances, but more importantly, he shaped our lives. While on tour, we had numerous listeners talk to us about our guest this week. About how calming and caring he seems, how it's obvious he was the protection we needed on set, how he nurtured our interests outside the soundstage and hoped we'd flourish into creative adults. How we're lucky to have him. When he came to one of our live shows and fans asked to take pictures with him in the audience, we couldn't help but smile. We get it. He rules this week to Close out our Boy Meets World recaps. We are talking to actor, producer, director and painter. It's our guy. Jeff McCracken, ladies and gentlemen.

[Jeff McCracken]

Jeff McCracken. Jeff McCracken.

[Will Friedle]

You know him, you know him from that volleyball show, Chicago Cop volleyball.

[Jeff McCracken]

So, Jeff McCracken. Oh, God.

[Danielle Fishel]

We were in our last episode, we were doing, we were talking about, we had some little stings that we dropped in. Easton dropped in for us and Ryder said he wanted to use the Christopher Nolan dramatic.

[Ryder Strong]

You know how like all the trailers nowadays, there was a man on a planet. So now we're just throwing it in everywhere, everywhere we can can Jeff Kraken.

[Will Friedle]

There it is still horrifying.

[Ryder Strong]

It makes it important. It's meaningful.

[Will Friedle]

It's still horrifying.

[Danielle Fishel]

Welcome, Jeff.

[Jeff McCracken]

Well, I'm for Clempt. I just watched the episode. You know, I'm for cl. I, I, I gotta tell you guys, it was just a trip. Yeah, a trip.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, a trip.

[Ryder Strong]

We were actually surprised to realize that it was a clip show that like the last two episodes were all really.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

Oh, you don't remember that?

[Ryder Strong]

No, no, no.

[Danielle Fishel]

And we did have a question for you. Will had made the, made the, I guess you suggested that. Did we shoot 1 and 2 as one episode and then later they decided to split it?

[Jeff McCracken]

No, it was always intended to be split.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[Ryder Strong]

And all the clips were supposed to be there.

[Jeff McCracken]

Yeah, yeah. They knew, they, it was a Disney ABC thing and they knew that to put all those clips in it would take more than 22 minutes. So, so they were totally on board for a two parter. I mean it was kind of where it was going. We, we knew it because the minute we, when Matt Nelson wrote it, you know, he had to, he had to address all those clips and, and in the script it was just insert scripts here, clips here. It did.

[Will Friedle]

In fact, that's what we're talking about. I didn the script actually saying like, okay, this is where we're going to put a clip. This is where we're going to put

[Jeff McCracken]

Karen McCain and, and the producer and, and Matt and Michael and me and Marco. We all sat and we, you know, we grabbed all these clips. We knew, we knew pretty much what we were going to use, you know, so that's when we were going, oh, well, you know, to write the scene, you knew you had to back it up with Eclipse. You had to top it with Eclipse. It's to have meaning. So we knew where those clips were. We knew the basic, you know, what we needed to grab. Okay. Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay. So can you weigh in on the question that we've had? Do you remember how much discussion there was about a sequel show that we were setting up potentially with like us in New York? Like, was that already being talked about?

[Jeff McCracken]

It was bantered about. I mean, you never close a door, especially when you guys are as popular as you were. So the idea was. Yeah, you always leave the door open. I don't. That's why it was sort of truncated with, with Will going to New York, all of a sudden you going to. There was no lead up to that. There was no story. There was. I shouldn't, I shouldn't spoil anything for the second episode. But Part two. But, but, but bottom line, that's the genesis of that was always to say, look, these guys are so beloved and we're in such a hit show that yeah, you, you wanna, you know, that show had run its course. So you guys are off into the new world, the new land. And so that was going to be explored and I think Will was going to. Eric was going to become a,

[Will Friedle]

A birthday clown.

[Jeff McCracken]

No. Well, a professional cuddler who was actually a serial killer. Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

No,

[Jeff McCracken]

no, no.

[Will Friedle]

I think I remember Michael telling me that it was that Eric was gonna become New York's biggest birthday clown. Yeah, like that was, he was like, that's how we meet you. We see you on the subway and you're in a full thing of balloons and you're dressed like a full clown. And he was like, he was trying to sell me on it. I remember just being like, this doesn't sound fun at all.

[Jeff McCracken]

That was total bs, you know that. But no, you know, in fact, you're bringing something up very close to me, which is, which is, you know, your character and watching the show now all seven seasons. And I'll start with you first. Your character. For me, I think they missed a huge opportunity or we, we did on, on. Because there were certain episodes where you were really smart and you got it, you keyed into everything and, and there was a beautiful moment at the end in this, in this two parter where you and Feeny connect and it's, it's a beautiful moment about your intelligence and about your potential and everything else and, and forget me if I get emotional talking about this show because I just watched it and I'm telling you, it really affected me deeply. Really did. I love you guys so much and the show and the characters, I mean, just you guys were so brilliant anyway, but I just thought that we missed a boat on developing your character, Will, in showing off Your intelligence. It would have been such a better character to have this dichotomy of him. You really being really smart.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[Jeff McCracken]

And, and, and showing that almost autistic. You're like. You have this dynamic of intelligence that your potential and your character and your joie de vivre is such that you just can't help yourself, you know? Right, right. That was the thing that I always felt. I watch all the shows now and I'm listening to you guys talk and examine and, and criticize the show and take it apart and, and it really, it really, you know, it was. It's a big miss for me.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, I, I agree. And it's funny that you say that Eric clearly was on the spectrum. Yeah, I mean, he really. He really was. And to play that up in a different way in the last couple seasons would have been interesting.

[Ryder Strong]

We.

[Will Friedle]

We always talk about. One of the things that I think would have helped a lot would have been giving him some sort of a relationship, you know, yes. Man, woman, whatever, but giving him something to, you know, to kind of ground him a little more than he was. And, and I get why they were doing what they were doing. You know, they were kind of floating Eric from scene to scene to come in with a big hard laugh. So I like, I understood it. But, yeah, I agree with you. 100. I would. I would like to have seen more season five ish Eric.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. Which also was when Eric was in his most. Most scenes with Feeny, which was such a great dynamic. So, like, if I had the time machine, you know, I would get rid of the entire, you know, Rachel Jack storyline. It's as much as, you know, I feel bad saying that, but Eric becoming a teaching assistant with Feeny would have been like an amazing dynamic. You know, like some workplace dynamic with Feeny and Eric at the college together would have been enough. Like, that would have been enough. And then you could have guest. Guest stars come in and create all kinds of stuff. But I feel like our cast got so big, you know, like, we added Trina, Rachel, Jack, and then you just feel like, you know, Alan and Amy drop off, Feeny drops off, and it's.

[Jeff McCracken]

It's too bad Tony and Alex were eliminated, which really, really missed. I mean, I really missed that dynamic.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

But, you know, it's interesting in terms of. Of the era character. One of the things that I really enjoyed in all the episodes and some of the scenes, you know, really stuck with me. But the show that I love working with you the most with Will was, was when you became the Weatherman.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

I love those episodes.

[Jeff McCracken]

It showed you. It showed everybody that you were not just a, you know, a good time.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

So, you know, you have real gravitas as a character, and that's what I really missed from that perspective. And, you know, they would key into it here and there, but sometimes it was just too short shrifted for me.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

Too ad hoc.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. No, I agree. And I think they tried to pull it back a little bit at the end with the Brotherly Shove episode. Is that what it was with the. With cleaning out the garage? But yeah, it was a little. A little too much. A little, little too, little too late, I think with. With Eric towards the end there.

[Jeff McCracken]

And also your scenes with Rusty were always superb.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. Yeah, I loved working with him.

[Jeff McCracken]

Just, just great, great, you know, quid pro quo there and, and, and, you know, he's a great grounding force for you and you gave him such stuff to work with too. A really, a great, A great give and take.

[Will Friedle]

But.

[Jeff McCracken]

Yeah, but that's, that's the only, only thing other than that you just, you know, your character was brilliant. You brought, you brought, you know, you brought the joy every time. You brought it every time. You just hit it.

[Will Friedle]

But we can still. I mean, we talked about this the last time you were on, but we can still tell by our performances. A Jeff McCracken episode. Oh, yeah, we can.

[Ryder Strong]

We just, we're just more comfortable.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. We don't even. It's like we just. We are. We're a different cast. When you were directing the show, I mean, we just were.

[Danielle Fishel]

Do you remember the conversation around it being. Was it just a given that of course you were going to direct the finale? Like, how did that conversation come about?

[Jeff McCracken]

Very interesting. Because I had left the company. I had left. I just was directing NYPD Blue at the time, so. And I was, I had, I had come back. Michael asked me to come back, direct the last show, and I was available, so I said absolutely. So I had missed, really, season seven, you know, a great deal. I came back, I think, and directed maybe one or two earlier, and it shows.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Because season seven is not our best.

[Will Friedle]

No.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

This is also. We've talked about it. Directing wise. This was the season of, hey, my friend lives down the street and wants to come direct an episode, so we're gonna, we're gonna let him. And it was kind of like, okay. And, and I like. It's nice that other people were getting opportunities, certainly, but there was no continuity you could tell.

[Ryder Strong]

Well, I have a question to that. Then Jeff. So when you say you left the company because you had been working under Michael Jacobs Co. And you had been on the feature side doing producing. Right. Like helping produce Quiz show and find product and stuff. But so when you, even when you weren't directing, you were in the office, always around. So were you. You were always part of the creative conversation surrounding Boy Meets World.

[Jeff McCracken]

I wouldn't say always, you know, because lots of times when I was doing Dinosaurs, for instance, I wasn't involved with Boy at all for the first two seasons. I mean, the run throughs. I would come to the shows, but I wasn't involved in that creative process at Gotcha.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. And at this point now, he had directed Dinosaurs. You wish. Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane and then had gone on to NYPD Blue, so.

[Jeff McCracken]

Right, man. Yeah. And I did. Yeah. And so, so the idea for me was it my, my focus was features at first, Dinosaurs and then the features. But then when I got a boy, it became Boy. I mean, I just loved it. I just found a home there. I was just the best. And, and then, then I, then we started developing the other shows and that's when I, my, my, my again, my attention was, you know, hiring writing staffs for all the other shows and developing new material and, and storylines, all that stuff for the other shows. So it became very fractured and I think it shows, I think it shows in terms of the focus on Boy because we had some great writers, don't get me wrong, and I love our writers. But, but just, there's just so much attention you can give. And Michael was just torn. He had like four shows on the air at one time. Yeah, yeah, it was just crazy. And I don't know how he did it, but I, you know, or I, as my wife said, I never saw you, you know, you were gone.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Jeff McCracken]

Basically seven years. But, but I, you know, it was just, it was great time, great, great, you know, amount. And I credit you guys for holding the fort every show. You know, bringing it, bringing it. Your characters were always, you know, front and center and, and delible. And watching the last episode, these last two episodes, it's amazing how your characters are just so iconic. They become almost archetypal, you know, just amazing.

[Announcer]

Yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

Amazing characters. And you brought it off through the. And bad. Your podcasts have been just sensational. Let me just tell you something. I've learned so much listening to them so much. It's been great. Sometimes, you know, not so great, but.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Is there. Okay, so when, when do you. Has there been a time that you've been screaming at your radio because we clearly have got something horribly wrong.

[Announcer]

So wrong.

[Will Friedle]

And you're like, oh, my God, that's not even close.

[Jeff McCracken]

I have to say, it's on the other side of that. I've been surprised more often how right you were and how astute you are and. And. And from your perspective and seeing it in hindsight, you know, that's. That's. That's why, you know, I look at you as adults now, and you're. You've got families, and you're married, and you. It's like you have a totally different viewpoint of this, of the show now. And that's what's been so refres. Refreshing to hear you talk about it, not only from your personal standpoint, but also as adults looking back. And that gives me an idea of asking you if you could talk to yourselves. You may have already addressed this and maybe some podcasts, but if you could address yourself as your yourself back in the day. Now, granted, it was seven years of growth. Was there a particular point in the show that you would want to give yourself advice at this point?

[Ryder Strong]

I mean, for me, it's just clearly, like, be present. Like, because by season six, I'm so half in it as an actor. I can see it, you know, like, because when I. Because it's so. You know, when I. Before we did the podcast, when I remembered Boy Meets World, I remembered season six and seven. And so it was such a surprise to go back and see how good the show was out of the gate and also to be impressed with little Ryder and be like, dude, Ryder, you were bringing it. Like, there's something cool here that you were doing. And, like, especially we got into season two and three with you directing. I was like, oh, my God, this is like, you know, all the Tony stuff, I was like, this is great stuff. Like, you should be proud of this. Why did I spend so much time. And then I get to season six, I'm like, that's why. Because I stopped caring, you know, Like, I wanted to go to college. I was going to college, and I'm. I feel like it was a missed opportunity, you know, because I look at, like, what Will was doing, which was just committing wholehearted. Like, this is your career, man. This is your life, you know? But I was 17. I wanted to do other things, to be, you know, I wanted to, like, break out and become a different person. And I felt that the show was holding me back, and I would love to go back and tell, you know, little Rider, like, it's not gonna hold you back, dude. You could still be great in the show and go to college. Like, you know, you just show up when you're there and, like, actually. But I'm kind of half, and that sucks. You know, that's a bummer as an artist.

[Jeff McCracken]

You're half, though, is kind of plays into the cool character of.

[Will Friedle]

Sure.

[Danielle Fishel]

Seriously, claim it as a choice.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, no, it's.

[Ryder Strong]

I actually think, unfortunately, they didn't know how to write to me anymore because we talked about on the podcast, Sean just became generic angst. Right. Like, emotional inability to express himself. And, like, that's actually very uninteresting to watch, I would say. And I think that they were better versions of that earlier when I was younger and with Tony and, like. And I think as the older, they got lazy, and I got lazy, and so Sean just kind of became this, like, I just can't deal. No, Angela, I'm not ready for this. It's like, well, let's dig a little deeper. Let's find. You know, And I think if I had been more present as an actor, they also would have been more present. We would have, like, met somewhere more interesting. So, you know, but, yeah, it bums me out.

[Jeff McCracken]

I get that. You know, and I totally support that. I think you're right in the sense that. But I think from a writer's standpoint, I think they let the ball down. I. I think they dropped the ball with you in. In respects to not giving you the next step of your development. Right, right. You know, they kept you kind of, you know, one tone.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. We all got stuck on it.

[Jeff McCracken]

And that's when you get. And then. And it's not that your fault that you got kind of like, well, what am I doing here? You know, I'm doing the same thing, you know?

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Jeff McCracken]

Give me something challenging, and I'll, you know, you'll meet the bar. I know you would. Right. You all did every time.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Jeff McCracken]

You know.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, do you want to go?

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. Mine would be exactly what we talked about. I'd go back to probably season six, the start of season six. And I. I wish I took more ownership over Eric. Meaning, like, I would like to have gone. I don't. Other than to kind of shoot the. And hang out and have some fun. I never really made. Other than once or twice, went to the writers room and was like. Like, this is what I'd like to do. This is where I'd like to see the character going. This is what I. And so I would do that if I could go back and do it again because I would have grounded Eric a lot more in season seven. But this is. You know.

[Jeff McCracken]

Did you not feel you could do that?

[Will Friedle]

It wasn't that I did. You know, it wasn't that I didn't feel I could. It was always an open room to where, you know, it was never like, oh, we. We're not allowed in there. So I certainly wouldn't have. Didn't feel that way. By that point, my mental illness had kicked in something fierce between season six and seven. So that was a whole nother reason. But even before that, I prided myself on the idea of, no matter what you give me, I'll make it funny. And that's probably, as an actor, not the way to go. It should be more. Let's work on the character and make sure, you know, this is so asinine. Like, again, by sneezing the lottery numbers, it's kind of like, I would love to have gone and been like, guys, this is where this is now. Absurd. Let's. Let's. Let's ground it. Let's give him somewhere to go. But that was. I mean, that's on me as an actor. I didn't. It was. You know, I. Somebody once said of me, you're the funniest, laziest actor I've ever met in my life. And I think that's probably accurate where it was just. I wasn't really putting in a ton of work. I was putting in work on the set, but I wasn't. It became so easily for me that I wasn't taking acting classes. I wasn't working on the craft, which is something that you need to do. This is.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Being the cute kid that can be in a Skittles commercial only takes you so far. And eventually you have to say, no.

[Danielle Fishel]

This is.

[Will Friedle]

This is important. This is something that needs study. It needs reflection. It needs to break down a character. I need to learn how to do all this. And I never took ownership of my career in that way. I just guided on the. I can smile and be funny, and that's. You know, I can glide on that.

[Ryder Strong]

Well, because you're not gliding. You're succeeding. I mean, that's the thing. We're getting paid very well. We are. You know, we're. We're at the height of our.

[Danielle Fishel]

I'm so happy you guys were getting paid very well. Must be nice.

[Will Friedle]

It was great, Danielle. It was really.

[Danielle Fishel]

Tell me more about what that was like.

[Will Friedle]

But it's true. So, yeah, I would have. I would have Taken it more ser. I felt like I took it seriously, but I also felt like I was so living my dream that I didn't. I wasn't thinking two moves ahead. I was playing checkers when I should have been playing chess.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, it's being a child actor, man. You know, I mean, that's just like, we just. If. If you come to acting as an adult, that's just part of the. You just know that because you have to keep working at it. When you have the luck that we did and the chances that we did, it does. It's. It sets you in a mode. It's unfortunate.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

I would probably tell myself a couple. I would tell myself a couple things. One, listen to Jeff McCracken. Because Jeff McCracken tried to tell me over and over again, Danielle, you're good. Get into some classes. Pursue the craft. Learn the craft. And I watching season six and seven, which are by far my least favorite episodes of the show, I am clearly, though, the most comfortable. Even though I was uncomfortable in my skin as an actor, I was way more comfortable and I was funny, even if I wasn't being given, like, I was supposed to be the straight man to Corey's comedy. But I. I did a lot with that, and I had really great moments that I just didn't allow myself to acknowledge or feel good about because I was so focused on feeling uncomfortable, comfortable in my skin. And so, one, I would say, like, absolutely, get into classes and develop that more. Figure out who you are outside of this one written character. And then, two, I would also have told myself that you do not realize it now, but you will realize it later, that you have internalized a lot of patriarchal and misogynistic beliefs and a lot of the things you think are being shaped by men who are telling you that's the way you should think. And it's actually like, pick me girl behavior that you're eventually going to grow out of and see. See beyond. And so that's also. That was also shaping a lot of the way I felt about myself and about the show.

[Will Friedle]

That's not right. Danielle, let me tell you how you felt.

[Danielle Fishel]

Go ahead, Will. Thank you. I do. I appreciate you helping me. So Funn.

[Jeff McCracken]

Slap them. Just the best.

[Danielle Fishel]

Just the best. Absolute best. That's why I love these guys. So, yeah, that's what I would go back and say to.

[Jeff McCracken]

That's really interesting because, you know, at the bottom, you know, you're. It's hard to. Writer's point. It's hard when you're a Child actor. And you're coming up and you're so as talented as you are and your instincts are running, are so good, all of you, that you, you do. It's not that you take it for granted, but that it's like you're getting paid. You're. Week to week. It's, it's, It's a grind. You. Do you have even time to think? I mean, do you even have time to consider anything else? You're going to school, you're, you're, you know, you're living a life. You're. You're doing the show. It's all consuming. And so I, you know, give yourselves a break, you know. Yeah, but, but I love your thoughts. I mean, I love, I love, I love, you know, you're talking to yourselves like that because, you know, I. It resonates really hard, really well in all the podcasts that you've been doing, you know, it just resonates. It just, it's there. But I apologize for the misogynistic dynamic of the show.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, no, it wasn't. I mean, certainly there are. Yeah, certainly there are moments. But overall, I don't necessarily walk away from the show. You know, I mean, maybe. Maybe in some seasons more than others,

[Jeff McCracken]

we should have gone to, you know,

[Danielle Fishel]

first of all, yes, that's true.

[Jeff McCracken]

Definitely. I mean, they. Or they should have had a better out for you to stay because. Because. Or not go. Because it was. That's where I felt the leverage of the common sense of the character felt faltered. For me, you know, was not Topanga. That was not, Was not earned. And so it had to have been earned for bet in a, In a, in a better way for you to say, I'm not going to. Going to go to Yale. Yeah, yeah, totally.

[Will Friedle]

Speaking. Speaking on that, were you there, And I apologize if we covered this on an earlier podcast, but were you there for any of the discussion of changing Topanga from hippie to kind of the girl she becomes?

[Jeff McCracken]

Well, I think it was an evolution by virtue of notes from both the network and the studio and, and also the dynamic of do we want to keep, like, do we want to limit her growth by keeping her just in one subset of being the hippie, dippy girl? You know, I think the idea was to bring her along, and she's a smart cookie, so the idea is she's smarter than Corey. So the idea was to always her be the foil for him. And sometimes, you know, you know, she really. You really grew in. You know, Topanga really grew into a wonderful woman. Yeah, I mean, she, even as a small girl, she was already formed in her sensibilities, and that's what was so wonderful. And it made Corey very immature in a lot of ways. So gave. It was a great, you know, a great backstop for him. That's why as the series got into the other seasons, I found that they lost that with you. You, you know, you became more of service to Corey and his story as opposed to your story. Yes, that's where I, I fault the show for that. And, and, you know, those are the seasons I wasn't around. But, but also I, you know, I see it. I see it clearly now. You know, that's a shame. It's a shame for me.

[Danielle Fishel]

Do you know, did anyone ever kind of push back during season seven, maybe slightly confused by character motivation changes? Like, was there anyone. What was the morale of the show like at the time? The, the writers room?

[Jeff McCracken]

I really wasn't in around seven seasons, so I can't really put my finger on it. But, you know, when I came back to the show, when I did the other two shows, I saw it was happening, and I was going, okay, you know, this is, this is where we are right now. And I was just trying to salvage what I could. And then the last, when I was doing the clip show, I was so enamored with all the clips, you know, that I almost lost sight of what was happening in the show.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[Jeff McCracken]

Because it just seemed like, oh, well, they've earned all these decisions this season, all the shows. And I thought, well, they must have earned, you know, Will going to New York and, you know, going to New York and, and, and Corey taking it about a face and all this. And I said, well, then this is, this is, you know, and then Jack going off to the Peace Corps with, with, with Mason. I, I, you know, it's just Rachel, I mean, I just. So I just thought, oh, this is what's happening. You know, they've earned this. But they, I don't know that they had. I mean, I, I look at it. Oh, this was just a quick bow they put on this on the show for, for what Ryder was saying, you know, earlier about a sequel possibly.

[Will Friedle]

And so wait, you weren't there for most of seven, but you were there when Matt came on in season five, right? I mean.

[Jeff McCracken]

Oh, yeah, yeah. So I hired Matt. I hired him that.

[Will Friedle]

Well, that's my question. What is. How did that come about? Was that. Was he seemed a bit like a Disney network note where it's like, hey, Matt, Lawrence is available. Let's put him on the show. Or was, or did you guys go after Matt Lawrence and then same for Maitland. Like where, how did those.

[Ryder Strong]

He thought you meant Matt Nelson.

[Will Friedle]

Oh yeah, yeah. No, no, no, Lawrence.

[Jeff McCracken]

Matt Lawrence. That was a thing whereby, you know, these actors have like these, these overall deals with, with studios, you know, and so Matt had a deal with Disney. You know, they were gonna, they wanted to develop a show for Matt. And so that's how that evolved. It was like, well, you got Matt, put him on our show, you know, and then they found the, the inn to make him, you know, the brother. So one of the things I also am remiss about is, is, is Danielle having, you know, Topanga having six or three different sets of parents, older sisters disappearing and this and that. I mean and, and double casting and with, with Morgan. There are things like that that were just, were really disturbing to me overall, you know, just as continuity, because the show took itself. The show was really grounded and it had a real authenticity to it. So that, to throw these kind of things in there, it was jarring. It still jars me, you know, when I watch it. But, but those are things that were political and financial and all those other things.

[Danielle Fishel]

So yeah, we had no, we couldn't control any of that.

[Will Friedle]

A lot of you might not know this but, but I'm the world's best grandpa.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's right. He has a shirt that says so.

[Will Friedle]

And now with a newborn in our family, I'm all about finding safe, stylish and affordable car seats and strollers.

[Ryder Strong]

And that's where Joy comes in. What started in the UK as an award winning baby gear brand and number one car seat made its way to the US two years ago. And it's quickly becoming a household name.

[Will Friedle]

Especially the Joy Pepper Spin Si rotating car seat.

[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryder Strong]

It has four modes of use from birth to big kid, meaning this is the only car seat you'll need and

[Will Friedle]

even a grandpa like me can install it. It has two quick and easy installation options with labels on the car seat and how to videos to ensure a secure pain free install.

[Ryder Strong]

And with easy to remove machine washable fabrics, you're ready for all of life's unexpected messes.

[Will Friedle]

And we have a special promo for our listeners. Get 20% off on joybaby.com's entire site from now until October 15, 2026.

[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

Visit pura.com wholehome to start building yours.

[Danielle Fishel]

Honestly, it's very difficult to impress me, especially when you're talking about bathroom design. Until I saw the Kohler Smart Toilet collection.

[Will Friedle]

Ah, now you're speaking my language. Let's talk about that design. The Kohler Vail Smart Toilet especially has this sleek, sculptured look that feels so elevated and modern, it almost doesn't even match what most people picture when they think of a toilet.

[Ryder Strong]

It blends into the space beautifully and somehow makes the entire bathroom feel more luxurious and intentional.

[Danielle Fishel]

And that's what Kohler does so well. They understand that design isn't just about how something looks, it's about how it changes your everyday experience.

[Will Friedle]

Even routines you normally don't think about can feel more elevated. With thoughtful innovation behind them.

[Ryder Strong]

The Kohler Smart Toilet Collection really feels like proof that great design can transform the way a space looks and feels without ever sacrificing function.

[Danielle Fishel]

It's subtle, modern, and ready to make everyday life easier and more enjoyable.

[Will Friedle]

Experience the difference of Kohler Smart Toilets. Find [e-mail] dry eyes still feel gritty,

[Announcer]

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[Danielle Fishel]

Dancing with the Stars is looking for a new pro and since last season I came in eighth place. Case I'm basically an expert.

[Will Friedle]

Easy there.

[Jeff McCracken]

I've spent my entire life in the ballroom, so maybe you could use some help.

[Danielle Fishel]

I'm Danielle Fishel.

[Jeff McCracken]

And I'm Val Chmerkovsky and we have

[Danielle Fishel]

a new podcast called Stepping on Toes with Danielle and Val.

[Jeff McCracken]

Every week we're breaking down Dancing with the Stars, the next pro. To find out who I'll be sharing the ballroom with next season, I'll be

[Danielle Fishel]

asking the questions every fan is thinking

[Jeff McCracken]

and I'll take you behind the choreography, the judging, the performances, and what it takes to complete compete in front of millions.

[Danielle Fishel]

Plus, we'll be joined by some very special guests.

[Jeff McCracken]

It's time to crown a new Dancing with the Stars pro. So let us be your guides to this once in a lifetime opportunity.

[Danielle Fishel]

Do you think I could win?

[Jeff McCracken]

No.

[Danielle Fishel]

Listen to stepping on toes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What are some of your memories about that final week of taping? Like being on set with us, our emotions, the decision to not rehearse the final scene all week. What, what do you remember about those conversations?

[Jeff McCracken]

Well, I know that I'd come back from NYPD Blue, and as I walked on the set, I mean, we did the table read and whatnot. And I don't know if you remember this, Will, but we had, we had rehearsed a lot of the show and I was backstage and I was very emotional. I was just, just kind of like being quiet. And I don't know if I don't, you probably don't remember this well, but you were walking to the set and we locked eyes and I'll never forget the look you gave me. And boy, it was, it was very powerful. And it summed up my entire feeling about leaving you guys, you know, and having left you guys and then coming back. And I think the idea of, of now really saying goodbye was just overwhelming to me.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

And so that's why in rehearsing that last scene, I did not want to go near it because this is, and, and, and I have to say that scene was just unbelievable. I don't know how Bill held it together. I don't know how he, he held it together. I mean, he, I, I, I noticed that what he would, Bill would do is he would take his fingers and rub them, you know, at his side. And whenever he got emotional or, you know, it was, was in, in his, in his groove. And I noticed he did a lot of that.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, he's doing a lot of finger rubbing.

[Jeff McCracken]

A lot of finger rubbing. Keep his comfort, composure. Because I was, I was marveled at him. And also, also Ben, too, not breaking in that final moment. So there's a credit to all of you. I mean, the first hug that you gave him, I'm getting the second episode.

[Danielle Fishel]

It's fine. We remember the Scene. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Will Friedle]

That's one that's pretty indelible. I mean, I don't remember getting up to the scene. Like the only thing that the three of us literally remember, two things about the second episode, Ben or Corey now talking to his 38 year old little brother who was a baby two episodes before. And, and then the final scene with Feeny. That's. That's it. Like none of us remember anything else about the episode. So it's. That's gonna be an interesting one to watch.

[Jeff McCracken]

Yeah, it'll be interesting. Yeah, it's all good. It's all good. But yeah, yeah, it'd be interesting. It'll be interesting.

[Danielle Fishel]

How old is the Joshua character when he comes out into the backyard? Would you. Is he four, five?

[Jeff McCracken]

Yeah, I'd say he's like four, which is ridiculous.

[Will Friedle]

Smoking a cigar.

[Jeff McCracken]

Well, that was, it was Michael's son, you know.

[Will Friedle]

I know, I know, I know. But did that.

[Ryder Strong]

Did we have a kid earlier in the week and then they pulled the kid and Mike. Oh, it was always going to be Michael's son.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

Michael said, Daniel's gonna be in the show.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

Okay.

[Will Friedle]

He's driving himself to set tomorrow.

[Jeff McCracken]

But, you know. Yeah, I remember Danny coming to the set and, and working with them and he was just, you know, a kid in the headlights. He was like. He looked around, could never, you know, focus. But he was very sweet. It was a very sweet scene.

[Danielle Fishel]

Did we do that final scene with Bill saying his iconic line, Believe in yourselves, dream. Try do good. And I love you all. Class dismissed. Did we do that in front of the audience?

[Will Friedle]

I think we did, yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

It was the last scene we did on the show. Last show?

[Will Friedle]

I think so.

[Jeff McCracken]

Absolutely. Absolutely. We did. I remember the audience was just on pins and needles.

[Danielle Fishel]

I mean, I don't remember that's how long.

[Ryder Strong]

You don't remember it really?

[Jeff McCracken]

I do.

[Danielle Fishel]

I don't remember the audience. I remember this. I remember the, the emotion and being in the scene with all of you. But as far as I remember, it was just us on a set alone, robot camera operators.

[Ryder Strong]

Like, I don't.

[Danielle Fishel]

I have no. It was as if we were in a vortex.

[Ryder Strong]

I have a very clear visual memory of sitting off stage, looking at the set and thinking, this is the last time we're gonna be in the classroom.

[Will Friedle]

And it was the same side as the audience. Didn't they rebuild the set on the same side?

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. So we were off to the left of the audience.

[Danielle Fishel]

Correct. Yep, I remember that.

[Ryder Strong]

I remember just like being all tense and Nervous. And I remember being worried because we'd never rehearsed the story scene. And then. We rehearsed it, or we did it, we all lost it. And then I remember the big debate was, do we need to do another take or not? Because Bill had done this thing where he went to shake my hand before. Right. And that was the big debate. And everyone was like. And I remember, Jeff, I think you were like, I can't do it to them. We're not doing it.

[Jeff McCracken]

I'm not doing it. And. And that's a beautiful moment, you know, so.

[Announcer]

So.

[Jeff McCracken]

So is an. Accidents of the best. The best. Yeah. Always the best things that happen. Accidents are. I live for acc.

[Will Friedle]

Accidents.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

So.

[Jeff McCracken]

So. And also. Yeah, Daniel, I'm surprised because when you. You were the first one to hug Bill.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

The audience literally gasped. They literally went. They just were like, so. Yeah. No, no, it was.

[Will Friedle]

I remember walking off the set, Bill is still walking through the classroom and about to say the iconic line, and we're just trying not to audibly cry. We're all galling, and we're kind of. We're holding each other in that little hallway right outside the set, and we're hugging each other as he's doing the line. That's. I remember that more than almost anything from the entire night. That's, like, kind of all I remember, because it is. It became such a blur of it. I mean, it's like you can equate it to school or whatever you want, but it's on Thursday night. This has been your life for seven years. And you wake up Friday morning and you're like, never doing that again. And it's very, very odd where again then you. But I guess you never know because girl meets world, you get to.

[Danielle Fishel]

To.

[Will Friedle]

You get to do it again. But it was.

[Jeff McCracken]

How many years was it between boy and girl?

[Ryder Strong]

14.

[Jeff McCracken]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

2014. Right?

[Jeff McCracken]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, 2013 was when we started casting.

[Jeff McCracken]

Okay.

[Will Friedle]

And 2016 is when Ryder and I found out there was a show.

[Danielle Fishel]

2013 was when we. I think we shot the pilot in 2013, and then it aired in 2014. Maybe the reshoot was also in 2014. So. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

So which one of us was the most, like Dennis Franz?

[Danielle Fishel]

Good question.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

I wouldn't do that to you guys.

[Danielle Fishel]

On tour, we unearthed the blooper reel from season seven, and there is a clip that when we go to dogpile on Mr. Feeny in the classroom, our hug of him, he's on the desk. Our hug of him collapses the desk, and it's unbelievable. And we're all like, oh. And Bill's face is like, what the heck just happened? And everybody backs away. And we're like, are you okay? Are you okay? And we all just start laughing. I just want to. We have to send it to you. If you haven't seen the season seven blooper reel, you have to take a look at it, because it's the closest we ever came to the national treasure that is Bill Daniels being injured. And yet it's so fun. And he's. He's laughing, so it's.

[Ryder Strong]

You know, his face is hysterical.

[Danielle Fishel]

It is so funny. At the time that we did it, do you remember knowing that dream? Try, do good and I love you all. Class dismissed. Do you remember thinking how important it was going to be like that it was just going to be iconic, tattooed on thousands of people?

[Announcer]

No.

[Jeff McCracken]

No. I thought. I thought this is just a continuation of Feeney's wisdom and brilliance. And I just, you know, him imparting that to you guys was. Was. Was just. It was like the capstone, you know, of show and so. But I never. I didn't think Boy Meets World was going to be in reruns like it has been. I mean, I don't think anyone predicted the lasting effect the show would have with each generation discovering it. And it just goes to show you, you know, you know, as flawed as some of the stories were overall, and sometimes the character development overall, what the show brought to those young adolescents who were watching that show is a way to identify and.

[Ryder Strong]

And.

[Jeff McCracken]

And grow with you guys. Think of all the issues that we dealt with on that show. I mean, it. Delicious. We. We tackled everything. Yeah. And I think in a very tasteful and good way.

[Announcer]

Yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

In most respects. So. So it really, for me, kind of outweighs the. The blunders along the way. You know, except for the laziness in the later seasons, that. That, to me, is kind of unforgivable in a way. But I don't know why. I don't know what. Why they ran out of steam in a way that they did. Don't know. I never.

[Will Friedle]

That's the joy of television, though. That's one of the things that I always go back to. And I do this with MASH and all the shows. Yes, I mentioned mash again, all the shows that I love. I always try to remind myself that every episode is somebody's favorite.

[Jeff McCracken]

Right.

[Will Friedle]

You know, even. Even the episodes we couldn't stand somewhere, somebody is like, that's the best episode. It's my favorite episode. I Love it. So. So we try to keep that in our heads as well. But, yeah, I mean, we often try to compare it to other. To the greatest sitcoms of all time. You're talking Cheers, Friends, all this stuff. All of them had story problems. All of them had dud episodes. There is not a single show where every episode is great. There just isn't.

[Ryder Strong]

And weirdly, I think if we had had an eighth season, we could have brought it back very easily.

[Will Friedle]

You know what I mean?

[Ryder Strong]

Like, I think if we had had a season where we kind of did a reset in terms of. Of the. Cause, I mean, every time we did a reset, we found a new version of Boy Meets World that did kind of work. Like, if we did a big reset, it did, like, between seasons one and two, it was a huge reset. College was a big reset. I feel like between, you know, four and five, it's like, there are ways. And I think seven was just one of those moments. It was like, okay, guys, just take a step back. And if we had come back into it, not that I would have. I would have because I was out the door already, like, literally, but it felt like senior.

[Will Friedle]

I. I mean, it just felt like even. Even writers we've had come on where they're like, yeah, we were playing a lot of tennis. Season 7. We were kind of. We did the scripts, and then again every week it was essentially like, and. And this person's gonna direct this week. And we're like, oh, okay.

[Jeff McCracken]

It's kind of like knowing that you're less knowing, knowing that it's your last season for the most part, you know, from that perspective, I think also is the. Is. It's like the, oh, well, you know, we're onto other things already. I mean, all the other writers were looking for their jobs. I mean, yeah, of course.

[Will Friedle]

So, yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

But I was always looking at the seventh season, even the sixth season, if you look at it, you know, friends was. Was very. You know, wasn't Friends. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So the idea was. And I. This was discussed of making you guys friends in New York. It really was a thing that was discussed that, oh, we could do this in New York, you know, but it just. It just became untenable because I think I, I, you know, for reasons of. Of being likened to that show too much, you know, copying it and. And being dismissed, and we didn't want to do that to your characters. I, you know, I think a lot of. A lot of everything. Letting, you know, sleeping dogs lie.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[Jeff McCracken]

You know, we. We.

[Danielle Fishel]

We.

[Jeff McCracken]

We've We've mined all we can, you know, at this level.

[Announcer]

Yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

You know, for the show.

[Ryder Strong]

Show.

[Will Friedle]

Okay, I, I have a question for you. And, and certainly not taking away from any of the writers whatsoever, because we had so many good writers throughout the years, and they were just phenomenal at what they did. Taking Michael out of the equation, which writer do you think most got? Boy Meets World and was really, their voice was, was so important in the room.

[Jeff McCracken]

From the beginning or, or just any.

[Will Friedle]

Anyone? Yeah, anyone.

[Jeff McCracken]

Well, I have to say Nelson, because he came in and gave it the grub. See, Michael, one of the things with Michael and I was, I've talked about this before was the, was the comedic dynamic and the dramatic moment, you know, and, and Matt came from a very grounded dramatic moment thing, but he could also write comedy really well. So, so he really helped ground Michael and you know, Butman and Blusking and, and, and, and Sherman also was really. He was a heart. He was, he was the heart of, of the show. He, Sherm was really the guy who, you know, was always the sensitive one. Matt was, was pretty smart and. Matt was smart and, and he liked to, he, he had a razor's edge to him. He was very good. But, but he also had great heart and great sensitivity, and Michael was very sensitive and had great heart. But, but he was also the moralizer and also the cartoon guy. You know, he loved, you know, Looney Tunes and so Three Stooges. So he's, he was that. So that combination was always kind of rumbling around and, and Susan Jansen was, was really. She brought a very feminine point of view, didn't let Michael get away with a lot. She was, she stood up a lot for, for the women on the show. Lots of times when Michael would go off the deep end, she would be there to say, oh, give me a break. You know, so, you know, so it was, it was a really a group effort. And I, I, That's, I think what's made it so special because it wasn't just one person. Yeah, it was. And I'm, if I'm admitting anybody, please forgive me. Manell was, we know Manell. Manel was like this guy who never wrote before, came on the show and was, became a star. So, you know, you, you, you just have this group of writers, and I could go on all of them, but, but, but I would say those were the core people that really. Bob Young, of course, was sort of on the show, but, but he was more focused on, on dinosaurs and developing the new shows. And then of course, we Cannot forget David Kendall.

[Danielle Fishel]

Kendall, yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

Who I adored. And boy, his loss is horrible. And. Yeah, but Kendall and I, we worked so well together. And. And when Michael was really busy with other shows, Kendall really ran that show. And. And we had a blast. We had a blast together. And I always could rely on him for, you know, anything. Anything, you know, any kind of a fix on a script or a note or. He was always there in there swinging and. And open and. And rooting for everybody. So that was a special season to have him there.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

If you had to have predicted at the end of the show, if you had to say what you predicted each of us would go on to do. Free to do anything. Boy meets World's over. We're free to do anything we want to do. What would your honest opinion have been for where the three of us would have ended up?

[Jeff McCracken]

Oh, wow. Probably right where you are right now, hosting a podcast. Well, yeah, we didn't know what podcasts were at the time, but what I mean is successful. Successful in. In. In embracing your talent in a way that is your own. And I think that, you know, I thought Will would have his own show. I thought that was a given. I knew they were talking about it, you know, and. And then I know I always thought Ryder would be the, you know, he's the poet. He's the guy who I thought always would. Would. Would originally would rise to be a director or be a. A writer. And also not to negate his acting ability, but he seemed, you know, writer. You seemed at the time, that last season very, as you said, kind of removed, but also very a deep thinker. So I thought, well, this guy is going on to do. Write something and create something really, really, you know, significant. Significant. And then, Danielle, I really thought, you know, I said, you know, go to acting class, gets, you know, attack it. I wanted to see you on stage. I wanted to see you do Broadway. I wanted to see you do other work like that. So. So I kind of thought that's maybe where you would end up, you know, going to New York and. And doing the theater. But, um. But that was kind of like, just. I think when I was thinking about it just now, it's kind of what just came to mind. But I don't. At the time, I knew all of you would. Would go on to probably do more shows, more TV shows, more movies, you know, just what you've kind of done. And so I'm not. I'm not surprised at all by. By what you. You've accomplished or what you've set out to do. And, and Danielle, you, you're your path. My God. Psychologist, you know, direct. I mean, all these various dynamics too. And then, and writer was writing and your podcast. Guys, let me just tell you now that this is coming to a close and the branching out that you've done by taking care of this, this, this audience and also this, this format is really inspiring. You guys are doing great. I love red weather, by the way.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, red weather's so good.

[Jeff McCracken]

Oh, my God.

[Danielle Fishel]

We're, I know.

[Will Friedle]

Seriously?

[Jeff McCracken]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Okay, so I have a question. If, if you as an artist had to paint us, what version of us would you paint?

[Jeff McCracken]

I think the version I would paint. You mean during the show?

[Will Friedle]

Either during the show. Now, like, which, what, what version of you had to do a painting of the three of us together? Together? What. How old are we in the painting? What version of us are you. Are you using as your inspiration to,

[Jeff McCracken]

to make the classic. The classic, you know, version would be these. An echo of your, of your younger selves against your older selves. You know, it would be something like that. So there'd be this ghosting effect of your younger selves to your older selves because that's, I think, the journeys you, you've been on with this podcast and, and with your lives. You, you were handed an amazing situation when you were kids, and, and for you to have navigated all of that and come out the way you have is just amazing. And so I, I, I, I would want to paint something that addressed that. I would want to paint something that had that kind of arc for you all and, and where you're going. I can't wait to see the next chapter. I just can't wait.

[Danielle Fishel]

As a mom of two boys, car seats and strollers are a big deal. I want safe, stylish, and affordable.

[Ryder Strong]

And that's why I'm excited to talk

[Will Friedle]

about Joy as a new grandfather. I know a 360 seat is a game changer. With the Joy Pepper spin si, I turn the seat towards me, reducing lower back strain and eliminating the need to bend uncomfortably into car. And I'm a grandpa now. My back always hurts.

[Danielle Fishel]

And it's the only car seat you'll need growing with your child from birth to approximately 12 years.

[Ryder Strong]

And we have a special promo for listeners. Get 20 off on joybaby.com's entire site from now until October 15, 2026.

[Will Friedle]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

Visit pura.com wholehome to start building yours.

[Danielle Fishel]

Honestly, it's very difficult to impress me, especially when you're talking about bathroom design. Until I saw the Kohler Smart Toilet collection.

[Will Friedle]

Ah, now you're speaking my language. Let's talk about that design. The Kohler Vail Smart Toilet especially has this sleek, sculptured look that feels so elevated and modern it almost doesn't even match what most people picture when they think of a toilet.

[Ryder Strong]

It blends into the space beautifully and somehow makes the entire bathroom feel more luxurious and intentional.

[Danielle Fishel]

And that's what Kohler does so well. They understand that design isn't just about how something looks, it's about how it changes your everyday experience.

[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

The Kohler Smart Toilet Collection really feels like proof that great design can transform the way a space looks and feels without ever sacrificing function.

[Danielle Fishel]

It's subtle, modern, and ready to make everyday life easier and more enjoyable.

[Will Friedle]

Experience the difference of Kohler Smart Toilets. Find [e-mail] Dry eyes still feel gritty,

[Announcer]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Announcer]

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[Danielle Fishel]

Hi, it's Jenny Garth, host of the I Choose Me podcast this week. Monica Lewinsky. Yes, that Monica. The one the world tore apart. She's still standing. She's back and done hiding. It really felt like it was one of those situations where you literally do or die. My Monica stared down shame and came out the other side. And she is here to change what you thought you knew. And it's sort of not over until we triumph. A conversation that Will inspire you to choose yourself starting today. Listen to I Choose me on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. I want to talk about the wrap party, the season seven wrap party. Did you get a watch? Did you get a tag watch from Michael?

[Will Friedle]

I.

[Jeff McCracken]

No.

[Ryder Strong]

I don't know.

[Jeff McCracken]

Did I go? I don't know if I. Was I. Was I even there?

[Danielle Fishel]

I don't. I don't remember being there, nor do I remember getting a watch.

[Ryder Strong]

So you guys were definitely there.

[Will Friedle]

It had to have been.

[Jeff McCracken]

I don't know if I was there. Oh, I was there because I remember AJ And I were hanging out. Yeah, I remember. Yeah, we were there. My Janet was there with me. Yeah, we were there. Of course I remember the party.

[Announcer]

Was it.

[Danielle Fishel]

Was it Denim and Diamonds?

[Will Friedle]

No, that was. That was before. I remember Jeff dancing at Denim and Diamonds, though. That I remember. I can literally picture.

[Danielle Fishel]

What was the Season 7 rep rap party?

[Jeff McCracken]

It was on the stage. It was.

[Will Friedle]

No, no.

[Ryder Strong]

Somewhere in the Valley. Will and I wore suits. We showed our video. So we got up on stage at one point, there were multiple speeches made, but we got up on stage and then played our 45 minute. We shot our seats.

[Will Friedle]

We shoot a movie.

[Ryder Strong]

Like, a freaking movie. That was our. Yeah, we had our whole mockumentary about what's going to happen to where are they now? For the whole cast. And it killed.

[Jeff McCracken]

It killed.

[Will Friedle]

It did. And then. And then we all got watches that Michael just had in the trunk of his car, like they'd fallen off of a. A truck.

[Jeff McCracken]

Well, what he would do. Yeah, well, he was a watch guy.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

I can't. I have two watches that he just gave me arbitrarily, you know, really out his house and go, here, take this. I don't. I don't want anymore. I go, what the hell is this? Patrick Phillipe, what the hell are you talking about? What are you talking about? That's how he rolled.

[Will Friedle]

He told me that it was because I came up to him, like, before the show ended in season seven, and I said, hey, I'm gonna miss you. I want one of your watches. And I was saying it as a joke, but he said that that was what made him think of getting us all watches.

[Danielle Fishel]

Getting us all watches.

[Will Friedle]

Brilliant. And I still have mine for a good time.

[Ryder Strong]

Michael.

[Jeff McCracken]

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. Yeah. Well, no.

[Will Friedle]

Are you still in touch with aj? We want to get her on. We want to talk to her.

[Jeff McCracken]

Oh, yeah, no, I. Yeah, I love aj. She used to babysit her kids, too. I mean, she's She's. She's family.

[Will Friedle]

Can you please reach out to her for us and let her know that we would love to. Love to speak with her?

[Jeff McCracken]

Absolutely.

[Will Friedle]

Okay, great.

[Jeff McCracken]

My pleasure. No, she's, you know. You know where she is, right? You know where she is, what she's doing, don't you?

[Will Friedle]

She, like, runs something huge, doesn't she?

[Jeff McCracken]

Or Littlefield's company.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, right.

[Jeff McCracken]

Used to be the president of NBC.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

She's responsible for Fargo, this TV series. Fargo.

[Ryder Strong]

Wow.

[Jeff McCracken]

For the movie with Michael Keaton and his addiction. That addiction movie.

[Announcer]

Wow.

[Jeff McCracken]

She's. She's executive produced tons of stuff.

[Will Friedle]

Didn't she also do Handmaid's Tale? Right. Wasn't that Warren Littlefield's company? Yeah, yeah, yeah, she's been killing it, Argo.

[Jeff McCracken]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. So she's. Yeah, she's been killing.

[Danielle Fishel]

We were also impressed with Jerry Levine's directing this season. He was given a chance, his first foray into the field, and of course, he would go on to become a very prolific TV director. What do you remember, or do you remember anything about Jerry getting behind the camera?

[Jeff McCracken]

Well, Jerry, you know, we know the history of Jerry and Michael. They grew. They knew each other.

[Danielle Fishel]

They grew up together. Yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

And. Yeah, and Jerry, Nina, his wife, who be later became the president of cbs.

[Ryder Strong]

Cbs, yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

Cbs, yeah. Nina Tassler. And so, so, so Nina, Jerry, Michael and Patty and Janet and I, we hung out in New York all the time. We would go out, dinner, you know, we were always together. It was really fun, really fun time. And when I wasn't drinking.

[Danielle Fishel]

We've heard stories about everyone having. Having some drinks in these get togethers.

[Jeff McCracken]

Oh, my God, yes.

[Announcer]

No.

[Jeff McCracken]

Boy, the twenties. Anyway, so. But Jerry was always a great guy, always terrific. And, and had a very good career as an actor. And he was. Yeah, he's. He's really. He's really done well. He's a great. Because he's a great guy. He's just a great guy. And anyway, when he came to direct, boy, I had the decision of whether I was. I said, come, come and, you know, follow me, trail me on my show. And. And he did head. And I just backed away because I knew Michael would take care of him. I knew that. That Jerry knew enough about performance for sure that he could do that. And. And I, I just had to step back and let him sink or swim. I. I almost did that purposely to say, you know, you have it. I'm not gonna sit over your shoulder to make you feel like you can't do this right? Because I knew he could do it, you know, and so he was, he, he was, he was, he was nervous, but he, he, he came through. I thought, brilliant.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

You know, and you guys liked him, so that's.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, I loved working on him.

[Jeff McCracken]

Yeah. That's all it's worth. Yeah, exactly.

[Danielle Fishel]

We have made a documentary. You are yet to see it. We are planning on a tour in the new year with it. Are you excited to see it?

[Jeff McCracken]

Are you kidding? I was gonna ask you, when do I get to see the documentary?

[Danielle Fishel]

I know we could probably send you a link, but it's better to see. I don't know, maybe. Maybe he would rather a link and watch it in his own house. But we would love for you to see it in a theater with us. We're gonna love it when we tour in the new year with it, when we'll be in New York.

[Will Friedle]

And we're gonna see you next month, right?

[Jeff McCracken]

Yes.

[Will Friedle]

Coming to my party. Coming to my birthday. Very excited. Very excited for that. I can't wait.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, I can't wait. Will's 50th prom themed birthday.

[Will Friedle]

It's gonna be so fun.

[Danielle Fishel]

I got a dress. I got a 90s prom dress.

[Ryder Strong]

Did you?

[Will Friedle]

Nice.

[Danielle Fishel]

I bought a 90s prom dress from Poshmark.

[Will Friedle]

You did too.

[Danielle Fishel]

It's so great. I love it. So, yeah, that's gonna be. That's gonna be fun. It'll be nice to see you in person. Of course.

[Jeff McCracken]

Am I gonna have to wear tux? Is this the.

[Will Friedle]

You can dress however you'd like to. We, we say it's. You're going to the prom in 1994, but there's nothing enforced Come however you'd like to come.

[Jeff McCracken]

That's dangerous. Okay. I know, exactly.

[Will Friedle]

So we're giving awards to different things. Best joke, best episode, that kind of stuff. So I'd like to ask you one or two. Do you have a favorite episode of the series?

[Jeff McCracken]

Oh, Jesus. Oh, my God. Well. God,

[Will Friedle]

you know what we've been going through.

[Jeff McCracken]

This is what we've been going through, you know? Well, you know the one that we had the most fun on. Yeah, yeah. You know, that was.

[Danielle Fishel]

Of course. And then there was Sean.

[Jeff McCracken]

Yeah, that's the one we had the most fun on. Or you had the most fun on.

[Ryder Strong]

You were super stressed out.

[Will Friedle]

That's one of the few times you yelled at us.

[Jeff McCracken]

Like, really?

[Will Friedle]

One of the few times.

[Jeff McCracken]

I'll never forget Ben saying, you scared me. Anyway, let me think. Gosh.

[Announcer]

Oh, wow.

[Jeff McCracken]

That's. You know, I should have it the

[Will Friedle]

Subway episode where you had 10,000 shots on a single page.

[Jeff McCracken]

You know, that was. That was a challenge, and I loved it because of what we came up with. You know, how to make the train move and stuff. Yeah, you running. You running after that train was hysterical. Well, I. Don't you think? I, I, you know, I'm. I'm drawing a blank because I. My main. It's like. It's like a Rolodex going through my head. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

How about favorite season? We just did that one. What's your favorite season of the show?

[Jeff McCracken]

Four. Four is my favorite.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, yeah, yeah. Four is the best.

[Jeff McCracken]

You know, it's just. It was just where you guys were. I was going to say if. If I was to do another painting and I didn't just describe earlier, I would paint the four. The three of you in. In that season, that to me, you were all just. It was just. It was a special, special age.

[Ryder Strong]

You know, it's when the show peaked.

[Jeff McCracken]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Well, yeah, five was pretty darn good.

[Jeff McCracken]

Five was great, too.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

No, I agree.

[Danielle Fishel]

Four misses.

[Ryder Strong]

Big misses.

[Will Friedle]

Four was. Four was pretty great. Yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

But I. But I, you know, gosh, you know, there's just so. I have so many favorite moments and. And. And shows. I really couldn't tell you. I really. Aside from. And then there was Sean, which is the easy pick. It's just an easy pick, you know.

[Will Friedle]

How about favorite guest star you got to work with?

[Jeff McCracken]

Oh, favorite guest star. Well, Chet was great.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, Blake, just the greatest.

[Jeff McCracken]

He was great. He was fun, lively, wonderful.

[Ryder Strong]

I mean, that's who we gave the Atheni to for sure.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, sure.

[Ryder Strong]

We were like. We went through and we were like, well, if we don't count recurring characters or characters who were right, you know, because he was only in five or six overall, and he never had a contract for a consistent. And he like. But, man, what a great character arc from his arrival to his death. Like, oh, my God.

[Jeff McCracken]

In that last scene when he's in the kitchen with you guys.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, that's right. That's right.

[Jeff McCracken]

He's the ghost.

[Will Friedle]

That's right. Oh, my God. Okay.

[Jeff McCracken]

Yes. It's really special.

[Will Friedle]

I won't put you on. I won't put you on the spot anymore.

[Jeff McCracken]

Okay. Awesome.

[Danielle Fishel]

Jeff, we are so appreciative that you have listened to the podcast, and I think one massive takeaway from us. Us from this podcast has been how important, protective, you know, creative influence on us. You were. Which we are more than thankful for. What has been listening to a total revisit to every moment, even moments you were not there for. What has it been like for you?

[Jeff McCracken]

Well, revelatory number one, because I. It's like in hindsight, you know, you do something and you're in the moment. You're, you're, you're executing it. It. It's. It's done and you're moving to the next show, and then you're moving on. You know, it's like this, this machine that you're doing, and then it's over and it's like, what. What happened?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

And then you, you know, I, I didn't really rewatch the show, but maybe when the, The DVD set came out and I set, you know, my kids down to watch it again, and they all watch it and loved it, so I get to rediscover it again through them, which was wonderful. And that was the last time I watched the show. So to now be back into this podcast with watching you and listening to this perspective and joy. And this is the thing, too, I think a lot of people miss, because I know you guys have given each other hard times sometimes about being too hard on the show and not having. But the joy that you have in revisiting the show has been so contagious and wonderful. I think that's the thing I most treasure, is that the show, as tough as it was, as challenging as it was, the joy of the show is ever present in podcast. And that is why I keep coming back and why everyone else keeps coming back, because it's a chance to re. Enjoy the show.

[Will Friedle]

Show.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Jeff McCracken]

Through you again. And it's been great. You know, I wish Ben had been part of it. I wish, I wish Bill, you know, Bill Daniels maybe had been more of a part of it to get their perspectives. But you three have carried the ball, and it's been fantastic. It's been fantastic. Really fantastic. I, I just really laud you tremendously for, for, you know, all that you've. You've done in terms of your perspective on the show. And sometimes I do disagree, you know, sometimes I have gone, oh, what are they talking about? Then you guys circle it, and I go, oh. And because you're all three, you have different opinions. Yeah, I can slide with one of you, you know.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[Ryder Strong]

The right one. Whoever's the right one,

[Jeff McCracken]

they're totally correct.

[Danielle Fishel]

Jeff, thank you so much. We love you. Thank you for being here again with us. We can't wait to see you next month.

[Will Friedle]

Yes.

[Danielle Fishel]

And we will send you pictures with Claire and our tattoos.

[Jeff McCracken]

Can't wait. And also hope when you're gonna show that documentary, let me know.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. Thank you, Jeff. Love you.

[Will Friedle]

Thank you.

[Announcer]

Bye.

[Danielle Fishel]

Never gets old seeing him being a legend. What a legend. He feels like a. Just seeing his face is hearing his voice. It's just like a warm hug.

[Will Friedle]

I was just about to say there's a strange peace that comes over to me. Comes over me every time I see him or talk to him. Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Because he was in charge of our rehearsals.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

And, like, he made our rehearsals comfortable. He made us empowered. Like, you just always felt like you were in the right place.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

And you could figure out your blocking and where to move your body and how to use your voice. I mean, think about that. Like, that was literally his job and, like, he did it so well and made us all feel comfortable and, like, so we still have that, like, in our. It's, like, literally in our bodies, I think.

[Jeff McCracken]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, I agree. Well, thank you all for listening to this episode of Pod Meets World. As always, you can follow us on Instagram Pod Meets World show. You can send us your email. Emails. Podmeetsworldshowmail.com and we've got merch.

[Will Friedle]

I'm gonna try this because I'm, like, super bunked. But don't get Norvilled. Get some merch.

[Danielle Fishel]

Pod meets WorldShow.com will send us out.

[Ryder Strong]

We love you all.

[Will Friedle]

Pod dismissed. Pod Meets World is an iHeart podcast produced and hosted by Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle, and Ryder Strong, executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman, executive and charge of production, Danielle Romo, producer and editor Tara Sudbaksh, producer Matty Moore, engineer and Boy Meets World superfan, Easton Allen. Our theme song is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon, and you can follow us on Instagram @podmeats World show or email us at podmeatsworldshowmail.com

[Danielle Fishel]

One thing I never expected to be passionate about was a toilet.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, we're a big toilet household. It's more important than your bed.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, when I saw the Kohler Smart Toilet collection, it completely changed how I think about using the bathroom.

[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

Well, that's what I love about Kohler. They've been redefining bathroom design for more than 150 years, and their smart toilets really show how innovation can work in a way that feels elevated, not overdone.

[Danielle Fishel]

A cleaner routine and a cleaner space can just about change everything.

[Ryder Strong]

Experience the difference of Kohler Smart Toilets. Find out [e-mail] okay, quick question.

[Will Friedle]

How long is too long to leave laundry in the washer?

[Danielle Fishel]

If it smells like a haunted swamp, you've crossed the line.

[Ryder Strong]

Relax. That's what Arm and Hammer Deep Clean is for.

[Danielle Fishel]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

Because it's just laundry, you shouldn't stress over it.

[Danielle Fishel]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Danielle Fishel]

this is Danielle Fishel, Ryder Strong

[Will Friedle]

and Will Friedle from Pod Meets World. A lot of you might not know this, but I'm the world's best grandpa.

[Danielle Fishel]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Announcer]

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