I was not a “Boy Meets World” fan. I can’t explain it. The stories just never quite grabbed me, and I tend to prefer Ben Savage’s older brother, Fred. Interestingly, the elder Savage found himself out of work when Fox dropped his sitcom, “The Grinder,” after one season last year. Now, it looks like the younger Savage is in the same proverbial boat. And though I wasn’t a fan of “Boy Meets World,” its sequel series, “Girl Meets World,” became one of my favorite shows ever written.

Its intricate blocking, careful dialogue, multi-faceted characterization, and ties to classic literature and major historical events attracted me almost immediately. Rowan Blanchard, Sabrina Carpenter, and Corey Fogelmanis give spectacular and dynamic performances as Riley Matthews, Maya Hart, and Farkle Minkus. The show has a tone similar to its father, but its uniqueness abounds. I had faith that it would, like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” develop an academic following in its later years. On the blogging platform, Tumblr, an academic community for the show already exists.

Recently, Radio Disney hosted a poll, asking listeners what their favorite Disney Channel show was. Overwhelmingly, the audience answered “Girl Meets World.” Rumors of cancellation had been swirling since the summer of 2016, but since the show had an enormous following, it even seemed like the smartest financial decision to renew it.

But now, it’s gone.

On January 4, 2017, at 11:00 PM EST, Disney Channel officially announced that it would not renew “Girl Meets World” for a fourth season. I sat in my bedroom when I read the news, and I was shook to my core (which isn’t hard to do. I hate ab exercises.). I read Blanchard’s letter in response to the news. And selfishly, I had a lot of thoughts.

They’ll never do an episode with “Jane Eyre.” That would have been perfect for Riley and Maya.

Are they permitted to announce whether or not they would have put Riley and Farkle together? What about Maya and Lucas?

What am I supposed to watch on TV now?

But I’m not going to lament because I may never know if my preferred couples were meant to be (for very long, that is). Instead, I choose to lament this show for Rowan Blanchard.

Even if you’re not a fan of “Girl Meets World,” there’s a chance you’ve heard of Blanchard. She’s a pretty famous political activist. Throughout her young career, Blanchard has already spoken out against magazines for Photoshopping her natural features, protested the sexualization of young girls in and outside of the media, vocally opposed the election of Donald Trump, and she is one of the strongest advocates for intersectional feminism in the United States today.

In addition to her political accomplishments, Blanchard came out as queer in 2016, not too long after her fourteenth birthday. This statement particularly resonated with me and brought a grin to my usually frowning face. Allow me to elaborate.

See, when I actually grew up with Disney Channel, we had a series of films. You might have heard of them. They’re the “High School Musical” films. And in the “High School Musical” films, there was a character called Ryan Evans (Lucas Grabeel). Ryan was, essentially, a toned-down version of Sean Hayes’s “Jack McFarland” on “Will and Grace.” So, speculation had it that Ryan was supposed to be gay.

Grabeel agreed with the speculation, arguing that Ryan should be canonically depicted as a gay character. Disney Channel refused, but their refusal did leave us with one of the most adorable bloopers in Disney history.

Here’s the thing, though. That scene was only a blooper. Disney wouldn’t let Ryan be gay. And to top it all off, as far as the eye can see, Grabeel isn’t part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Blanchard’s character, Riley Matthews, wasn’t a canonical part of the community, either (though some fans of the romantic pairing of Riley and Maya might argue otherwise). But Blanchard is. And when she came out, she opened a world of possibility to her viewers who might be struggling with their own sexualities. Even if the character of Riley didn’t serve as representation for the community, the casting of Blanchard did. She was—she is—an excellent example for young people. Watching this young woman on their screens every week might have made some viewers feel less alone and better understood.

But the character of Riley was something special as well. Particularly, I am reminded of a season-two episode, “Girl Meets STEM.” In the episode, Riley is disappointed because the boys in her science class get to do all of the challenging, scientific work in a class experiment. All the girls have to do is drop a mucky marble into a clear solution after school (By the way, how is that for a metaphor?). Riley urges her female classmates to understand that it’s important for girls to be able to choose science.

And the episode was still so much more than that. In 2016, “Girl Meets World” became the first children’s program to use the word feminist, as spoken by Blanchard’s Riley. The episode also emphasized the fact that feminism is for everyone, including young men (Just watch Fogelmanis as Farkle when he reacts to Riley asking him why he doesn’t want her to get better at science.). There was no sickeningly cliché dusting of “girl power” anywhere in the episode. Rather, the emphasis was on intersectionality among genders, especially. And although I don’t have real confirmation for my speculation, I wouldn’t be surprised if an episode like this one was written because of Blanchard’s political background.

Blanchard spoke about hoping for the inclusion of an LGBT character on the series. My heart is breaking, knowing that her goal cannot be actualized. My heart is breaking, knowing that her smart portrayal of a beautifully hopeful character will no longer grace my screen.

I have no doubt that Blanchard will lead a successful professional life even in the wake of “Girl Meets World.” A talent like hers is too bright to ever be extinguished. But Disney Channel did “Girl Meets World” dirty because it was a smart and emotional show that gave especially young people something to come home to. Something to look into and maybe see themselves smiling back at them.

When I was younger, Disney Channel was all about kids who were just like you but rich/famous/living in a hotel with apparently no rules except not to run in Phill Lewis’s lobby. “Girl Meets World” didn’t fall for that gimmick. It presented you with a real-life girl meeting some of the scariest truths out there—humans. Of course there were some far-fetched fantasy elements. No fourteen-year-old boy is going to ride a white horse into a school gym in Manhattan, for example. But overall, “Girl Meets World” spoke the truth and gave us a star who spoke it even louder.

And for the network that wouldn’t let Ryan Evans hold hands with a boy at his high school graduation, that must have been terrifying.

Good luck, cast and crew of “Girl Meets World.” Your talents are greater than you know. And thank you, Ms. Blanchard, for your outspokenness, the causes you so passionately back, and your wonderful portrayal of a wonderful character. I’ll be the grown woman watching your series finale from a TV set in Detroit.