One of the greatest things about having a Disney+ subscription is getting to watch all the classic Disney Channel sitcoms you grew up loving. For me, my two favorite sitcoms to watch are "Lizzie McGuire" and "Boy Meets World". The writing on both of these shows holds up extremely well, and the characters are still so lovable. I love watching Cory and Shawn get into shenanigans, Lizzie's cartoon alter ego address the audience, and Cory and Topanga fall in love just as much now as I did when I was young.
So, naturally, when I heard that Disney+ was putting together a "Lizzie McGuire" revival series for their new streaming service, I was stoked. Of all the Disney Channel shows I had wanted to see return, it was this one. Lizzie McGuire truly is a teen sitcom character for the ages, with her natural spunk, outgoing personality, and ability to be friends with pretty much anybody. Hilary Duff herself constantly talks about how much she loves the character of Lizzie McGuire and how important she is to her.
Earlier this year, it was announced that Disney+ had halted production of the "Lizzie McGuire" revival series and the creator of the original series, Terri Minsky, had left the project altogether. Disney has been pretty secretive about why the revival stopped production so suddenly, but events this week have provided some clues as to what happened, most notably, Hilary Duff posting on her Instagram about how she wants the story of Lizzie McGuire in her 30's to be told beyond the restraints of a "PG rating". In the post, she also called for Disney to move the series to Hulu, which is another streaming service the company owns. She believes giving a more mature spin to the "Lizzie McGuire" revival would be more relatable to people who grew up with Lizzie, and I couldn't agree more.
Part of the charm of the original "Lizzie McGuire" is just how relatable it is. Another Disney Channel classic that was relatable to kids everywhere is the iconic "Boy Meets World", a show about a young boy, Cory Matthews, who navigates life all the way from middle school to married life after college. And while Cory and his best friend, Shawn Hunter, learned all about the world and found their place in it together, the show's themes and lessons changed right along with them. The show started as a very benign, family-friendly, TGIF sitcom when all the characters were in middle school.
However, as the characters went to high school and beyond, the characters came across more things that kids their age group would have discovered. As the show went on, all the kids learned lessons about things like alcoholism, cheating on a partner, and parents getting a divorce. The plots were all handled extremely well and allowed the characters, and the audience watching them, the opportunity to grow up and face the new world that was constantly changing around them.
If the cast of "Boy Meets World" can have the chance to grow up to face the world around them, then Lizzie McGuire should have the same opportunity. After all, everyone has to grow up eventually, and it can be a beautiful thing to witness.
