Full House and Boy Meets World are two of the greatest TGIF sitcoms of all time. The comedies are still watched by many fans today thanks to streaming, and they both had successful revivals. While Boy Meets World began towards the end of Full House’s run, the two shows are considered to be among the best sitcoms of all time. Their successes and shared network may not be all that they have in common, though, as the internet is debating a theory that they’re in the same universe.
Why Full House And Boy Meets World Might Be Connected
ABC’s TGIF lineup was an iconic time. Meaning "Thank Goodness It's Funny," the programming block began in the late '80s for a night dedicated to primetime sitcoms on Friday nights. Throughout its initial run, TGIF featured shows such as Full House, Family Matters, Step by Step, Boy Meets World, Sister, Sister, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and more.
This led to some shows ultimately crossing over. Jaleel White reprised his memorable Family Matters role as Steve Urkel in an episode of Full House and Step by Step, while Boy Meets World and Sabrina also had a crossover. There were other TV crossovers, too, such as between Perfect Strangers and Family Matters, and between Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper and Full House.
A Reddit thread on a TGIF sitcoms subreddit pointed out that because of this, the beloved shows might be in the same universe that could be bigger than I thought.
Aside from his appearances on Full House and Step by Step, Urkel had a cameo in a short-lived show called Meego that didn’t air in the United States. That program also notably had voice cameos from a few Gilligan’s Island characters.
As for Gilligan’s Island, A Very Brady Sequel revealed that the Professor from the series is Carol Brady’s ex-husband, and in the same movie, Mike goes to John Munch from Homicide and Law & Order: SVU for help in investigating a man claiming to be Carol’s ex. So you could even go as far as to say that the TGIF shows are connected to the Law & Order franchise and thus One Chicago as well as FBI. Then there’s Boy Meets World and Girl Meets World, the latter of which crosses over with other Disney Channel shows, adding on yet another big connection.
So, it's fun to theorize that these shows, including Boy Meets World and Full House, all live in the same universe. However, there's an issue with this theory.
There’s One Kink In The Theory
Step by Step stars Stacy Keanan and Christine Lakin read a fan comment on their rewatch podcast, Keanan And Lakin Give You Déjà Vu, that pointed out that Full House, BMW, Family Matters, and Sabrina take place in the same world because of the various crossovers and character name-drops. This makes sense, of course. However, they also note that John Stamos appeared on Step by Step as himself, and Suzanne Somers did the same on Full House.
There were also other actors on TGIF shows playing different characters in different TGIF series. Danielle Fishel appeared in a few episodes of Full House as Stephanie’s classmate Jennifer P. prior to landing the role of Topanga on Boy Meets World. Meanwhile, after Full House, Candace Cameron Bure appeared in an episode of Boy Meets World as Jack’s spooky girlfriend Millie.
Well, this certainly does poke a hole in the theory that it's all connected. However, considering how many Law & Order actors have played more than one character in that franchise, I still think the shared universe theory could be valid.
Plus, there’s enough evidence that shows the TGIF comedies are in the same universe, including Full House and Boy Meets World, thanks to various crossovers, even if some of the actors have appeared in the other as different characters.
Most of the TGIF shows are streaming with either a Disney+ subscription and/or a Hulu subscription, so fans can make up their minds about this theory for themselves. Personally, I love it when shows crossover and open up a whole new world of possibilities.
