We were all excited when news first broke that Boy Meets World was being rebooted via a spin-off on Disney Channel — but not half as excited as the stars, themselves! Rider Strong, Matthew Lawrence and more of the original BMW stars walked the red carpet June 6 at the opening night of the ATX Television Festival, and they told HollywoodLife.com that plans to return are already in motion.

Rider Strong (Shawn Hunter):

Cory (Ben Savage) wouldn’t be the man he is today without his bad-boy best friend Shawn Hunter, and according to Rider, we can expect to see the duo reunited very soon:

Based on the response [to the spin-off], I feel like we owe it to the fans to finish Shawn’s story line, but I don’t know what that means yet,” Rider told us. “They shot the pilot, and I have no idea what’s happening after that. I’m assuming they’ll do at least six episodes, and I think it’d be good to show up and say hi.

And we agree! But what can we expect from Shawn 2.0? Rider has a few ideas:

The problem is, I’ve already talked to [creator] Michael Jacobs about where Shawn is. So I have the actual answer in my head. I don’t want to give any of that away, but I think Shawn’s doing OK. But he’s got to be in some kind of trouble, and he has to drag Cory into it. I feel like that has to happen; I can’t be doing that well. By the end of the episode, or couple of episodes, that I do, I’ve got to be blowing up mailboxes.

Lily Nicksay (Morgan Matthews):

Even though she was eventually replaced by an “older” model, the original Morgan (Lily Nicksay) is totally down to dispense some cool-aunt advice to the spin-off’s “girl” (Rowan Blanchard).

“I had a wonderful lunch with Michael Jacobs in Los Angeles, and we talked about me being involved in the show in some respect, so I’m really excited to see how that progresses,” Lilay told us, adding that she imagines present-day Morgan as being “fabulous and a little bit crazy.”

Sounds about right!

Trina McGee (Angela Moore):

Even though Shawn and then-girlfriend Angela (Trina McGee) ended the original series on not-so-good terms, Trina hopes for some redemption on the spin-off.

“[I imagine] she came back from Europe and realized that everything she needed was right at home,” Trina told us. “She’ll stay best friends with Topanga, and she’ll settle in her home town.”

And yes, she still holds the infamous “Jennifer Love Fefferman” episode close to her heart.

“I liked when I got to tell Jennifer Love Hewitt, ‘I’m the only one who gets to scream around here.’” Trina told us. “I’ll come there and scream for her in the hospital [now that she's pregnant.]“

Matthew Lawrence (Jack Hunter):

Matthew Lawrence made teen girls shriek every time he entered a scene, but in the universe of Girl Meets World, he said he imagines Jack as a one girl kind of guy.

“I feel like Jack would’ve done one of two things: Either he got pressured into getting married and having kids, or he could be off in a jungle somewhere,” Matthew told us. “One of the two.”

As for the spin off, he said, “I think it’s a great idea … and of course I’d love to be on it.”

Rachel McGuire (Maitland Ward):

And then there’s Rachel (Maitland Ward), the vivacious red-head that drove a serious wedge between Jack and Eric (Will Friedle) in their college days — something she still thinks about to this day.

“[Rachel] and Jack left for the Peace Corps., so I feel like they probably got together,” Maitland told us. “A lot of fans are disappointed that Eric never had much of a chance with her. I always thought there should have been a little more of a triangle there.”

And Maitland, who was on set for the filming of the Girl Meets World pilot, said she felt like “no time had passed,” and that she’d “love to see what happened to Rachel all these years later.”

HollywoodLifers, which classic Boy Meets World characters would YOU like to see on the spin-off? Drop a comment below with your choices!

— Andy Swift
Follow @AndySwift

More ‘Girl Meets World’ News:

1. ‘Girl Meets World’ Scoop: Mr. Feeny Returning — Confirmed
2. ‘Girl Meets World’ Pilot: Mr. Feeny Spotted On Set — New Pic
3. ‘Girl Meets World’: Cory & Topanga Show Off Their Wedding Rings

Excuse me while I recover from my heart exploding. Rider Strong and Will Friedle — who played Shawn Hunter and Eric Matthews, respectively, on Boy Meets World — stopped by the set of Girl Meets World on March 20 to pay a visit to the newbies. And the newbies freaked out accordingly.

“Rider Strong and Will Friedle visited us!” Rowan Blanchard — who plays Riley, aka the Girl — tweeted, along with the above photo. “OH MY GOSH.” Rider and Will posed alongside Rowan and Sabrina Carpenter, who plays Riley’s “edgy” friend Maya.

Sadly, Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel were not included the family portrait — presumably because no single photograph could handle that much beautiful nostalgia.

UPDATE: It has been brought to my attention that Maitland Ward, who played Eric and Jack’s roommate Rachel, was also at the taping. She tweeted about being at the studio, but the photos she Instagrammed have been taken down.

Will Shawn & Eric Appear On ‘Girl Meets World’?

Though this recent set visit was merely for pleasure, and not business, it sounds like either or both characters could make an appearance on the show at some point.

“At this point, I have no official involvement,” Rider wrote in an statement. “There might be a chance to see some of the BMW cast in a guest spot, and I think it would be nice to find out where our characters have been all these years. But Girl Meets World will be, and I think it should be, it’s own show. It will be about Cory and Topanga, their daughter, and a new set of characters … And I, for one, can’t wait to see it evolve.”

Will hasn’t released an official statement, but come on, you know he’ll be doing that Feeny Call once more.

— Andy Swift

Follow @AndySwift

More Girl Meets World on HollywoodLife.com:

1. ‘Girl Meets World’: How Ben Savage & Danielle Fishel Revived Cory & Topanga
2. ‘Girl Meets World’ Scoop: Teo Halm Cast As Cory & Topanga’s Son Elliott
3. ‘Girl Meets World’: Danielle Fishel Talks Casting Cory & Topanga’s Son

Somewhere, Angela Moore is weeping. Rider Strong, who played the eternally perfect-haired Shawn Hunter on Boy Meets World, is officially engaged. Toofab confirms that Rider, 33, proposed to girlfriend Alexandra Barreto on Dec. 26 — with a ring he designed himself! (Now that’s something Shawn Hunter would never do… mostly because he was way too poor.)

According to the site, Alexandra’s custom engagement ring consists of three diamonds and a gold band.

Congrats to the happy couple!

What Rider Strong Has Done Since ‘Boy Meets World’:

Rider may be best known for playing Shawn on the classic ABC sitcom, but even though he retired that role in 2000, he’s far from retired in his own career. Along with a slew of movies, Rider also had several high-profile TV roles.

In 2006, he starred on The WB’s short-lived drama series Pepper Dennis, which is actually where he met Alexandra! On the show, Rider played Chick Dirka, the cameraman for Rebecca Romijn‘s titular newswoman.

In Dec. 2009, Rider guest starred on an episode of ABC’s Castle as Rocco, the former assistant of an art gallery owner who had been mysteriously shot to death.

He also voiced a recurring character on Disney Channel’s Kim Possible, and actually, there’s a chance we might see him back on that network in the near future…

Will Rider Strong Appear On ‘Girl Meets World’?

Good question!

While Rider’s Boy Meets World co-stars Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel have both signed on to do the Disney Channel spin-off Girl Meets World, Rider is far less committed.

“At this point, I have no official involvement,” Rider wrote on his official website last month. “There might be a chance to see some of the BMW cast in a guest spot, and I think it would be nice to find out where our characters have been all these years. But Girl Meets World will be, and I think it should be, it’s own show.”

toofab

— Andy Swift

Follow @AndySwift

More on the cast of Boy Meets World:

1. Will Shawn Hunter Appear On ‘Girl Meets World?’ Rider Strong Speaks
2. ‘Girl Meets World’: Ben Savage Says The Hunt Is On For The ‘Perfect’ Riley
3. Danielle Fishel Talks ‘Girl Meets World’: Who Else Is Coming Back?

Ever since Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel signed on to reprise the roles of Cory and Topanga on Disney Channel’s Girl Meets World, die-hard fans have speculated which other Boy Meets World alumni might join the reboot — and it sounds like Rider Strong might be one of them!

Rider, who played Cory’s perfect-haired best friend Shawn, released an official statement Nov. 28 that gave hope for a “Shory” reunion. (And yes, I just gave them a couple name. Want to fight about it?)

“At this point, I have no official involvement,” Rider says. “There might be a chance to see some of the BMW cast in a guest spot, and I think it would be nice to find out where our characters have been all these years. But Girl Meets World will be, and I think it should be, it’s own show. It will be about Cory and Topanga, their daughter, and a new set of characters … And I, for one, can’t wait to see it evolve.”

Now that that‘s out of the way, can we talk about one of Shawn’s finest moments in all of Boy Meets World history? I’m, of course, referring to the time he dressed up like a girl — a gorgeous girl named Veronica — and drove all the boys at John Adams High wild. Here’s a photo to jog your memory:

If Rider doesn’t end up appearing on Girl Meets World, he’d make an incredible guest judge on the next season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Just saying.

HollywoodLifers, do YOU want to see Shawn and Cory reunite on the new Disney Channel series? Vote below, then drop a comment with your favorite Shawn memory. (And it can’t be the time he dressed up like Veronica. You get your own favorite moment!)

Rider’s official site

— Andy Swift

Follow @AndySwift

More Girl Meets World news:

1. Danielle Fishel Talks ‘Girl Meets World’: Who Else Is Coming Back?
2. ‘Girl Meets World’: Ben Savage & Danielle Fishel Officially Returning
3. Ben Savage: I ‘Can’t Talk About’ New ‘Boy Meets World’ Series