‘Boy Meets World’: Why Did Mr. Turner Disappear From the Series?

Boy Meets World ran for seven seasons and followed Cory Matthews and his pals through the most tumultuous years of their childhood. By the time the series ended, Cory and his friends had grown up. Over the years, several teachers played key roles in the lives of Cory and his young pals. Some stayed on the show for all seven seasons, like Mr. Feeny. Others inexplicably disappeared. Mr. Turner, a teacher who took Shawn Hunter under his wing, played an important part in Shawn and Cory’s life until he suddenly vanished. Decades later, Anthony Tyler Quinn, the actor who took on the role, explained why his character just stopped existing in Shawn and Cory’s world.

Alex Desert (Eli Williams), Will Friedle (Eric Matthews), Rider Strong (Shawn Hunter), Anthony Tyler Quinn (Mr. Turner), Ben Savage (Cory Matthews), Besty Randle (Amy Mathews) and Danielle Fishel (Topanga Lawrence) pose for a promotional photo for 'Boy Meets World' — The cast of ‘Boy Meets World’ | ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

Anthony Tyler Quinn explained why his ‘Boy Meets World’ character disappeared

It’s generally not uncommon for minor characters to disappear from shows. In fact, it happens all the time. The reason why Mr. Turner disappeared from Boy Meets World is a bit unique, though. Anthony Tyler Quinn, the actor who portrayed Mr. Turner, appeared on the podcast Pod Meets World and explained exactly what happened to his character.

Quinn revealed that he had talked with Boy Meets World creator Michael Jacobs in mid-1996 about where his character was headed. Quinn recalled Jacobs had big plans for Mr. Turner and Shawn. He thought he had plenty of job security. He was wrong. Just a couple of months later, everything had changed.

Quinn revealed that he was gearing up for season 4 of the series when Jacobs told him the network had decided to shift the show’s focus. Instead of concentrating on the school world, they planned to focus on Cory and his friends. The group was entering high school, where friendships became the main focus of a teen’s life. The change made sense, but it left a lot less room for the adults of the cast. Mr. Turner was being phased out. He wasn’t the only one booted from the show, though. Mr. Turner disappeared, as did Eli Williams, another John Adams High teacher.

Mr. Turner eventually returned to the show’s universe

Boy Meets World fans did eventually get closure regarding Mr. Turner. While footage of the teacher was used in the finale of Boy Meets World, his story came full circle in the Disney reboot, Girl Meets World.

In the reboot, Quinn reprised the role of Jonathan Turner. In the Disney series, fans learned that Mr. Turner had become the superintendent of New York City schools. He had recovered from his motorcycle accident, married a nurse, and moved on with his life, but he was never too far away. Mr. Turner gave Cory Matthews his job and has remained in touch over the years. Eli Williams, the other teacher who disappeared from Boy Meets World, did not return to finish his story in Girl Meets World. Mr. Williams was not mentioned in Girl Meets World.

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