Ben Savage? Or Fred Savage?

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Ohio_gal@reddit

I’ve heard neither is very nice in person. 🤷🏾‍♀️

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Never watched BMW, but on the WY, on my birthday, the Electric Shoes had their first gig, and their drummer had my name, and everyone at school thought my parents had pulled some strings to get that bday shoutout. I was also learning to play drums at the time, I almost believed it myself. I let my classmates believe it for a day before I admitted it was a coincidence.

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Juls_Santana@reddit

This is like asking if you prefer a Ferrari or a soft bed; it's 2 totally different types of shows

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Pretend-Menu-8660@reddit (OP)

Replying to jedispaghetti420... that’s fair, just asking for fun bc the timing of these two shows sit in a very weird spot for this micro generation… some of us were too young to fully grapple with the themes in The Wonder Years and at the same time were too old by the time Boy Meets world came out - but there is a bit of a divide even for the 7-8 year span of generation here. For me The Wonder Years is superior … but there are a bunch of people in here that preferred BMWorld!

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woolsocksandsandals@reddit

Fred

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tony_719@reddit

If you are talking about Savages, I prefer Randy

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TabsAZ@reddit

Ooooh yeah

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MilaVaneela@reddit

DIG IT

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donutseason@reddit

gif

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Esternaefil@reddit

gif

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TombombBearsFan@reddit

One of the best wrestling interviews ever.

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denverblazer@reddit

*I am the creeeeaaaammmmm... The cream of the #CROP

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ohthanqkevin@reddit

Bonesaw’s reeeeaaaady!!

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Grammarhead-Shark@reddit

I think i was just a touch to old for BMW when it came out.

Granted i might of been touch to young to understand TWY, but easier to watch 'older people' shows then been a snotty teen thinking the other is a 'baby show'.

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omegaphallic@reddit

The best Savage is Vandal Savage.

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TheNaughtyDragon@reddit

Watched both, like both for different reasons. Wonder Years, I was a bit young for. It had better actors, writing and music. It covered topics in a more serious note that you can see it alter them going forward. It felt like a real take on life.

Boy meets world I was a bit old for, it was way more lighthearted, the same sets over and over, and basic cast that changed very little. It felt like a take on life many wish they had.

I liked Winnie and Topanga growing up and both are still amazing to this day.

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Stargirl156@reddit

I watched Wonder years, but I was INTO Boy Meets World. Too young to actually get WY? I was late to Turning On.

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sunnybcg@reddit

I was quite literally a card carrying member of the Fred Savage Fan Club.

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Pretend-Menu-8660@reddit (OP)

OK, this is amazing! Admittedly, I think I probably cut his picture out of team beat magazine, and stuck it on my wall lol

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sunnybcg@reddit

Haha I had those, too! A friend of mine had a crush on Neil Patrick Harris, so we’d trade photos from our teeny bopper mags.

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LtPowers@reddit

I was too old for BMW. I was a senior in high school, no interest in a show about an 11-year-old.

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Pretend-Menu-8660@reddit (OP)

I would get high and watch it! LOL I was also in high school. I didn’t tell a soul I watched it but there was just something easy about it. I probably needed a mental break from my family! Wonder Years far superior of course.

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violetstrainj@reddit

Both. I think “The Wonder Years” was my first introduction to 1969’s culture, and it’s stuck with me. But, I had a huge crush on Cory Matthews, and I almost asked out a boy in 7th grade just because he had that same cute, awkward vibe.

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Apprehensive_Hat8986@reddit

Only ever seen Wonder Years. But from what I've learned about Fred Savage, I'll go with the other one. Though if they're from the same family...

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Funkopedia@reddit

Manson LMAO

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59apache01@reddit

I always suspected part of The Wonder Years' cancellation was related to the way Hervey and Savage apparently acted off camera. I seem to remember something about misconduct around a lady set designer or something of that nature.

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4daFlex@reddit

A friend opened a bakery and named it bread savage 🤣

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Thereminz@reddit

never really watched 'boy meets world' just always seemed kinda lame

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ouijahead@reddit

It was. Just another canned laughter sitcom

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Pretend-Menu-8660@reddit (OP)

It was kinda lame and I also loved watching it for some reason. Idk maybe life was just really tough for me in my home in this was just something light to watch

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ouijahead@reddit

For sure for sure. I’m pretty sure I watched it because it was on TGIF. My distaste for sitcoms is really a thing that developed as I become an old man. Grumble grumble. Seems like they have had some epic ones in the past , and they also shovel brainless ones down our throat. Fox has had maybe a 1000 of them.

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JohnnyBaboon123@reddit

How do they get the live audiences into the can?

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ouijahead@reddit

Oh it had a live audience ? Well I guess I’m more curious how they got them to laugh.

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JohnnyBaboon123@reddit

guess they must have checked for taste before seating the crowd.

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No-Hospital559@reddit

Fred but I never watched his brother's show, I think I thought was too old or something.

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GreenZebra23@reddit

I was about to say, I predict this will break down somewhat neatly between early xennials and late xennials

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Auckla@reddit

I think this is correct. I was a mid-Xennial (1980), and I remember watching the Wonder Years as a young kid (9-12) and then Boy Meets World as a teenager (15-19). Love both shows.

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sunnybcg@reddit

Whether you watched The Wonder Years or Boy Meets World might be a dividing line by age. I (81) was a HUGE Wonder Years/Fred Savage fan, but my sister (84) watched Boy Meets World.

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ST_Lawson@reddit

Yup. I was in HS when Boy Meets World started, and I didn't actually spend much time watching TV once I hit HS.

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Tiny-Reading5982@reddit

I was born in 84 and remember watching both

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ShillinTheVillain@reddit

Same, but I think I was too young to appreciate the Wonder Years

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Pretend-Menu-8660@reddit (OP)

I also thought I was too old and I secretly watched it! Frankly, too much of the Wonder Years was over my head… too young to get it all

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No-Hospital559@reddit

It was definitely a nostalgic show that was created for boomers but I liked it.

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HIs4HotSauce@reddit

I grew up with Wonder Years because I watched a lot of tv as a young child.

By the time Boy Meets World came around, I dropped TV and only watched movies and played video games.

And about a decade ago, I dropped movies as well and watch YouTube and faff around on Reddit instead.

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NOFX_4_ever@reddit

The Wizard. Argument over.

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PatchworkGirl82@reddit

I choose Little Monsters, because they're both in that. But, probably Ben more than Fred, I was a little young for the Wonder Years

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Tiny-Reading5982@reddit

What about "no one would tell"?

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Professional_Pea1621@reddit

My 9 and 11 year old are watching Boy meets world, lol

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No_Sympathy_359@reddit

Tapanga!

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Infamous-Package3982@reddit

Considering one was really savage in real life….

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UsuallyMooACow@reddit

Two Wonder Years is a Time Capsule of two era's. Absolutely goated

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59apache01@reddit

I liked The Wonder Years better. Never could really get into Boy Meets World for some reason.

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actionerror@reddit

I was the opposite. Couldn’t relate to the Wonder Years characters whereas Boy Meets World was a lot more relatable.

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Pretend-Menu-8660@reddit (OP)

So yes two answers- by today’s standards The Wonder Years hands down wins. But so much of the show was out of my ability to understand in real time

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noblewind@reddit

Wonder Years definitely holds up better. I actually started rewatching both with my 12 year old. She loved Wonder Years. We finished it so she agrees to watch Boy Meets World but isn't as into it.

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ironic-hat@reddit

The Wonder Years is a far superior show in every metric. Boy Meets World applied every sitcom cliche known to mankind, but never enough to make it a parody in the sense it was “clever”. It was at its core a kid’s sitcom, while the Wonder Years appealed to a wide audience.

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Steel1000@reddit

Wonder years was a show.

Boy meets world was just watch for topanga. Redhead did not age well!

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BloodyPaleMoonlight@reddit

"The Wonder Years" wasn't aimed at those of us who were children and teens at the time.

Rather, it's essentially a nostalgia show aimed at our parents, about what it was like to grow up as a kid during the 60s and 70s.

It's just that a lot of experiences of growing up are universal ones, and so the show was relatable to those of us who were children and teens watching it.

That's why it had so much mass appeal.

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59apache01@reddit

I think that might have been part of it. When The Wonder Years first aired in '88 it was truly something unique that hadn't really been done before. Sure, there had been retrospective shows like Happy Days, but The Wonder Years was done on a different level.

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whyneedaname77@reddit

The Wonder Years was deeper than something like Happy Days. Didn't Winnies brother die in Vietnam the first episode.

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standuphilospher@reddit

Yup, and I didn’t see the first episode until years later. I watched the show when it originally aired on tv and had no idea her brother died in the first episode. Great soundtrack to the show which also created problems on dvd and vhs releases. I don’t think it had much syndication because of the licensing issues with the music

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whyneedaname77@reddit

I think it had a run on Nick at Night. Also a channel by me ION.

I think it didn't have a syndication life was because it was good but not just mindless laughs good.

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nixpix730@reddit

Yes, and it was Kevin and Winnies first kiss. One of the best pilots ever.

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ecc_dg@reddit

Wonder Years is the GOAT nostalgia show and Kevin was the guy. Fred all day.

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bobrosserman@reddit

I watched it but it was definitely a kids/teen show, I always thought of Ben as just Fred’s younger brother and he never really stood out to me.

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Prossdog@reddit

Yeah Boy Meets World was ok but I didn’t watch religiously. I thought Wonder Years was incredible though.

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ouijahead@reddit

When I watched it as an adult I realized Kevin Arnold is such a little jerk. But, honestly that’s teenagers for you.

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59apache01@reddit

Every kid on that show was an a-hole at some point. Think they did that to showcase the typical teenage attitude making the rounds of all the kids.

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RelevantNothing4653@reddit

Wayne was of course 🤴 asshole (Jason Hervey is a great heel).

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Dramatic-Dark-4046@reddit

One was original while the other, including the brother, rode the coattails.

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noblewind@reddit

I watched both and was obsessed with both. I don't think I knew they were brothers then though it should've been obvious.

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jambr380@reddit

Fred, for sure. Wonder Years was great, but The Wizard solidified him as a star in my childhood. I never really watched Boy Meets World

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most_triumphant_yeah@reddit

Liking rilo kiley’s music then learning she was in the wizard was one of the coolest pieces of pop culture trivia I think I had learned in the mid ‘00s

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jambr380@reddit

Don't forget Troop Beverly Hills, too lol. I had no idea she made music. I'll have to check her out

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most_triumphant_yeah@reddit

https://youtube.com/watch?v=GezoVhh_iqE

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BrooksWasHere1@reddit

I once saw Fred Savage at a phish show in the late 90's. It was as cool as it was weird because I was high as a kite.

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donutseason@reddit

I feel like this is xennial level: legend

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donutseason@reddit

Fred and Ben is our absolutely adorable little brother

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rebuildingsince64@reddit

Real ones know it’s Savage Steve Holland

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SalukiKnightX@reddit

Weirdly neither. I was too young for Wonder Years to have any impact and Boy Meets World was just… there, but by the time it really started coming into its own I moved on from TGIF shows (basically after school activities).

The only bits of both Savages I got were Princess Bride, Little Monsters (which I somehow got confused with Monster Squad) and Working.

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AmIYourNeighbor@reddit

Who cares? It’s Winnie over Topanga all day every day

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bobrosserman@reddit

Topanga is a mega babe.

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AmIYourNeighbor@reddit

Maybe now. In the show, she was a weirdo

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bobrosserman@reddit

90s weirdo which just meant she was into astrology and yoga.

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AlienDelarge@reddit

Only really at the start. Plus some of us like weirdos.

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1deadeye1@reddit

This is outrageous

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AmIYourNeighbor@reddit

Topanga was strange, Winnie was wholesome

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1deadeye1@reddit

Topanga was strange, Winnie was wholesome

lol exactly

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1deadeye1@reddit

lol exactly

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Infamous_Tie5605@reddit

My first dog was named after Winnie.... No way I'd name my dog topanga

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Bill-Braskey@reddit

“Mole”

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GeetarEnthusiast85@reddit

I appreciate both for what they were. The Wonder Years was a dramedy that explored the realities of growing up. Boy Meets World was a sitcom that provided life lessons.

Both taught similar life lessons, just in different ways.

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Once_Upon_Time@reddit

Boy Meets World. I think I was too young for the Wonder Years because I never had interest in watching it. I watched BMW in real time, weekly and yearly.

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EarlBeforeSwine@reddit

Fred… but… no shade to Winnie Cooper, but Topanga was so much hotter.

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Repulsive_Meet_4312@reddit

Topanga

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standuphilospher@reddit

I mean little monsters?

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Lughaidh_@reddit

Adam Savage.

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Blue_Eyed_Devi@reddit

Too bad both Savage brothers turned out weird

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AdditionalMustard@reddit

Did they? Weird how?

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FortWorthTexasLady@reddit

Not sure if Ben ever had a controversy, but Fred had accusations from women for being inappropriate.

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AlienDelarge@reddit

Which is funny considering his episode on Boy Meets World was him as a professor hitting on student Topanga.

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Bland_Boring_Jessica@reddit

Ben ghosted the entire cast of Boy Meets World and refuses to talk to them. They don’t know what happened and have mentioned this on their podcast. He tried to be a politician and it didn’t work out. I think he blames the sitcom for people not taking him serious.

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onwardowl@reddit

Ben suddenly stopped all communication with his Boy Meets World co-stars a few years ago(right as he was beginning his political career)… seemingly completely out of the blue. The costars have talked about it on their Boy Meets World rewatch podcast. Will (Eric on on the show) seemed like he was especially close to Ben and was really hurt that Ben woke up one day and decided to ghost all of them.

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Blue_Eyed_Devi@reddit

Fred was Me Too’ed basically, and Ben became a weirdo with no personally or original thought which was found out when he tried to run for local office. Read up on it.

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Spread_Kindness_@reddit

Fred Savage has been accused of sexual exploitation and Ben Savage ran for political office and refuses to talk about or even mention his acting career (like attempting to erase that it ever happened).

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bobrosserman@reddit

It was never clear if Fred was actually a creep or he just got swept up in the me too stuff.

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Miz_momo82@reddit

Wonder years is far superior but I was basically the same age as the characters in Boy Meets World so it felt more "relatable" to me as a 90s teen

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VVrayth@reddit

I pick the one who didn't turn out to be a sex pest.

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jedispaghetti420@reddit

Dan Savage.

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militant-hippie@reddit

I watched both

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BoyznGirlznBabes@reddit

gif

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_R_A_@reddit

I can say without shame I've not watched a whole episode of Boy Meets World.

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tryna_b_rich@reddit

Why not both?

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tigerblue1984@reddit

The Wonder Years easily. The opening theme song and sequence is so comforting and nostalgic for me. I loved the the coming of age themes and the 1960s setting. Boy Meets World was just a generic 90s sitcom to me. I never really connected with it much.

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Klutzy-Delivery-5792@reddit

Watch Little Monsters and you don't have to pick.

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amodsr@reddit

Boy meets world is better.

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bobrosserman@reddit

The Wonder Years is timeless and Fred hits above his weight class. Boy meets World had some great moments but Ben was pretty mid for me.

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No_Perspective_4550@reddit

Fred in a straight up fight, Ben if we're talking prison rules.

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moediggity3@reddit

Wow. Thats… pretty racist, but correct.

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ouijahead@reddit

I’m confused . What is racist about it now ?

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rik1122@reddit

Nothing. There are just too many insane people on reddit

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moediggity3@reddit

Chill everyone, it’s a quote from Hot Rod. No_perspective’s comment is a line from Isla Fisher, mine is Andy Samberg’s response.

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ouijahead@reddit

Ohhh. Yeah I love that movie

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OneHumanBill@reddit

Savage Ben?

No, Gentle Ben.

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PastPotatoes@reddit

I thought Ben Savage was a knock-off Fred Savage.

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boner79@reddit

Fred Savage all day:

The Wonder Years

Princess Bride

Little Monsters

The Wizard

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el_floppo@reddit

TIL they were two different people.

I didn't really watch or pay attention to either show, so I thought it was the same kid

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bjenkins11@reddit

Both goobers who got hot girls

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laurenishere@reddit

My whole family loved Wonder Years. I tried Boy Meets World but never got past the pilot. I was never really a traditional sitcoms person.

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yindseyl@reddit

I watched both but had the biggest crush on Cory! Haha

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cbih@reddit

Ben. I learned of Fred later from The Wizard and Princess Bride. I thought the Wonder Years was boring and didn't watch it.

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fromthedarqwaves@reddit

So I lived around Stanford when Ben Savage started to go there. Fred had already come and gone and was generally respected by the student body. I spent a lot of time on campus and made some friends. Apparently, Ben was seen as a sort of nepo brother who only got in because Fred went there. Ben was referred to as “Fred’s little brother” colloquially and in print, as he didn’t deserve to be referred to by name. Anyway, I ran into Ben a few times and he was obnoxious to say the least. I moved away a year later so I don’t know if Fred’s little brother earned the respect of his peers or not.

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evanweb546@reddit

Wonder Years is the better show.

Boy Meets World is the more fun show.

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