If you’re a child of the 1980s (or even the early ’90s), you already know the name Ben Savage better than most other people on the planet. Brother of The Wonder Years star Fred Savage, Ben made his very own cultural impact on a little show with a big following: Boy Meets World. Premiering in 1993 as part of ABC’s insanely popular “TGIF” lineup (post-Full House years), the series ran for seven seasons and guided many an ’80s child through their teen years while making stars out of young cast members like Savage, Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, and Will Friedle. Parade sat down with Cory Matthews himself, Ben Savage, to discuss the Boy Meets World: The Complete Collection DVD (in stores November 5), his new series Girl Meets World, and watching his “wife” walk down the aisle with another man.

Is Girl Meets World something that you had been hoping would happen for a long time?

No, I don’t know if that’s the right description. I think that everyone had kind of moved on after Boy Meets World and was doing their own stuff and engaged in their own projects. Everyone was busy and then there had been talk of maybe a reunion or a sequel over the years, but nothing really came of it. Things started to happen and, all of a sudden, it became a real thing.

Will it be accessible for people who have never seen Boy Meets World?

It’s important for people to understand that it’s not going to be picking up where Boy Meets World left off. We’re trying to create a show for a brand new generation of kids to grow up with and learn from and enjoy. I hope that some of the fans who grew up with us, and who might be a little older now, aren’t expecting to turn it on and see Boy Meets World all over again. We’re basically going all the way back to season one, episode one, scene one, and take one of Boy Meets World. Only, this time, it’s from a girl’s perspective.

It stands on its own.

It stands on its own. Now, that’s not to say that there aren’t going to be a lot of nuggets from Boy Meets World. I’m in it. Danielle [Fishel] is in it. We have Michael Jacobs helming the show, and he wrote every episode of Boy Meets World. It’s going to have a lot of the same flavor as Boy Meets World, but with different storylines, and I have kids in this one.

Is it weird to be on that side of the equation this time?

It’s kind of fun. They have the hard work now. We just get to be the parents.

Rider Strong isn’t officially part of the show, but I have to imagine we’ll see Shawn at some point, right?

I can’t give anything away, but I would say that you’re going to see a lot of the characters from Boy Meets World and I think our fans will be happy when they see what we’re doing.

It’s almost unheard of that two brothers (with different shows) would make such a cultural impact on so many people. What does that feel like?

It’s very flattering, first of all. But I will say that it wasn’t a design or a plan that these two brothers were going to have a cultural impact. It just kind of happened. I’d say we’re a lucky family, more than anything.

After working on The Wonder Years, did Fred give you any tips for Boy Meets World?

Fred was fifteen and I was eleven. We weren’t exactly old men at that point, so there were no tips. I grew up going to his set on The Wonder Years. I remember being a kid and, every day after school, I would get dropped off and hang out on the Wonder Years set. If they were ever filming late, I would go sleep in his trailer because my mom didn’t want me to be alone.

Can you ever imagine Boy Meets World ending differently?

No. I think Boy Meets World ended the way it should have ended. That being said, I think that Boy Meets World probably could have gone on forever. I don’t think anyone wanted to see it end, and it probably didn’t need to end, but the way it ended was the right way.

Would there have been a fan revolt if Cory and Topanga hadn’t ended up together?

Yes. I think that had to happen. It was just the right thing. We had watched these two characters and their relationship blossom over the course of seven years and it was just the right thing.

Do you ever get people who see you in public and literally think you and Danielle had gotten married in real life?

I’d be a lucky guy if I had ended up with Danielle as my wife. I’ll just say that. [Laughs]

She just got married. You were there, right?

I was there. I watched my wife walk down the aisle with another man, which was not easy. But the wedding was beautiful and Danielle was a perfect bride.

I have a young daughter and I can’t wait until she’s old enough to watch Little Monsters.

Great movie! See, that’s why we’re making Girl Meets World. Because of people like you. There are a lot of people who grew up with Boy Meets World, who have their own kids now, and they write to me and email me saying, “I’m so excited to watch this show, not just for myself, but also for our kids.” I think those are the most meaningful emails and messages we get. It’s nice to see that people want their kids to enjoy their own Boy Meets World.

How was it working with your brother on that film?

Excellent. Little Monsters was a ball. We shot it in Wilmington, North Carolina one summer. I think I was seven years old. I remember having the time of my life that summer. I wasn’t filming every day, so when I had the day off someone would take me to this water park and I would just ride water slides all day and eat candy. That’s a pretty nice way to spend the summer.

Do you have a favorite memory from Boy Meets World?

For me, the most significant moment was the end. When they said, “Cut!” on that final take, it was almost like someone was saying, “Say goodbye to your childhood.” For better or worse, ready or not, childhood was ending. When they said that, I remember being really nervous just for a few seconds and then it was like a voice in my head was saying, “Time to move on.” The last line that Mr. Feeny says to the kids, “Dream. Try. Do good,” always stuck with me as a mantra. We’re all adults now and we’re trying our best to do what we can.

Boy Meets World: The Complete Collection arrives on DVD on November 5.