What Happened to Mr. Turner in Boy Meets World?

Mr. Turner first appears in the Season 2 premiere: Back 2 School, when he debuts as Cory and Shawn’s English teacher. Cory initially mistakes Turner for Harley Keiner because of his youthful demeanor and motorcycle helmet.

After identifying himself as their teacher, he assigns the class an X-Men comic book to contrast with their traditional book, The Odyssey. He announces that Cory will lead the discussion on the similarities and differences.

Most students immediately gravitate to him because his modern teaching methods contrast with traditionalists like George Feeny. As a result, Mr. Feeny takes issue with Turner’s X-Men assignment, though he allows it.

Later in the episode, Turner saves Cory from Harley Keiner, who plans to pound Cory into the ground after the 7th-grader accidentally gets him in trouble. However, when Mr. Turner shows up, Harley flees the scene.

In the Season 4 episode, Cult Fiction, Jonathon Turner suffers a motorcycle accident that results in his hospitalization. After taking the call from the hospital, Mr. Feeny indicates that Mr. Turner is in serious condition.

Cory, Topanga, Alan, and Amy drive with Mr. Feeny to the hospital while Shawn goes to see Mr. Mack. Eventually, Shawn shows up with Mr. Mack prompting a physical confrontation between Alan and Shawn’s cult leader.

Meanwhile, Mr. Turner is unable to speak while lying in his hospital bed. Instead, his only form of communication occurs when he squeezes Shawn’s hand after Shawn prays to God for Turner’s recovery.

According to most experts, Mr. Turner left Boy Meets World because the network wanted to focus future seasons on the younger characters. As a result, Anthony Tyler Quinn (Mr. Turner) was phased out of the show during Season 4.

His character was ultimately replaced with younger cast members like Matthew Lawerence (Jack Hunter), Trina McGee (Angela Moore), and Maitland Ward (Rachel McGuire). They even use his apartment set as their off-campus apartment.

Although their demeanors are opposites, Jonathon strongly reveres George Feeny and looks up to him as a mentor. The colleagues also spend time away from campus, including playing squash games.

As a single man, Jonathon occasionally seeks Alan Matthews’ advice about raising Shawn Hunter. In addition, he attends Alan and Amy’s anniversary party, though Cory and Eric threw it together last minute.

As his teacher and temporary guardian, Turner struggles with defining his relationship with Shawn Hunter. Are they friends? Or is Turner his disciplinarian? Despite the gray area, they do refer to themselves as friends multiple times.

Mr. Turner lives in an apartment within a reasonable distance of John Adams High School. We see the inside of Turner’s apartment several times throughout the series and more often after Shawn moves in.

We know that Eli lives in the same apartment building and frequents Jon’s apartment during Season 3. The friends hold a New Year’s Eve get-together in the condo before several ex-girlfriends crash the party.

Mr. Turner is first interested in Kat Tompkins when he notices her in the school cafeteria. He asks George Feeny about her and learns that she’s the new social studies teacher. He soon asks her out, and they hit it off.

Later in Season 2, Kat asks Mr. Turner to the Turnaround Dance though she teases him by not asking right away. Jon and Katherine date for most of Season 2 but decided to break up when Shawn has a crisis.

Mr. Turner opens his home to Shawn after his dad drops him off at some “fleabag” motel. As a result, Ms. Tompkins concludes that Shawn is the commitment he needs right now.

Jonathon dates Kris early in Season 3 and lies to Shawn about going away for the weekend. He wants the apartment for his date with Kris, but Shawn drops by with his date, Veronica — thinking the apartment is empty.

After a short argument, Kris drives Veronica home, and we never see her again. Finally, Shawn and Turner blame each other for the incident before realizing they are both at fault. 

On the same night when Janine and Valerie crash Turner’s New Year get-together, another of his exes shows up at the door crying. Turner remarks that they only went out once, but Lynn insists that he’s being hostile.

Malanie’s relationship with Jonathon pre-dates Boy Meets World. We learn that Melanie and Jon dated as teenagers and grew up in a wealthy Connecticut town to rich parents. All the locals assumed they would get married.

Instead, Turner decided to leave his wealthy parents and start his own life as a school teacher. Fast forward to Boy Meets World Season 3, Melanie leaves several messages on Jon’s answering machine.

Turner eventually agrees to meet her and is shocked to learn that Melanie gave up her inherited wealth. While she still drives a BMW, she gave up her father’s career path and started a bookstore.

Susan Maguire is Dana Pruitt’s mother. As a divorcee, she makes her availability clear when meeting Turner for the first time. To Shawn’s dismay, the two flirt and banter in front of Shawn and Dana.

Susan is so impressed by Turner that she calls him from her car phone on the way home, and they plan a date. After a great first date, they decide not to pursue the relationship because of its awkwardness for Shawn and Dana.

After splitting with Susan because of the awkwardness, it causes Shawn and Dana, Jon decides to get back right back into the dating game. 

However, when Dana sees Mr. Turner at Chubbie’s, she notices his date as her aunt. Shawn and Dana start screaming in horror at the sight of Jon with Dana’s aunt, only days after he was dating her mother.

After Cory gets Harley in trouble on the first day of high school, the school bully promises to pound Cory into the ground at 3 PM. Eric initially shows up to defend his brother, but Harley is ready to beat down both.

Just as Cory starts shoving the Matthews brothers, Mr. Turner appears from around the corner and explains to Harley that he teaches English, Lit, and kickboxing.

Harley realizes that he can’t take Mr. Turner and decides to walk away. As a result, Cory survives his first day of high school scot-free.

When Chet Hunter leaves Philadelphia to chase his wife Virna, he leaves his son Shawn with Alan and Amy Matthews. Shawn struggles with The Matthews’ strict rules and runs away from their home.

Turner is shocked when a police officer drops Shawn by his apartment. The cop says Shawn was loitering with spray paint outside the high school and when questioned, claimed that he was staying with Jonathon Turner.

Turner plays along and confirms Shawn’s story, prompting the officer to let Shawn go. Afterward, Jon harshly scolds Shawn but cools down after they discuss the situation. Later in the episode, Turner asks Shawn to move in full-time.

Turner’s best friend Eli worked as a news programmer but left the local station because of ethical differences. So Jonathon gets his buddy an interview with George Feeny to become the new Media Arts teacher. 

Although the interview goes terribly in Eli’s mind, Feeny hires him anyway, allowing the two friends to become colleagues. The new teacher adds a lot to John Adams High School and inspires Cory’s interest in film. 

Working at the same school allows Jon and Eli to spend more time together. In addition, the two friends bring more personality out of Mr. Feeny, who typically conducts himself rigidly.

After students vandalize George Feeny’s home for refusing to change the finals schedule, the aging educator decides to retire. One of the students refers to him as an old dinosaur, which he takes to heart.

Mr. Turner hears of his decision and visits his home to change his mind. But then, Turner explains that he should not give those goons the power to change his life. 

Initially, Feeny refutes him with a garden metaphor but later heeds his advice. Others like Cory contributed to Feeny’s reconsideration, but Turner played one of the most vital roles.

The last we ever see of Turner is in a hospital bed after suffering a motorcycle accident. But, unfortunately, it comes at the wrong time for Shawn Hunter, who recently joined The Centre cult. 

Luckily, Cory and Topanga convince Shawn that the cult is terrible for him, and he decides to pray for Mr. Turner. Unfortunately, although Turner squeezes Shawn’s hand on the camera, he never reappears on-screen.

Stuart Minkus references Mr. Turner in the Season 5 Graduation episode; however, it is intended to be an inside joke separate from the show’s plot. Writers never resolve Turner’s plot in the original Boy Meets World series.