Family Matters (1989–1998)

Long-running "Perfect Strangers" spin-off series centering on the Winslow family and their pesky next-door neighbor, ultra-nerd Steve Urkel.

Creators:

William Bickley, Michael Warren

Stars:

Reginald VelJohnson, Kellie Shanygne Williams, Darius McCrary

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 8 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Reginald VelJohnson	...	Carl Otis Winslow (215 episodes, 1989-1998)
Kellie Shanygne Williams	...	Laura Lee Winslow (214 episodes, 1989-1998)
Darius McCrary	...	Edward 'Eddie' James Arthur Winslow (207 episodes, 1989-1998)
Jaleel White	...	Steven Quincy Urkel (204 episodes, 1989-1998)
JoMarie Payton	...	Harriette Winslow (199 episodes, 1989-1997)
Rosetta LeNoire	...	Estelle 'Mother' Winslow (121 episodes, 1989-1997)
Bryton James	...	Richie Crawford (96 episodes, 1990-1997)
Telma Hopkins	...	Rachel Crawford (93 episodes, 1989-1997)

Storyline

The Winslow family is a pretty normal family except for one thing, their neighbor Stephen Urkel. A genius and klutz Steve makes some really weird inventions while driving the Winslow's insane.

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Plot Keywords:

neighbor | spin off | nerd | friend | high pitched voice | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 September 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

8 sotto un tetto

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bickley-Warren Productions, Lorimar Television, Miller/Boyett Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (215 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

JoMarie Payton decided to leave the show when it moved networks from ABC to CBS because she didn't like how the show overemphasized the Steve Urkel character. Payton agreed to appear during the first half of the ninth season, after which she was replaced as Harriette Winslow by Judyann Elder.

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Goofs

In the first episode, outside of the front door is a little hallway leading outside. From the second episode on, the hallway was a porch.

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Quotes

Steve Urkel: I've invented nuclear batteries.
Carl: Where did you get the plutonium?
Steve Urkel: Radio Shack.

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Connections

Featured in ABC's 50th Anniversary Celebration (2003)

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Soundtracks

"As Days Go By"
Written by Jesse Frederick & Bennett Salvay
Performed by Jesse Frederick

User Reviews

A fun show the first few seasons, but eventually it really went down hill

You know the funny thing about "Family Matters" is that I'm not sure if anyone knows the title of this show, lol, I mean, it just became about Steve Urkel. One of the ultimate characters of the 90's, the kid who made it so cool to act like a nerd. I know Jaleel White hates his type cast now, but he has to admit that not too many actors can do what he has accomplished by creating an icon. No one could ever forget that famous line "Did I do that?" or Urkel's attire or his voice.

The first season was pretty basic, it was a just a typical family sit com, also a spin off of Perfect Strangers, we are learning about Harriet, the elevator operator and her loving family. Harriet is the mom and loving wife who is abrasive but extremely loving. Carl, her husband and the father, he's a Chicago police officer and is very hot tempered but also has a good heart. Mother Winslow, Carl's mom who has moved in with the family and is one "hip" grannie. Rachel, Harriet's sister, who has moved in with her baby, Richie, since her husband passed away. Eddie, who is the eldest son, he's not the sharpest tool in the box, but tries his best anyways. Laura, the second oldest, she's the smart goodie two shoes of the bunch and is extremely popular at school. Judy, the youngest, and the snappiest little girl. Richie, Rachel's son, who is the hot little guy and dancer of the group. And Steve Urkel, the nerd next door who quickly turns into one of the Winslow's.

Since the first season was pretty basic and unoriginal, there was only one thing that kept viewers watching and that was Steve Urkel. His crush on Laura, his attire, his voice, his kind heart, his clumsiness, everything about him screamed good ratings. As the seasons progressed, the show became more and more about him, so much to the point where he actually moves in with the Winslow's. The show had a lot of laughs in the beginning and was a lot of fun to watch, I still watch it to this day, I'll admit.

There are some flaws along with the show though, they quickly killed off characters that had potential and not to mention the actual family members, like Judy and Rachel. They left the show, Rachel had some reason where she left to help a family member, but she leaves Richie, her son, with the family. Judy just seemed to be a person that they HAD to add into the story, so they just never bothered with her again. The show also got to be unbelievable where they would put Steve in life threatening situations almost every episode. Then they also over did it with Steve eventually turning him from popular into annoying.

The main thing that kept the series running was the love story between Steve and Laura, she keeps rejecting him throughout the series. I know there are a lot of Laura haters out there, but I liked her character, she wasn't a bad person, she didn't treat Steve kindly all the time, but they became good friends and I thought she was a good person. I didn't like how the series ended, but I think they were just rushing at that point to end it since Jaleel was getting sick of his character.

Whole point being is this was one of the high lights of T.G.I.F.-Friday's night line up. I remember this being after Full House and how much Steve and Carl would make me laugh. The show is a pleasure to watch, just they should have quit while the writers were ahead. Replacing Harriet with a different actress and changing the whole point of what the original story was wasn't cool in my book. But here we are almost 20 years later and still talking about the show, that's gotta say something.