Family Matters (1989–1998) User Reviews

Oh, Laura. 9 years? Did we do that?

[happipuppi13 · 7/10 · 20 July 2005]

I have to say this,I like(in some ways) and dislike (in many more) this show. When ABC announced that Harrite the elevator operator on Perfect Strangers was going to be spun off into her own series I thought,cool! I loved her sarcastic character and thought the show would be "really" funny.

What debuted in Sept. of '89 was,to me,something of a yawn. With story lines that could be from any sitcom. Enter (in what was supposed to be a one time guest shot)Steven Q. Urkel. Set up on a date by Laura's father (who has no idea that Steve is the biggest nerd in Laura & Eddie's school)Steve arrives on the scene and sort of like Fonzie did on Happy Days,his minor character became an overnight sensation with viewers and those in charge at the network.

Steve has apparently loved laura since Kindergarten (oh please!) Anyway,the focus shifts to Steve and for 9 long seasons we watch mostly funny episodes of Steve annoying Carl & Family & Friends! While all the while "he means well". Judy was written out because they didn't know how to write for her character,basically one kid to many.(It's more likely that little "Richie" was cuter,younger and funnier.) She went into adult films at 18,sad to say. She's done with that now and is back in mainstream acting.

Thelma Hopkins left to be in the short lived "Getting By" in which she co-stared with Cindy Williams. Sort of an inter-racial Laverne & Shirley with kids. If you are familiar with the sitcom term "Jump The Shark" this show did it twice! First there was the completely impossible episode where Steve and Carl shrink down to a few tiny inches! Then there was the last show before they moved to CBS;in that one they time travel and end up on a pirate ship! Oh brother!

Actually,even though I felt enough was enough,when I watched it on CBS the writing was much better and not so "kiddish". A bit much asking us to believe that after all these years Laura has fallen for Steve but they made it convincing enough. Eddie,finally acting his age,became a rookie cop and in a Christmas episode Rachel & Carl's mother return for 1 last visit.

The last show was,Urkel becomes part of the space program and (of course) causes a near disaster that almost gets him lost in space. He corrects the problem on the spacecraft and arrives home to a hero's welcome (for screwing up??) and back in Laura's arms and with the whole Winslow family. (The End!) Overall: 7 star rating for touching & sometimes poignant story lines. 3 off for overkill!

Did the family really matter?

[crash21 · 6/10 · 20 February 2012]

I honestly only liked the first few seasons of Family Matters. I think the name of this show ended up being a rather ironic name. Considering that the family was basically gone by the end, with Steve Urkel and other Jaleel White characters having taken over the show like a bad disease. Especially in the last season where they had lost the original lady playing Harriette Winslow (Jo Marie Payton) and Steve is the whole center to the show, with the ending acting like he had finally got Laura's love and even saved the world in his stupid trip up in the Space Shuttle.

I never really understood why everybody seemed to like the Steve Urkel/Jaleel White characters so much more than everybody else, even his others like Myrtle Urkel which was just a cross-dressing character done by Jaleel White. I would assume that this was simply because the girls in the audience thought Jaleel White's characters were so attractive. My favorite characters in this show were actually Carl Winslow/Reginald VelJohnson and Mother Winslow/Rosetta LeNoire; those two played their characters so well, and had some of the best lines in the whole show. The Waldo and Weasel characters were rather amusing too.

It's rather sad when you look at the show's poster, because it kind of symbolizes how the Family Matters show ended up in real life, Steve stands in front of the camera, with the family getting smaller and smaller in the background.

A Tale of Two Sitcoms Battling With Each Other

[JayWolfgramm · 6/10 · 20 February 2023]

The story of "Family Matters" is a story about two distinct shows wanting to go on. One show is a down to earth family drama about real life issues. Stuff like gun control, gang violence and getting by in school. Then something happens towards the end of the first season. Laura needs a date to the school dance, so the dad calls up a friend to set her up with a boy named Steve.

This brings us to show #2, the Steve Urkel show. Test audiences and producers loved Jaleel White's Urkel. And quickly the show changed gears to make him the focus. The show's tone also drastically changed. Soon it became a sci-fi show that happened to take place in a family's house. Urkel would invent robots, time machines, teleportation pods and cloning machines.

People are divided on the show. Either they loved the down to earth family drama, or they loved the crazy out there stories with Urkel. It is an interesting show to follow. It is like the way the Fonz took over "Happy Days", but where the Fonz was super cool, Urkel is a super nerd. The show had some all-time great moments, but watching it from beginning to end, there are more duds than you may remember. Was the quality decline of the show to blamed on Jaleel White's character? Or as Urkel would ask..."Did I do that?"

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

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 19 August 2002]

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.

The whole Family Matters

[ComedyFan2010 · 7/10 · 14 November 2013]

I must say I enjoyed the show. It is very predictable and has many clichés, but to me it just gives a sweet nostalgia of the past television. While I am happy with the shows we have now, the past is sometimes great to watch again, and Family Matters is a good choice. It is a good sweet show that could be enjoyed by adults and by kids. It is a typical family show where at the end the characters teach us a moral lesson with their incident. Some of them were not my taste, but for the most time I found it tolerable.

I know everyone says it became the "Urkel Show". But I just don't see it. I think people just associate it with the whole pop culture boom relating Urkel that happened in those days, I missed it, I didn't live in North America back then. But when it comes to the show, the rest of the characters still played an important role. Except for the ones who disappeared, which would be Judy, Rachel and Estelle. I didn't care much for the first two (and I wouldn't mind if Rachel would have taken her kid with her), but I do wish there would still be more Estelle. Loved her character. An older woman with more energy and adventure personality than anyone younger.

My favorite character was Carl. He did bug me a few times, mainly at the end, but for the most I loved him. I would also say that this is due to the fact that Reginald VelJohnson is a brilliant actor. I absolutely loved his comedic talent as well as his performance in serious moments. I really want to see more of him now.

Jaleel White was a good actor as well. Just seeing how he created that icon that Urkel was as well as him performing all the Urkel alter egos who were very diverse.

The rest of the actors did a good job as well. This also goes for the secondary characters such as Waldo or Carl's bosses.

I think the show slightly overran its time. I didn't mind the unrealistic plots with Steve's inventions as long as it was funny, but the problem is that I didn't find Stefan too funny and there was too much of him. Also the show started repeating similar plot lines, which was killing the fun.

I did like though how they wrapped it up. At first I wasn't sure I want Urkel end up with Laura. yes, one would want his character to get what he always wanted, but Laura always rejected who he is. But they made it well by making Laura accept his hobbies such as polka and even get fun with it herself.

No Cosby Clone!

[Sylviastel · 6/10 · 20 March 2007]

Let's face it, Jaleel White's unforgettable role and performance as Urkel was the show's saving grace. After all the show had a stellar cast including the wonderful Rosetta LeNoire who played the grandmother, JoMarie Payton-France as the show's matriarch whose character was spun off from Perfect Strangers, Reginald Veljohnson who plays the husband, Darius McCary who played the oldest teenage son, Telma Hopkins who played the widowed aunt who lived with the family. The show might have been ABC's answer to the Cosby Show but it had quite a life of it's own especially when Urkel, the lovable geek next door, entered the scene. You couldn't forget him and that is why the show lasted as long as it did. I'm sure ABC realized Urkel's contributions to the show. Even though his character overshadowed the other characters, it kept the show floating for 8 years and it separated itself from being a Cosby Clone.

Matters of the Family

[hellraiser7 · 9/10 · 25 March 2020]

This is another one of my favorite sitcoms of all time, and another childhood gem of mine. I remember seeing this show on the late night comedy block called TGIF, which was really great for kids like myself as it really was something to look forward to after five days of school, watching sitcoms on the first free night as sweet relief. This show on that block was always first and was always the one I was looking forward to seeing.

Despite a show with a simple but uninspired title (should've been called "Urkel and the Winslow's") don't let that fool you, "Family Matters" wasn't just a sitcom it was a phenomenon, and it's not hard to see why as this show wasn't just an ordinary sitcom but actually at time became more than the sum of its parts sometimes, which helped break the mold of your typical sitcom format.

There is just lots to like about the show, I like the theme song which is an honorable mention in favorite theme songs as it's a simple cheerful song, even like a couple of the end theme songs mainly the first one. Which is cheerful though maybe a little sad at the same time as the camera would show the Winslow house but then zoom out showing all of Chicago which just indicated the show was over.

The show has the typical format of any family sitcom, however there were a few things that made it unique and slightly unconventional. For one thing the family consists of an all African American cast which at the time was a bit of a rarity because there really weren't that many shows with that at the time. That I thought was cool showing part of the meaning of what true family is, that it's consists of all kinds of races.

Another thing was how the show wasn't afraid to be slightly non-conventional, where we would see how at times it can be a sci-fi comedy in some episodes, in others there would be a episode with action, another a fantasy/dream, this to me really made the show slightly unique from your standard sitcom. But also showed how the show was one foot in reality but at the same time one foot away, give the show some creative freedom to not be afraid to take an extra step if they want to.

There are just lots of memorable characters, each of them is rounded out well enough and there actually is some development with each of them as well as good memorable dynamics. I'll just pick out three of my favorites who are no surprise.

Waldo Geraldo Faldo played well by Shawn Harrison his character is fun. His character is obviously not the brightest bulb which of course causes some unintentional grief with some people around him. But the guy isn't boring as there are some colorful occurrences that occur with him like in one episode having a sun dial watch where the heck, he got one is anyone's guess. Really like how he has this fast way of talking and how some of what he says rhymes as much as a Dr. Seuss book. But the guy has it where it counts from the fact, he's a culinary artist so he's a person with talent in a field. And his heart is in the right place as he's able to do right with others. It's always fun when he, Eddie and Steve are together their sort of like a modern Three Stooges as there are always colorful episodes of them getting into hijinks.

Carl Winslow played well by Reginald VelJohnson. On a side note I never even seen the movie "Die Hard" at the time wasn't old enough to still a kid, but when I did get old enough and saw him in that film I thought that was really cool Carl in an action film. Anyway, I really love his character how on one hand he is sort of a straightforward guy and loving father you can feel comfortable with.

But he's is just always a powder keg ready to explode at any time, it's just funny how much he exercises aggravation and anger. It's fun whenever Steve and Carl are together as both are one of my favorite comedic duos sort of a modern Laurel and Hardy just like with Laurel Steve unintentionally gives Carl grief which in turn lets to him blowing his stack. Even like how there are moments when Carl pays Steve back for his grief.

Of course, no surprise my favorite character is Steve Urkel played well by underrated comedic actor Jaleel White. Jaleel White is just great in this role, from the walk, talk and mannerism.

Steve is one of my favorite comedic icon characters much along the same lines as Ernest P Worrall, Glasses/Harold Lloyd along with The Nutty Professor/Jerry Lewis (both partial inspirations for Steve), etc. Strangely in turn Steve Urkel may have been a partial inspiration for "The Angry Video Game Nerd"/James Rolfe well sort of but James is a fan of the show.

Steve no doubt the backbone of the show and it's not hard to see why, without him this show would've just passed itself off as another bland passable sitcom.

The thing about oddball characters like that that appeal to us is their underdogs we can easily relate or even emphasize with as these guys never get all the breaks in life or are easy targets for most. Yes, like most oddball characters Steve isn't perfect he's not without his flaws like at times Steve can be too helpful when most of the time it's unnecessary or sometimes tries a little to hard at friendly socialization which at times makes the results come out bad.

However, what makes them endearing is that their always people that are struggling and trying to succeed or get somewhere or something in life, sometimes Steve wins and loses but at least he tried which is what matters. But two things I really like about Steve is that he's a person that beats to a different drummer. This is a guy that has interests most notably science, I really love how inventive he is which is something I emphasize with as I'm also inventive.

My favorite invention from him no surprise is the Transformation Chamber which is awesome. Don't let the outhouse look fool you, I just love that concept on the ability to be able to transform into anyone, it's sort of that wish fulfillment fantasy of being able to be whatever you want to be anytime. One favorite transformation was Bruce Lee, which I thought was awesome because that's probably a dream any martial artist or just anyone that's a fan of Bruce would love.

But the other thing about him is his confidence in himself. I really like that he's a person that is aware of who he is and isn't afraid to put it out there. From his clothes, big glasses, persona he really doesn't care what anyone thinks its sort of his way of saying, this is who I am. This makes him happy, and this is a good message showing the importance of being yourself, if it makes you happy then just be you.

Of course, there is also the Steve and Laura dynamic, I really like how it played out thought the show where throughout the show none of us honestly though it would ever happen, it never seemed likely.

It's true that maybe Steve's attraction and colorful persistence in asking Laura out may seem on the obsessive side which could of came off creepy and badly. However, for Steve is endearing because there is an innocence to it, and you can't help but emphasize a bit with because we've all had that one person we've pined for, despite how unreachable they seem.

What makes both work is that throughout the show they have a friendship that actually does develop which makes Laura actually warm up to the guy more. Watching the show again, in a way Steve really is right for Laura, as he's really has always been there for her sticking up for her, helping her out whenever there was danger, but also did his best in making her happy and actually succeeding. Do both Steve and Laura wind up together in the end, I won't say you'll just have to find out. But as the words from the song from Orleans goes "Love takes time".

Family does matter whenever the right people are around.

Rating: 3 and a half stars

In the 70's, it was Fonzie. In the 80's, it was Urkel.

[dwacon-2 · 7/10 · 16 September 2007]

It is an interesting paradigm.

Garry Marshall made Happy Days, a nostalgic look at the 1950's. It plodded along until a background character, Fonzie, became the focus of the show. And, Fonzie went from being a motorcycle riding tough guy to a cartoon character.

The same happened with Family Matters. What was originally a Cosby-esquire warm family drama became a surrealistic cartoon starring none other than original one-off character Steve Urkel.

Jaleel White made quite a career for himself in those days. He even had a special that showed off his other talents. However, like Gary Coleman, the joke ran dry and his post Family Matters show failed.

I'm still waiting for Jaleel to return to acting in some type of bad-ass role. He has the talent and the range. He just needs a chance.

A show the whole family can enjoy

[shawn_cool_great · 9/10 · 21 June 2010]

Family Matters is quality television that can be enjoyed by the whole family. It's funny, warm, and can be appreciated by all. This is a show where you can laugh and learn important lessons about life and not have jokes about sex, drugs, and violence. It's just so shameful that shows like this are very scarce these days. Another nice thing about this show is that it's able to be a good wholesome programming without being sappy or annoying like other shows, e.g. (Full House). The glue that really held this show together was Steve Urkel. Urkel is one of the most beloved television characters of the 1990's. Urkel is truly one of the funniest television characters in television history. Family Matters is a show that can be loved and treasured by all. However, I will admit that in the later seasons the show went downhill, becoming more like a science fiction show.

Creative, clever all American family sitcom. A classic.

[insomniac_rod · 7/10 · 28 June 2009]

A fun show that consisted of converting difficult and obligatory family and teenager problems into funny situations.

The fact that the main characters are an all American family gives you the idea of what kind of humor to expect; I mean, the perfect mom and dad with troubled children ending with a family/social message.

The truth is that the events are very well done on the dramatic aspect and covered by a really funny cast and jokes. You will get sometimes the naive feeling of the situations but it's equilibrated by very creative American humor.

This is an all time family sticom classic. Give it a try when it airs on Nick or Nick Jr. Plus, witness the legacy of Steve Urkel.

A show that lasted longer than it probably should have

[branh0913-256-160972 · 5/10 · 4 January 2012]

Family Matter's started off innocently enough as a Cosby Show ripoff, set to be centered around a "middle class" black family living in suburban Chicago. Using the momentum of Perfect Stranger's sassy elevator operator (a job I would imagine was in sharp decline in the late 80s), it is a spin off of that show.

Like any long running show, Family Matters can be broken up into different phases. The first phase was of course the "Cosby Clone" phase. However the thing about this approach is that it was no Cosby show. Instead this show had a bunch of under performing actors and characters who were one dimensional. The child actors in this show were all pretty bad. The adult actors were better, but given the juvenile nature of the script, not much could be done.

In this direction this series would have vanish umm, 3rd season, maybe 4th season at best. The fact of the matter was is that the comedy styling was more slap stick (as opposed to Cosby's more subtle comical styling). The Cosby show also had character growth and development(hard to juggle with the increasingly large plot, but it was successful in some instances). Family Matters didn't really allow the characters to grow much. The Carl Winslow of 1989 is the same Carl Winslow of 1998. Heatcliff Huxtable kept his character interesting with his interactions with the cast, and the child actors (who were all superior to Family Matter's child actors).

Ah, but alas, Jaleel White who had been roaming around the TV sitcom universe for a few years with cameo appearances here and there comes up as the geeky, annoying, and clumsy next door neighbor. Needless to say, he was an overnight success. And soon enough, he became the show's centerpiece attraction.

Steve Urkle became pretty much the face of the show, and he became a merchandise killing. We had a Steve Urkle rap, Steve Urkle doll, Steve Urkle music video, etc. This pretty much started the downward spiral for the show. Steve Urkle saved a show that was going to pretty much be a footnote in history or become an obscure "anyone remember that one show" hit on the internet. But the show lasted a hefty 9 seasons. I'd say from Season 2-6 was the Urkle phase.

After awhile, the Urkle character was becoming stale. It was kind of hard to buy that a nerd who looked like he was 6'7 (and had a bassy deep voice) could be some sort of docile nerd. The producers probably started to notice this, and started creating alternate versions of Urkle like Stefan. Of course that wasn't a great hit, and with Ukrle becoming stale, the show pretty much threw any idea at the wall. Some ludicrous situations happened like Urkle crashing a car into the Winslow's living room. Urkle shrinking him and Carl, and Steve Urkle actually separating from Stephan to create a totally separate version of himself. I'm not making this up! The last few seasons pretty much demonstrated that the producers had no idea what they were doing.

As producers pretty much came up with dumb idea after another to keep the show interesting, a male nurished supporting cast was suffering. Besides maybe Laura and maybe Karl Winslow, the rest of the characters got little to no screen time. And members of the Winslow family were systematically written out of the show, or retconned out of existence. One such popular tragedy was Judy Winslow, which was a pretty sad story. Contrary to popular belief, her last ever line in the show was "Grandma, when are you getting married", and she appears as a background extra. That's it. Her going up stairs and never coming down would have been too good of a send off. The run upstairs thing is just a urban myth.

Mother Winslow and of course Rachael, were written off of the show, along with a revolving door of recurring characters. Characters were introduced to make the show interesting like Waldo, Maxine to give up more asinine idiot characters. But no one triumphed Urkle.

Anyway, I'm sure the producers realized that they were at the point of no return. By 1998 Urkle popularity was complete gone, much of the supporting cast left in protest (like Harriett Winslow's actress), and the show was left with pretty much no direction. It appears that the producers were perhaps going to "reboot" the show in Season 10, as there appeared to have been plans to "reintroduce" many forgotten characters like the infamous Judy Winslow.

Overall the show surpassed expectations at least. As ABC's Cosby clone, the show probably would have been canned after the second season. Since the writers had no clue how to develop characters, the plots were simply just derivative sitcom filler seen 1,000 times before. I only feel sorry for Jamie Foxworth (she seemed like a pretty girl, but man did she have issues after she was dismissed) and Jahleel White. Jahleel type-casted himself, and could never really distance himself from his Urkle role. He tried with many short lived sitcoms, and failed. But I think he found new life as a voice actor in various cartoons, and animation movies. Eh, not such a bad ending.

The rest of the cast was terrible, and the actors who were good Thelma Hoskins all moved on to better things. As for the "kids" who knows what they're doing, but they were pretty much one trick pony's anyway. And Jamie Foxworth character actually seemed like she could have been a good actress, but got fired. The other adult actors like Karl Winslows actor (don't remember his real name) works sporadically, and grandma Winslow passed away in real life. The show was average, and it's commendable it lasted as long as it did.

Funny show with good messages

[gangstahippie · 9/10 · 17 August 2007]

Rated TV-G Quebec Rating:G Canadian Home Video Rating:G Canadian TV Rating:G

I did not see Family Matters during its initial run because I was a little kid.But when the show started playing in syndication on channels such as TBS back in 2002, I started watching it.Family Matters is good for the whole family.Its a very funny show with uplifting messages.While most of the series is funny,some of it is dramatic as well.Its too bad this has not been released on DVD yet! The show is basically about the misadventures of the Windslow family and their nerdy next door neighbor Steve Urkel.Family Matters is a great show that they should put on DVD.

Good Ol' 1990s Kitsch

[michael_the_nermal · 6/10 · 23 August 2006]

I'm sure that the Generation Y'ers coming of age can recite what they consider to be the most memorable episode of "Family Matters." Was it when Urkel became Stephan for the first time? Or was it when Urkel infiltrated the gang members' hideout? Or what about when Lt. Murtaugh unsuccessfully wooed Rachel? This show is classic kitsch, just as "The Beverly Hillbillies" was for '60s audiences and "Welcome Back, Kotter" was for '70s audiences. Neither show was very good, but boy do they bring back memories! "Family Matters" serves the same purpose to now grown-up Gen Y youth. Urkel was arguably TV's biggest pop icon during the '90s, right up their with Kramer, Homer Simpson, and that fat guy from "NYPD Blue." Perhaps the show's run is memorable for its strange metamorphosis, as it went from a bland sitcom about an average middle-class family to a bizarre fantasy involving killer robots, possessed puppets, and time travel. Through it all, we had Carl Otis Winslow and Steven Q. Urkel to fight off bad guys and riff with each other like Abbot and Costello. It wasn't that good of a show, but boy, you can't feel chagrined about having seen it because we ALL did.

"Go home, Steve! Go home! Go home! GO HOME!!!"

Did they really do that?

[gascichx5 · 1/10 · 28 June 2009]

Yes, Urkel is one of the most well known characters in the history of television, but this show is terrible. It's not funny, it's not clever, it's full of clichés and every episodes has a dumb moral value being taught, as if they haven't been taught a zillion times before. All the characters are lame, including Urkel. And when he invents a machine that makes himself a completely different and 'cool' version of himself...I shake my head in disbelief and shame.

The episode themes and plots are tired and worn out, and to be honest, quite contrived at times. This show is an abomination of sitcoms everywhere, and quite possibly one of the worst I have ever seen. I don't recommend watching it.

Started to go downhill after Season 5-6

[AL3480 · 21 March 2003]

I have a lot to say about this show. In the first few seasons Family Matters was very enjoyable. It centered around Harriette Winslow and her family in Chicago. However the show started to go downhill at the end of season 5 when Urkel started inventing and it lost the sense of reality. The episodes started to become more and more cartoonish.

To prove my point I want to compare some episodes from the first few seasons and the later seasons. Some episodes in the early seasons: when Harriett lost her job and the family was there to comfort her, Laura wanted to start a Black History curriculum, and another one when Harriett and Rachel found their father(these episodes contain the true concept of Family Matters). Then in the later seasons we have Stefan Urquelle, Steve cloning himself, teleporting the family to Paris, and Urkel, 3J, and Richie turning into Bruce Lee Urkel too unrealistic and the concept is buried. The series started to focus too much on Urkel's inventions and less on the Winslows.

Although Urkel was a funny character and he did add more humor to the show they overused him. The other characters needed a chance to shine more especially because the premise of the series is about the WINSLOWS! The disapperance of Rachel and Judy hurt the show. To make more room for episodes to revolve around Urkel they chose not to develop Judy's character and Rachel's character was starting to develop but then she left. Also the replacement of Harriette was horrible because she had no chemistry with anybody else on the show. Watching this show in the later seasons was sad because I think about when it first came out and the concept was there and the MAIN focus on the Winslow family.

It gets worse as it goes on (but I still like it to a degree)

[YRLY59E · 6/10 · 29 November 2021]

This show got way worse as it went on. It isn't that Steve even ruined the show. The plots just became absolutely ridiculous and in later seasons 95% of the plots stuck essentially to Steve trying to get Laura, Steve and Carl involved in something and Steve messing it up or some combo of those two. Steve and Carl would basically trade the same back and forth types of cliched lines and that was that. It's largely harmless fun but those later seasons get repetitive and ridiculous at times. I think Jaleel White was worried about Steve as a type cast but it's really Reginald VelJohnson I absolutely cannot see and immediately think Carl.

The Urkel Show

[kerorogio · 6/10 · 13 July 2021]

A series that I loved as a kid, but that even then, did not convince me in its last seasons. Let's start by saying that of the Winslow family, of eight elements, only 5 will soon be seen ... to which Steve will soon be added, who will fortunately steal the lead role, sharing it with the burly and grumpy head of the family, Carl.

What started out as a typical B-grade family comedy soon became an appreciated, but repetitive, moment of revenge for the young and stunted black nerd, always full of good intentions, a candid soul (despite his intelligence and stoicity) and ... a great giver of household disasters. This misunderstood saint with glasses and braces, will inspire repeated examinations of conscience in those around him, especially the good Carl and his pretty daughter Laura. Both of them wouldn't even be wrong to get angry at Steve for his intrusiveness, if they didn't overdo it with anger every time.

The series found, in a reduction of the staff, a spontaneous identity, but dragging it into too many seasons lowered the quality, which even from the start was objectively only average. To dilute the soup, they began to focus on ridiculous things, in fact the greatest emblem of the decline of the series is identifiable in an object, The Genetic-Transformative Cabin, invented by Steve to initially become, in Dr. Jerryl style, his fascinating alter- ego Stefàn, and from then on, implement real parodies, like that of Bruce Lee. The thing that bitter me the most was that not fully exploited all the characters and all the options. For example, Eddy, the selfish and superficial eldest son, while appearing relatively little, is the emblem of the contradictory character and his stupid friend Waldo, was wasted for the usual role given at the time to the mentally limited characters. What am I referring to? To an innate culinary talent, as if instinct and improvisation were enough to become a Chef. An almost offensive stereotype, probably due to not wanting to complicate the shooting location. Little better went with the presence of Mrs. Winslow and her grandmother, wise and pleasant even if under-exploited too, in the first case also for contractual reasons and change of actress.

"Family Matters" was soon reduced to situations already seen, with Steve becoming more robust, and Mr. White who played him, less inclined to that comic role, perhaps perceiving that role demeaning from an actor's point of view. I also remember that there were the typical promotional episodes of Disney World, present in various TV series of the 90s.

If I were to trace the no-save point after the introduction of the Transformative Room, I'd say the series managed to hold up well until the presence of the character of Myra. This bizarre but beautiful girl, short, curvy and possessive towards Steve, however unlikely she had improved the situation a little, her win on the haughty Laura was even desirable, but between different choices, an increasingly listless direction and sad health problems of the actress, the TV series could not help but scrape the bottom, dragging itself through seasons without ideas, content with the messages: "in love whoever lasts wins", "all freaks can improve themselves enough" and "even a superficial, egoist and fraudulent brother can suddenly wake up and become a good guardian of the order". Sure...

My comment on Judy & Steve and the sitcom....

[lilxi77 · 8/10 · 4 April 2007]

Watching Family Matters through 1-4 seasons, I always wonder why Judy was never a hi-light to any episodes. It was very rare that she got into something like Laura, Eddie and even Richie. Example, the episode when Laura fell for this treatment that turned out to be a scam and had Harriette, Rachel and Estelle fall for it. And the treatment made them bald. Judy should of sneaked around and used some of the treatment and wined up being bald like them. And what was tacky bout the show, Judy got booted off with no explanation, and no one talked about her in the series like she never existed. Through 1-4 seasons, Cart & Harriette have three children. Then starting from the 5 season, they have two children out in the blues. The producers should had arranged episodes at the ending of the 4 season that Judy were going away to private school or something. Then in the last season, she returns. And the show should had a special ending. The 10 season shouldn't of never got canceled (thanks to CBS). And my question is, for a long time dealing with the character Steve Urkel, why JoMarie decided to leave sudden? I wasn't use to the Harriette #2, no offense toward Judyann Elder. The show wasn't all about Steve, but what the show would of been like without the character? And the other actors seem like they were getting the pleasure out of Steve. "Quote" Steve was like a loner, he really didn't had no family. The Winslows was like Steve second family. It would of been good that Rachel was officially back into the series with a steady boyfriend. The scenes that Carl & Harriette done, Rachel & her boyfriend could of performed those scenes instead. And the original Harriette were arranged to be away taking care of her father due to his illness (Harriette & Rachel father paid them a visit in one of the episodes in the 2 season). Then Harriette pays the household a visit in a few episodes and Carl be arranged to sometimes visit Harriette and spend the nights over. Just like what was though, they didn't had to arrange to have Harriette dying out or Carl & Hariette get a divorce. In both of those cases, the sitcom would of been a very sad ending.

Good

[manitobaman81 · 7/10 · 30 August 2014]

Reginald Vel Johnson is the only reason to watch this bloated, egotistical, self-important attempt at television excellence. Vel Johnson (who is looking pretty bloated himself thanks to an apparent diet of pizza stuffing and dough sprinkles) delivers a subdued, enigmatic performance as Carl Winslow. It is some of his finest work ever. Vel Johnson fans will not want to miss this series, which lasted nine seasons across two networks and is now languishing in obscurity. Without Vel Johnson, I am honestly terrified of contemplating what this series would have looked like. Because of Vel Johnson, I give this 7 out of 10.

Steve and Laura

[gcanfield-29727 · 8/10 · 14 February 2020]

For me, Steve and Laura were the reason to watch this show. The "nerd" was taken too far. The love he had for Laura was strong, and she absolutely loved him, too. Long before she finally admitted to it. Jaleel White and Kellie S Williams came across like they were made for each other. They made me believe that there was something real about it all-something that went beyond the roles they were playing. I just loved watching the two of them together. No disrespect to the rest of the cast, but "Steve and Laura" was special.

Harriet Got Shafted

[coreycitn63 · 7/10 · 2 December 2021]

Family Matters was supposed to be a spinoff from Perfect Strangers with the Harriet character but as seasons go by the focus went from her to Steve Urkel and Carl Winslow. It gotten so bad that Jo Marie Payton had to leave the show. Then the show went from ABC to CBS for the final season and the producers replaced her with another actress. I'm not saying she was bad but Judyann Elder was not Harriet. As for the show Family Matters did become the Urkel Show with Urkel far fetched inventions. The transformation chamber and the cloning machine was tools so Jaleel White can shed the Urkel character so he would not be typecast.

Urkel Matter

[ThunderKing6 · 1/10 · 14 January 2017]

Starts great with season 1 and season 2. Season 3 comes around and the family that is suppose to matter is pushed aside for Urkel to take over.

As a child watching this show it was awesome. As a mature adult this show is stupid. The character development and involvement was terrible, all to allow some nerd to be the focus.

I couldn't even finish season 3 on how stupid most episodes were. You begin an episode, by the middle nothing with a purpose happens by the end you realize the show is over before anything even happens. Urkel killed this show.

Feel bad that Judy didn't get any development.

Laura was fine being a girl discovering herself, until Urkel became her only story line.

Harriet by season 3 became the cliché loud, obnoxious black woman.

Carl became the cliché stupid dad by season 3. In season 1 and 2 he was a very involved organized father.

Grandma Winslow was great.

I liked Rachael, Eddie and then Richie took Judy's role.

Urkel saved this show ratings wise but he killed a show that could have been better than it was.

I respect how Urkle was a sensation in the 90s. However he is no Kramer (invasive neighbour). Kramer innovated himself after every season. Urkle was just purely toxic to the show.

Update 2022: Family Matters was my first IMDb review and it needed an update.

Family Matters was still a bad show. I watched bits of the finale and it was horrible. What I really wanted to point out is that they disrespected Jodie/Jamie. They just forget about her while they show became horribly successful. That's hurtful. I hate this show for that too.

Urkek ruined the show. He was fun as a side character but once the show became about him the show looked awfully bad and "hash". His Stephen persona was way better than his annoying over drawn Urkel character.

The sentimental endjng parts felt too hash sometimes.

Overall still an overrated show.

Great all African American show wish there were more like these

[kenyae-cagle · 10/10 · 5 November 2015]

This show was such a great show especially in the 90's even though it is 2015 I love this show and think it's a very funny a great family show. I really think if you compare this show with the shows we have now can't even compare to this. I love this show a lot because of Jaleel White and Kellie Shanygne Williams and the little love they had between each other in the show. I thought this show had great jokes and really made me cry of laughter a few times and even taught me personally a few life lessons in not always being a jealous boyfriend and to trust the person you're with. I deeply appreciated this show. As I watched the show I cried when it finally ended. The show will be missed, but in the future I think there should be some more classic shows like these with a full African American cast.

This Show Rocks!!!!

[cooltmd · 5/10 · 2 December 2002]

I love this show it is awesome, and I used to watch it since I was a kid and its better than Full House plots. It makes you laugh and cry and Steve Urkel is excellent in his roles. I was six when this show came out. Family Matters is on the role and they cancelled it when Laura and Steve is about to get married. I graded this show A+.

Like it or not, Urkel is king

[RBonander · 21 May 2004]

The character Urkel gets a lot of trash thrown his way, but look at what the actor himself did: He stole a sitcom. It doesn't happen often. Now I'm not certain when he was first introduced on the show, but I believe it was during the first season. He was the "wacky neighbor" with a crush on Laura -- nothing more. Within two seasons, the show was his. He owned it. Huge plot lines revolved around him; he got as much if not more screen time and dialogue as anyone else, and in many cases, more than the entire cast. Some may not like him, but he stole the show out from under the original cast through pure energy and originality. He developed a dead-pan 'look' that rivaled Johnny Carson's and one-upped Mr. Roper's. His physical comedy was outrageous, sometimes slightly ridiculous, but ideally suited to a basic family sitcom. Anyone of-age who has watched some TV in their time knows who Urkel was -- because he was dominant. Like him or not, Urkel is a unique, unforgettable character in TV history, and for that massive achievement, he deserves credit.