Family Matters

Buzz

Family Matters ranks 1,097 out of the 18,418 shows on TV.com.

The 1,308 users who count themselves as Family Matters fans have written a total of 90 reviews.

Status

Premiered

Ended

Genre

Theme

Related Shows

• Growing Pains
• Family Ties
• My Wife and Kids
• The Cosby Show
• Full House
• Perfect Strangers

A perfect spin-off from Perfect Strangers: Family Matters focused on Harriet Winslow (the elevator operator from the Chronicle) and her family of sorts. Carl Winslow, her husband, was a dutiful cop, and a gruff and lovable father to three kids: Eddie Winslow, the rebel son; Laura Winslow, the smart-aleck...  more

A perfect spin-off from Perfect Strangers: Family Matters focused on Harriet Winslow (the elevator operator from the Chronicle) and her family of sorts. Carl Winslow, her husband, was a dutiful cop, and a gruff and lovable father to three kids: Eddie Winslow, the rebel son; Laura Winslow, the smart-aleck daughter; and cute little Judy Winslow. They had opened their home to Harriet's sister, Rachel Crawford and her little baby son Richie, and in the very first episode, Carl had to open his home to his cool and streetwise mother, Estelle Winslow, whether he wanted to or not.

Everything was going along just fine until one day, Steve Urkel, the inventive nerd, barged into their home and eventually, into their hearts. Steve had a killer crush on Laura, but she would never give him the time of day. Steve Urkel was intended to be a one-shot appearance, but his popularity with the fans won him the number-one spot as America's favorite nerd.

As the show went on, the characters and the stories evolved. Richie grew from a little baby into a rambunctious and impressionable little boy. The stories started revolving around Steve and his incredible inventions, which became the greatest sight gags on the show. In almost every episode, Steve ends up breaking furniture, windows, and Carl's patience. Eddie and Laura each had best buddies to hang out with: Eddie had dim-witted yet lovable Waldo Geraldo Faldo,and Laura had faithful and true-blue gal pal Maxine. The greatest mystery of Family Matters is Judy and Rachel's sudden disappearances from the show, but Rachel made guest appearances whenever possible.

To stop Steve from chasing her, Laura matched him up with perky-yet-pushy Myra Monkhouse. Steve loved Myra physically, but his emotions will always go to Laura. Eddie had his share of steady girlfriends, and even he had an Urkel chasing him- Myrtle May Urkel, Steve's cousin from Biloxi (Jaleel White also). Every so often, Steve uses one of his inventions to turn himself into debonair, irresistable lover Stefan Urquelle or karate hero Bruce Lee to draw Laura closer to him, much to Myra's chagrin.

At the end of season 6, the Winslows welcomed Steve into their home when Steve's family went to Russia. Pretty soon, Richie hung out with 3J, a tough, streetwise kid always running from the children's home. The Winslows then adopted 3J as one of their kids, as they did with Steve.

In the final season, Family Matters - along with Step by Step - moved to CBS, and Steve slowly matured from the annoying nerd that he used to be. This was when Laura started falling in love with Steve, and Myra got kicked to the curb, but she vowed to get her "Stevie-kins" back. Also, the original Harriette, JoMarie Peyton, had left the show in mid-season and Judyann Elder took her role. Steve and Laura got engaged, but they never had a wedding because CBS dropped the ax on the show. But, nevertheless, Family Matters had a great successful run and is one of the longest running African-American comedies ever.
In Germany the show is known as Alle unter einem Dach ("Under One Roof").
In Spain it is known as Cosas de casa.
In France it is known as La Vie de famille ("Life of the Family").
In Italy it is known as Otto sotto un tetto ("Eight Under One Roof").
In Sweden it is known as Räkna med bråk. less

• Myra

  I'm curious if anyone thought that Myra was too perky and annoying.

  I'm curious if anyone thought that Myra was too perky and annoying. less

  wheelrchair Last online 50 minutes ago
  29 comments, last one 2 days ago + Add Comment

• Jaleel White

  Did everybody have a problem Jaleel's popularity as Steve Urkel or was it just Jo Marie Payton.

  Did everybody have a problem Jaleel's popularity as Steve Urkel or was it just Jo Marie Payton.less

  wheelrchair Last online 50 minutes ago
  6 comments, last one 2 days ago + Add Comment

• Can you impersonate Urkel?

  Today my mother said something in this funny snooty kind of voice. I tried to copy it, and I noticed that it sounded just like Urkel. I tried saying such common Urkelisms as "Jumping Jehosophat!" and "Did I do that?" I'm not sure how good I am though. Is anyone else capable of impersonating Urkel?

  Today my mother said something in this funny snooty kind of voice. I tried to copy it, and I noticed that it sounded just like Urkel. I tried saying such common Urkelisms as "Jumping Jehosophat!" and "Did I do that?" I'm not sure how good I am though. Is anyone else capable of impersonating Urkel?less

  RedSoxFan274
  11 comments, last one 3 days ago + Add Comment

•  

  10 Perfect

  One of my favorite shows from the nineties. I love Family Matters. hide show

  I hadn't even born when Family Matters began, and I was almost four by the time it ended. So obviously, I haven't been watching this show since I was born or since I was little. But I saw it a few years ago and I loved it. Only three episodes made me love it and now, I can't stop watching it. The acting on the show is very well done; they're all wonderful actors and actresses and do incredible jobs at their roles. Another thing I love on this show is the comedy; it is a hilarious series with jokes, mostly from Steve and Waldo, that leave me laughing for hours. There's been some episodes I'm not really fond of, but still there's always a joke in there that makes me burst out laughing at least once. The plots, just like the jokes, are original and good. The only things that ever really got on my nerves is Carl, who could be a little sexist, winy, and overly cheap sometimes. And the fact that this show got unrealistic towards the end. In addition, I also didn't like how they got rid of Waldo and added 3-J, who in my opinion, was not funny at all. But still I really like this show. I'm so pissed they haven't released this on DVD yet. Grade: A+.

  Do you agree?

    0 0

  Report Abuse

  nerdygirl111 Added Sep 11, 2009 All my reviews
•  

  9.5 Superb

  Great Show And Urkel Takes Up Alot Of The Show (It's A Good Thing) hide show

  great show it's like urkel takes up the whole show here it's weird he's like the all time best supporting (well not really) and thats the show that made him famous i haven't watched a lot of the show yet i love the other charcters in it too so i give it 9.9 for the rating also that it's on really late at nite so it is hard to watch it all the time but thank you i have comcast since i can record it all that i want so i can watch it anytime it's a really good show!

  Do you agree?

    0 0

  Report Abuse

  thedueler1 Added Sep 2, 2009 All my reviews
•  

  1 Abysmal

  It seems like this family doesn't matter...in other words AVOID hide show

  How did this show last for 9 seasons is beyond me. This has to be one of the worst sitcoms that I have seen throughout my 15 years on Earth. There was hardly a thing funny about this show. It was just the typical Miller-Boyett dreck.
  
  For starters, this show is called "Family Matters" not "The Steve Urkel Show". The title of this show is misleading because the show mainly focused on Urkel and not the family. I will admit that the earlier episodes did focus on the family, but once Urkel showed up, he ruined the whole show. Later seasons were completely unwatchable as these episodes focused on Urkel and his sub characters (Stephan, Original Gangsta Dawg) etc. Characters disappeared without explaination such as Judy. In fact, her character didn't really do much in the show.
  
  Like Full House and other TGIF drivel, this show was filled with corny morals and sappy moments. Where is the comedy in that? The plots were ridiculous, even for a sitcom. Urkel's weird inventions would send the family off into space, to Paris etc. What is funny about that? Nothing.
  
  This show is great for kids 12 and under, but if you want a show that is actually funny, I suggest that you avoid this show at all costs.

  Do you agree?

    1 3

  Report Abuse

  Rashadosaurus Added Jul 25, 2009 All my reviews
•  

  8 Great

  this show is funny hide show

  family matters is funny.the first time i saw it is when it first came on nick at nite.this show is real funny.steves inventions that destroy carls house are funny and my favorite moment is when he destroys carls attic in the garage.this show is a funny classic tv show.waldo is funny in the one episode when they go in a bar.carl and steve are the funny characters in this show.steve cant even sing,but its really funny.this show is one of the shows funnier than home improvement.now its seen at nick at nite and its really funny like drake and josh.

  Do you agree?

    0 0

  Report Abuse

  woahwoah678 Added Mar 16, 2009 All my reviews
•  

  10 Perfect

  Family Matters is hilarious with great acting, funny jokes, and loads of wonderful characters. Steve Urkel and Waldo are absolutely hilarious. hide show

  It only takes a few episodes for you to get hooked, and it's because of fabulous comedy you're left with wanting more and more. Steve Urkel is probably what makes this show as funny as it is. All the times that he falls, screws up, or tries to get himself out of a jam will leave you on the floor laughing. Probably my favorite quote he constantly says is, "Look what you did." Along with Steve as the most hilarious one on the show, so is Waldo. Just about every comedy has an idiot and you can automatically point to Waldo on this one. But he's hilarious. There's so many quotes he says that make me laugh, that I can't name they all. The acting on this show, mostly for Jaleel White, does a wonderful job. Family Matters is one of the best shows to run in the nineties.

  Do you agree?

    1 0

  Report Abuse

  Teen_Tomboy Added Mar 9, 2009 All my reviews