One of the most iconic '80s/'90s sitcoms was Family Matters, which continues to be a huge influence on television. Though it was meant to be based around Chicago police officer Carl Winslow and his family, it inevitably became most well-known for the breakout character of Jaleel White's Steve Urkel. Nerdy, annoying and obsessed with polka, Urkel was the highlight of the show and the bane of Carl and Laura Winslow's lives.
The show was one of the longest-lasting shows to star a predominately African-American cast, beaten only by the preceding decade's The Jeffersons and Tyler Perry's House of Payne. Family Matters was supposed to go on longer than it ultimately did, but things still ended on a triumphant note for Urkel and Co. Here's how one of the biggest shows of the '80s finally came to a close.
What Was Family Matters?
Though it definitely went on to overshadow it, Family Matters was a spinoff of the series Perfect Strangers. The series was about police officer Carl Winslow, his wife Harriete, his smart-mouthed mother and their two (initially three) children, Eddie and Laura. In the show, Laura goes to school class with the nerdy genius Steve Urkel, who's as brilliant as he is socially awkward and in love with Laura.
An ABC series for most of its life, the series was eventually purchased by CBS for two final seasons. Due to scheduling conflicts and plans for other shows, however, only the ninth season was produced. The final outing saw many of the characters' development come to fruition, such as Eddie becoming a police officer like his father and Steve and Laura becoming engaged. All of this culminated in the series' two-part finale, "Lost in Space."
How Family Matters Ended
The crux of the two-parter has Steve travel into space after NASA buys the patent for one of his miraculous inventions, hoping to test it out as the broadcast for the experiment is shown on national television. Unfortunately, it goes haywire and causes a satellite to crash, endangering Steve and the others.
Meanwhile, Eddie is assigned meter duty due to his mother Harriette's worrying over his being in danger as an officer. Ironically, he ends up in a shootout anyway and only survives the ordeal because he was wearing a bulletproof vest that his foresight-having father gave him. This moment forces Eddie's mother to come to terms with the inherent danger of her husband and son's jobs.
Urkel's national spotlight is almost curtailed by a still lovestruck Myra, who tries to pretend to be his fiance. Her plan is brought to an end, though, by Stefan, who convinces her to let go and be happy for Steve and Laura. Urkel eventually finds his way back to Earth and is crowned a hero before having one last triumphant kiss with Laura as the Family Matters curtain collapses for the final time.