Summary

  • Family Matters started off with underwhelming ratings, but gained success due to the introduction of the character Steve Urkel, who became the breakout star and took over the focus of the show.
  • Steve Urkel's catchphrase, "Did I do that?", became widely known and helped make Family Matters a memorable part of 1990s TV.
  • After a decline in ratings and network changes, Family Matters continued to find audiences through syndication and streaming platforms like Hulu and Max, remaining popular nearly 35 years after its debut.

Family Matters was one of ABC's most iconic family sitcoms of the 1990s, airing alongside Full House and Perfect Strangers as part of the network's legendary 'TGIF' lineup. Unfortunately, Family Matters rapidly declined in popularity following its fifth season. The downturn included a network change, the departure of a major co-star, and poor ratings, the latter of which ultimately led to its cancelation.

Conceived as a spinoff of Perfect Strangers, Family Matters focused on the Winslow family. The Winslow's included: Police officer Carl (played by Die Hard alum Reginald Vel Johnson), his elevator-operator wife Harriette (Jo Marie Payton), son Eddie (Darius McCrary), elder daughter Laura (Kellie Shanygne Williams) and younger daughter Judy (Valerie Jones/Jaimee Foxworth). While the comedy originally centered on their exploits, Family Matters' early ratings were underwhelming — but a creative change made the sitcom last for nearly a decade.

Updated February 5, 2024, by Joshua M. Patton: Payton's Harriette Winslow was the original star of the family, appearing in 33 episodes of Perfect Strangers as an elevator operator, an antiquated job even then. Vel Johnson's Carl Winslow first appeared on the show in the Season 4 episode "Crimebusters," revealing he was a police officer. The actors' performances inspired producers Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett to move the characters out of Larry and Balki's apartment building to the Chicago suburbs for their own series. However, Steve Urkel, practically a "goof" character, soon took over Family Matters.

Steve Urkel Saved (and Changed) Family Matters

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Family Matters may have had an ignominious finish, but the series ran for nine full seasons and was a massive hit. Originally, the series creators conceived the series around Payton and Vel Johnson's characters, as Harriette was the best-known character on its debut. The show enjoyed success from the beginning, as part of ABC's TGIF lineup. It's possible a show focused solely on the Winslow family could've had the same longevity. However, midway through Season 1, Family Matters drastically changed with the arrival of Jaleel White's character, Steve Urkel.

Urkel was intended as a one-off guest in Season 1, but became the show's breakout star. The character's nerdy mannerisms quickly won over audiences, catapulting Family Matters to success. As a result of his popularity, the sitcom became less focused on the Winslows and family issues. Instead, Urkel became the central figure in many plots. This reportedly caused tension behind the scenes. Nonetheless, the show continued on an impressive run. Throughout seasons 4 and 5, Family Matters maintained an average of 12.6 million viewers.

Along with ratings success, Steve Urkel helped Family Matters become an indelible part of the 1990s TV zeitgeist. His catchphrase, an exaggerated reading of the line "Did I do that?" became widely known and often parodied on contemporaneous shows. The defining characteristic of Urkel was his deep affection for Laura Winslow. After leaving his girlfriend, Myra (played by Michelle Thomas), Steve and Laura finally got together in the series finale, after Urkel went to space. (The 1990s!) However, the series wasn't supposed to end when it did.

How Many Seasons of Family Matters Were There?

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The show's first ratings dip came in Season 6, following Foxworth's departure. The audience declined by more than a million viewers each subsequent season. By Season 8, Family Matters had fallen to an average of 8.8 million viewers. About this time, the Walt Disney Company purchased ABC, and relations between the new owners and Meyer-Burnett Productions were poor. Still, the studio agreed to pay $33 million for a ninth and tenth season. However, CBS entered into a $40 million deal with Disney for the rights to air Family Matters, Step By Step and Meego. Family Matters became part of the network's burgeoning Block Party lineup — intended as a TGIF rival.

Family Matters' troubles continued after the network change. Payton left in the middle of Season 9. According to the actress, her contract ended after Season 8, and she had no interest in renewing it. Although Payton had played Harriette since the character's introduction on Perfect Strangers, she felt the role interfered with her pursuit of other projects. She was also allegedly involved in an altercation with White. Payton eventually agreed to appear in half of Season 9, before Judyann Elder took over the role of Harriette. "I never wanted to stop acting," Payton explained in an interview with TV Series Finale. "I’ve been acting since I was 6 years old. It’s just that I was tired of doing that project. You know what I’m saying. I wanted to do something else."

Family Matters debuted on CBS to decent ratings, beating out its predecessor, You Wish. However, viewership soon declined once again, to an average of 5.9 million. The production staff started to prepare for Season 10, but CBS canceled its entire Block Party lineup in spring 1998, except for the breakout hit Kids Say the Darndest Things. Family Matters' final episodes were burned off that summer, with its series finale "Lost in Space, Part 2," airing on July 17, 1998. While the episodes weren't originally intended to be a finale, CBS gave the producers enough notice to properly send off Steve Urkel and the Winslow Family.

Family Matters Survived Its First Cancelation

Cancelation Wasn't the End for Family Matters

Network

Seasons

Episodes

ABC

1-8

193

CBS

9

22

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While the series aired on ABC and CBS, Warner Bros. Television was responsible for the production. They had 215 episodes of a hit series, so they released Family Matters in syndicated markets and to cable channels like BET, Nick at Nite and others. Since entering syndication, Family Matters has only been off-the-air for a single year, in 2007. In 2023, viewers could stumble on the odd Steve Urkel adventure on TV One in Canada or whenever Cartoon Network programmed an ACME Night event. Cable channel TruTV, known mostly for its reality fare in primetime, aired episodes of Family Matters on Saturday Mornings.

In 2017, Family Matters officially joined the 21st century, debuting first exclusively on Hulu. When Hulu's contract expired in 2021, the series streamed exclusively on Max, but has since returned to Hulu. WarnerMedia reportedly was considering an animated holiday special featuring the characters for the streamer, but this was one of many projects killed when the company became Warner Bros. Discovery. However, if the show continues to garner ratings in syndication and, perhaps more importantly, performs well on streaming, Warner Bros. Discovery may revive the project.

For now, Steve Urkel and the Winslow family continue to find audiences, old and new, nearly 35 years after its debut. A surprise hit, Family Matters performed well in the 1990s and continues to do so today. Producers thought the Winslow family would resonate with audiences more than they did. Steve Urkel, the classic "wacky neighbor" was never supposed to be the central character. Yet, through his charm and chemistry with the cast, the nerdy neighbor of the Winslows became an American icon.

Family Matters is available to stream on both Hulu and Max.

Steve Urkel poses on Family Matters Season 9 Poster
Family Matters
TV-G

The Winslow family deals with various misadventures, many of them caused by their pesky next-door neighbor, ultra-nerd Steve Urkel.

Release Date
September 22, 1989
Cast
Jaleel White , Reginald VelJohnson , Orlando Brown , Rosetta LeNoire , Darius McCrary , Judyann Elder , Jo Marie Payton
Main Genre
Sitcom
Seasons
9
Creator
William Bickley, Michael Warren