Family Matters

I know many are trashing the show because of Steve. But I agree with many of the those who say that Steve made the show what it was.

Granted Steve could be annoying at times. But thats what Steve was all about. Granted it got a little silly as the years past, but I'd watch Family Matters any time over The Nanny.

Family Matters started out as a rather ordinary Cosby Show-like sitcom about an everyday African American family living in suburban Chicago. But then something happened. Next door neighbor Steve Urkel was introduced. And just like that, ABC's TGIF line-up would never be the same.

I'll agree with most and say that the first six seasons were very funny. Classic episodes included Steve playing the role of Laura's husband for a school project, Carl teaching Steve how to drive, the introduction of Stefan, and the obligatory trip to Disneyland. Unfortunately, after Season Six (ie. when Steve finally moved in with the Winslows) it was pretty obvious the series was starting to wear thin. The writers seemed to be running out of ideas, often having to rely on Steve Urkel himself and his inventions for all the comedy, his cousin Myrtle was re-introduced for no reason, and even Steve's own character cooled down to the point where by the last season, he no longer seemed like the clumsy, nerdy Steve Urkel we all knew and loved.

Essentially, Family Matters was a very funny show for a while, but also one that should have stopped while it was still at its prime, rather than being forced to end after two or so seasons of lousy ratings.

Family Matters was the perfect show for the family. It wasn't sappy or annoying like most of the other family shows on tv. Carl and Steve Urkel were the best characters and the funniest. The show, like others, began to lose quality over the years and met cancellation. In my opinion, the show was better than all the other TGIF shows ever.

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.

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.