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{{Unreferenced|date=December 2007}}
{{Inappropriate tone|date=June 2008}}
{{otheruses4|the TV series|the unrelated book|Family Matters (novel)}}
{{infobox television |
| show_name = Family Matters
| image = [[Image:Family Matters.jpg|200px]]
| caption = ''Family Matters'' title screen
| format = [[Situation comedy|Sitcom]]
| runtime = 23 Minutes
| creator = William Bickley<br />Michael Warren
| developer = [[Thomas L. Miller]]<br />[[Robert L. Boyett]]
| executive_producer = [[Thomas L. Miller]]<br />[[Robert L. Boyett]]<br />William Bickley<br />Michael Warren<br />(seasons 2–7)<br />David W. Duclon (seasons 3–8)
| starring =[[Reginald VelJohnson]]<br />[[Jo Marie Payton]]<br />[[Rosetta LeNoire]]<br />[[Darius McCrary]]<br />[[Kellie Shanygne Williams]]<br />[[Michelle Smith]]<br />[[Michelle Thomas]]<br />[[Jaimee Foxworth]]<br />[[Jaleel White]]<br />[[Telma Hopkins]]
| country = [[United States]]
| network = [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] (1989-1995) [[CBS]] (1996-1998)
| first_aired = [[September 22]], [[1989]]
| last_aired = [[July 17]], [[1998]]
| num_seasons = 9
| num_episodes = [[List of Family Matters episodes|215]]
| imdb_id = 0096579
| tv_com_id = 474
|}}

'''''Family Matters''''' is an American [[situation comedy|sitcom]] about a [[middle-class]] family living in [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]]. The series aired from [[September 22]], [[1989]] to [[May 9]], [[1997]] on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] and moved to [[CBS]] on [[September 19]], 1997 to [[July 17]], [[1998]].

The show, a [[Spin-off (television)|spin-off]] of ''[[Perfect Strangers (TV series)|Perfect Strangers]]'', originally focused on the character of [[Carl Winslow]] and his family: wife [[Harriette Winslow]], rebellious son [[Eddie Winslow]], intelligent daughters [[Laura Winslow]], and youngest child [[Judy Winslow]]. The family had opened their home to Carl's street-wise mother [[Estelle Winslow]] as well as Harriette's sister [[Rachel Crawford]] and her son [[Richie Crawford]] after the death of Rachel's husband. The Winslows' nerdy next-door neighbor [[Steve Urkel]] was introduced midway through the first season, and quickly became the focus of the show. It was part of [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[TGIF (ABC)|TGIF]]'' from 1989 until 1997 before it became part of the CBS ''Block Party'' lineup from 1997 until 1998.

Having aired for 215 episodes, ''Family Matters'' is the second-longest running U.S. comedy with a predominantly [[African-American]] cast, surpassed only by ''[[The Jeffersons]]''.

==History==
===Early years===
Removing the recurring character of Harriette Winslow from ''[[Perfect Strangers (TV series)|Perfect Strangers]]'' in the fourth season, Harriette was given her own series in ''Family Matters'', which expanded on her home life. Her husband Carl had originally appeared on ''Perfect Strangers'' in the fourth season episode entitled "Crimebusters." However, in giving the Winslow family their own series, some continuity problems arose. On ''Perfect Strangers'', Harriette and Carl (and at least Eddie as well) lived in the same apartment building as [[Balki Bartokomous]] and [[Larry Appleton]]; however, this detail was completely ignored on ''Family Matters'' to the point that it is revealed in later episodes that the Winslows had lived in their regular house since before Eddie was born.

The kids, along with their [[police]]man father Carl ([[Reginald VelJohnson]]), elevator operator mother Harriette ([[Jo Marie Payton]]), aspiring writer Aunt Rachel Crawford ([[Telma Hopkins]]), and her young son Richie (infant twins Joseph and Julius Wright during the first season, [[Bryton McClure]] thereafter), and Carl's feisty mother Estelle Winslow ([[Rosetta LeNoire]]), found themselves in typical sitcom-family situations.

[[Steve Urkel]] ([[Jaleel White]]) was the most famous character on the show. Introduced midway through the first season, the bespectacled Urkel, complete with high-pitched voice and suspenders, was the ultimate nerd; he was highly intelligent, but was very clumsy. His trademark line, "Did I do that?" (whenever he caused an accident) became a pop-culture [[catchphrase]]. When Urkel caused someone else to have an accident, he would say, "Look what you did!" If Urkel was frustrating Carl, Carl would tell Steve, "Go home, go home, go home!" Steve would reply, "I don't have to take this, I'm going home." Another aspect of the Steve Urkel character that made him famous was his snorting [[laughter|laugh]]. [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] hosted contests in which viewers were asked to send in their best impression of Urkel to win a grand prize. Originally intended to be a one-time-only character, White's portrayal of Urkel caused the entire studio audience to erupt into chants of "Urkel! Urkel!" during the filming of the original episode. With the series struggling in ratings in the first season, the [[Steve Urkel]] character was hastily re-written into several already-completed episodes. By the second season, [[Jaleel White]] had joined the show as a regular cast member.

The show's original theme was the [[Louis Armstrong]] classic "[[What a Wonderful World]]," but was scrapped after the first season in favor of "[[As Days Go By]]", written by [[Jesse Frederick]], Bennett Salvay, and Scott Roeme, and performed by [[Jesse Frederick]] until [[1995]], when the theme was cut in favor of showing the opening credits over the episode's first scene. A longer version of "As Days Go By" can be heard in the first three seasons. The first-through-third-season version of the opening credits features a scene showing the family riding their bicycles across a bridge over the [[Chicago River]]; an allusion to ''Perfect Strangers'', which featured a scene of Larry and Balki riding a tour boat underneath the same bridge in its own opening credits.

===Ongoing themes===
It did not take long for the show to develop an idiosyncratic set of ongoing plot elements, which certainly added both tension and comedy, even if they did so at the expense of credibility. Not surprisingly, the sheer absurdity of the episodes only increased as the series went on.

A curiously large number of episodes threw the major characters into life-or-death situations, such as Carl falling into a frozen pond, Steve nearly falling out of a hot-air balloon, Eddie and his friends hanging precariously from a fire escape, Carl and Steve hanging from a tall building by their fingers, Carl discovering a bomb in a treadmill and having to get off the treadmill without causing the bomb to detonate, or Steve becoming a human lightning rod. These key events were always resolved within a few minutes.

Another recurring theme was the humor derived from gratuitous [[property damage]]. Whether Urkel was knocking over a lamp, burning down a building (the building previously known as Leroys), breaking the Winslows' windows (on several occasions), taking the blame for crashing the Winslow family [[station wagon]] into the living room (even though Eddie was the driver), completely destroying Carl's garage shelves, or having inventions go wrong, and ending up destroying various parts of the house -- breaking something was a tried and true way to get a laugh, after which he would usuallly inquire, "Did I do that?" Alternate reactions would include turning to a present character and saying, "Look what you did." Other times he would state, "Well, the important thing is that no one was hurt." Another character, (usually a fuming Carl) would say, "Not yet!"

===Science fiction===
Critics claim the show [[jumped the shark]] in the later seasons that introduced Steve Urkel's many outrageous inventions, turning it from a down-to-earth family show into a science-fiction-based show. These plotlines served to bend the reality of the show, as it seemed hard to believe that the lives of the characters would continue so normally with the discovery of such groundbreaking inventions. These inventions included Steve's UrkelBot, an intelligent robot that fell in love with Laura, and briefly became a [[police officer]]; Steve's "transformation chamber" that turned him into [[Stefan Urquelle]] as well as other odd characters; a [[cloning]] machine, which allowed Stefan to become a permanent character; Steve's weight-shrinking machine; and his teleportation pad.
These stories strained credulity more and more in the show's final seasons, and the series gradually developed a [[self-aware]] sense of humor on the subject. In the Season 8 episode "Father Time," Carl casually shrugs off Urkel's invention of a [[time-travel]] device, citing all of Steve's previous impossible creations, and insisting a [[time machine]] is "no big deal" in comparison.

Jo Maire Payton left because she felt the show had lost its meaning to it because of all Steve's impossible inventions

===Original characters leave the show===
As the focus of the show began to center more and more around Urkel (and occasionally his alter-ego, Stefan), other original characters were shunted to the periphery of the show. By [[1993]], the actresses who portrayed two members of the Winslow household, Judy ([[Jaimee Foxworth]]) and Rachel ([[Telma Hopkins]]), left the show. Hopkins (as Rachel) left the series after the fourth season to focus on her own series (''[[Getting By]]'') and made guest appearances until [[1997]].

No explanation was ever given for Carl and Harriette's youngest child Judy's mysterious disappearance. Many fans have noted that this plot anomaly was similar to a situation on ''[[Happy Days]]'' wherein [[Richie Cunningham]]'s older brother Chuck inexplicably disappeared. Judy was never popular with fans, having rarely had any plotlines centering on her character. In the third and fourth seasons, she was little more than a background character, appearing in episodes merely to fulfill contractual obligations, and often not getting a single line. Jaimee Foxworth explained to audiences on ''[[The Oprah Winfrey Show]]'' and ''[[The Tyra Banks Show]]'' that her mother demanded that her character be developed in order to receive more money, and the demands were denied. Foxworth was let go, and the producers felt no need to hire another actress to replace her. The producers admitted that they did not think audiences would notice Judy's disappearance, which is why her absence was never explained. Later episodes even have the Winslows acknowledging they only have three children. The last time Judy was ever seen on the show was going up the stairs to her room. In the last episode, Harriette told Laura to "go get her sister" when they were watching TV while Steve was in space. Laura then went upstairs, a gag of Judy going upstairs and then never coming down (as she was written out of the show).<ref>[http://www.kellie-williams.com/jaimeefoxworth.htm Family Matters - Jaimee Foxworth (Judy Winslow)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

In later seasons, other characters also disappeared. Shawn Harrison's character, Waldo, was said to have gone off to [[culinary school]]. Waldo had been mentioned a season later by Maxine, who received a poorly addressed [[Dear Jane letter]] from Waldo. [[Bryton McClure]], who played Richie, started to appear less once 3J was introduced, and disappeared by the last season. [[Rosetta LeNoire]], who played Carl's mother Estelle Winslow, was gone by the last season as well, due to aging (she was 85 in the 8th season). JoMarie Payton-Noble, the original actress who played Harriette (originating the character on ''Perfect Strangers''), left in December 1997 (prior to the final season) because she was unhappy with the emphasis placed on Steve Urkel and his subcharacters (Stefan, Myrtle, O.G.D., etc.). Many believe this is a case of a series [[jumping the shark]]. When a ''Parade'' viewer asked why she was replaced, Payton-Noble stated that she also wanted to write or direct an episode, but never could. She was replaced by [[Judyann Elder]].

In the Season 9 [[Christmas]] episode "Deck the Malls", Estelle, Richie, and Rachel appear for the last time. It is also JoMarie Payton's last appearance as Harriette.

==Awards==

{| border="1" style="border-collapse:collapse;border-color:silver"
! Year !! Result !! Award !! Category || Recipient(s)
|-
|-
! style="text-align:center" colspan="5" | BMI Film & TV Awards
|-
| 1992 || Won || BMI TV Music Award |||| Bennett Salvay
|-
| 1991 || Won || BMI TV Music Award |||| Bennett Salvay
|-
! style="text-align:center" colspan="5" | Emmy Awards
|-
| 1996 || Nominated || Emmy || Outstanding Individual Achievement in Special Visual Effects|| Kelly Sandefur (special visual effects)<br /> For episode "Send In The Clone".
|-
! style="text-align:center" colspan="5" | Image Awards
|-
| 1997 || Won || Image Award || Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series || Jaleel White
|-
| 1996 || Nominated || Image Award || Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series || Jaleel White
|-
| 1995 || Won || Image Award || Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress || Jaleel White
|-
| 1994 || Won || Image Award || Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress || Jaleel White
|-
! style="text-align:center" colspan="5" | Kids' Choice Awards, USA
|-
| 1996 || Nominated || Blimp Award || Favorite Television Actor || Jaleel White
|-
| |||||| Favorite Television Show
|-
! style="text-align:center" colspan="5" | TV Land Awards
|-
| 2008 || Nominated || TV Land Award Favorite Character(s) || Who "Went Missing" || Jaimee Foxworth
|-
! style="text-align:center" colspan="5" | Young Artist Awards
|-
| 1993 || Won || Young Artist Award || Best Young Actor Recurring in a Television Series || Bumper Robinson<br />Tied with Aeryk Egan for "Brooklyn Bridge" (1991).
|-
| || Nominated || Young Artist Award || Best Young Actor Co-starring in a Television Series || Shawn Harrison
|-
| |||||| Best Young Actor Recurring in a Television Series || Patrick J. Dancy
|-
| |||||| Best Young Actress Recurring in a Television Series || Cherie Johnson
|-
| |||||| Outstanding Young Comedian in a Television Series || Darius McCrary
|-
| |||||| Outstanding Young Comedienne in a Television Series || Kellie Shanygne Williams
|-
| 1992 || Nominated || Young Artist Award || Outstanding Young Comedienne in a Television Series || Kellie Shanygne Williams and Michelle Smith
|-
| 1991 || Won || Young Artist Award || Outstanding Young Comedian in a Television Series || Jaleel White
|-
| || Nominated || Young Artist Award || Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Series || Darius McCrary
|-
| |||||| Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series || Kellie Shanygne Williams
|-
| |||||| Best Young Actress Supporting or Re-Occurring Role for a TV Series || Jaimee Foxworth
|-
| 1990 || Won || Young Artist Award || Best Young Actor Guest Starring in a Television Series || Randy Josselyn
|-
| || Nominated || Young Artist Award || Best New Television Series
|-
| |||||| Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Series || Darius McCrary
|}

==Ratings==
* [[1990-91 American network television schedule|1990–1991]]: #15
* [[1991-92 American network television schedule|1991–1992]]: #27
* [[1993-94 American network television schedule|1993–1994]]: #30

==Characters==
:''[[List of Family Matters characters|Main article: List of Family Matters characters]]''

*[[Reginald VelJohnson]] as [[Carl Winslow]]
*[[Jo Marie Payton]] as [[Harriette Winslow]] #1 (originating on ''Perfect Strangers'' in 1987, 1989–1997 seasons 1–8 and the first half of season 9)
*[[Judyann Elder]] as Harriette Winslow #2 (Remainder of season 9)
*[[Darius McCrary]] as [[Eddie Winslow]]
*[[Kellie Shanygne Williams]] as [[Laura Winslow]]

*[[Jaimee Foxworth]] as [[Judy Winslow (character)|Judy Winslow]] (seasons 1–4)
*[[Rosetta LeNoire]] as [[Grandma Winslow|Estelle Winslow]] (seasons 1–6, sporadic appearances in 7, 8 and 9)
*[[Jaleel White]] as [[Steve Urkel]] (season 1–9)/[[Stefan Urquelle]] (season 5–9)/Myrtle Urkel (sporadic appearances in season 2,7,8, and 9)/Original Gangster Dawg (O.G.D.) (season 9)
*[[Telma Hopkins]] as [[Rachel Crawford]] (season 1–4, sporadic appearances in 6, 7, and 9)
*[[Bryton McClure]] as [[Richie Crawford]] (second actor, seasons 2–7, sporadic appearances in 8 and 9)
*[[Orlando Brown]] as [[Jerry Jamal Jameson|3J]] (seasons 7–9)
*[[Michelle Thomas]] as [[Myra Monkhouse]] (seasons 4–9)
*[[Shawn Harrison]] as [[Waldo Geraldo Faldo]] (seasons 2–8)
*[[Cherie Johnson]] as Maxine (seasons 2–9)
*[[Jason League]] as Lamont (seasons 4-7)

== Syndication ==
The show went into off-network [[broadcast syndication|syndication]] in the fall of [[1993]]. It currently airs on [[Nick at Nite]], airing for a full hour weeknights from Mondays-Thursdays at 11-12:00pm and on Fridays to 12-1:00pm. It has previously aired on cable's [[ABC Family]], [[WGN America|WGN]] and [[TBS (TV network)|TBS]], as well as on [[independent station (North America)|independent station]]s, such as [[WMYD]] [[Detroit, Michigan|Detroit]]. It has also aired on [[The WB]] (1995-2005) and [[UPN]] in the mid-late [[1990s]] until early [[2000]]s. ABC Family still retains the rights to air the show but hasn't aired it since March 2008; instead it's time slot has been taken over by [[Sister Sister]] and [[Step by Step (TV series)|Step by Step]].

When [[Nick at Nite]] airs the ''Family Matters'' episodes, the theme song is cut short (unlike [[ABC Family]], which airs the full theme song from Seasons 1&ndash;3), and towards the middle of the episode, goes straight to commercial (ABC Family went to commercial after the theme song). Also, when the series airs reruns of the show's fourth season, [[Telma Hopkins]]' title card is removed during the short version of the opening credits/theme song.

==Production==
* The house depicted in the opening and closing credits is located at 1516 W. Wrightwood Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1516+W.+Wrightwood+Avenue+Chicago&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=30.875284,67.412109&ie=UTF8&ll=41.931161,-87.666521&spn=0.007072,0.016458&z=16&layer=c&cbll=41.928796,-87.666659&panoid=haLwH1E9eObEh3mtBiSUqQ&cbp=1,355.18518809845204,,0,-15.546623794212204 <small>Google Street View</small>]

* The closing shot in the end credits with the family at the piano comes from the pilot episode "[[List of Family Matters episodes#Season 1: 1989-1990|The Mama Who Came to Dinner]]".

* The only cast member to appear in every single episode was [[Reginald VelJohnson]].

*''Family Matters'' was produced by Miller-Boyett Productions in association with [[Lorimar Television]] in the first two seasons. In seasons 3–9, it was produced by Bickley-Warren Productions & Miller-Boyett Productions in association with [[Warner Bros. Television]], which absorbed Lorimar (a sister company under the [[Time Warner]] banner) in 1993.

*The exterior shot of Myra's house was Larry and Balki's house from Season 7 and 8 from ''Perfect Strangers''.

* In the episode "Polkapalooza," exterior shots of Larry and Balki's apartment building from Seasons 1 and 2 of ''Perfect Strangers'' was Eddie's new apartment building.

== Crossovers with other TGIF shows ==
''Family Matters'' is set in the same "TV universe" as several other TV series related to ABC's ''[[TGIF (ABC)|TGIF]]'':and CBS
*''[[Perfect Strangers (TV series)|Perfect Strangers]]'' — Before ''Family Matters'', Harriette Winslow was originally the elevator operator at the ''Chicago Chronicle'' newspaper office in the third and fourth seasons of ''Perfect Strangers''. ''Family Matters'' was a spin-off series given to this character in 1989. In the second episode of ''Family Matters'', Harriette was fired as elevator operator at the ''Chronicle'', but was soon re-hired as "chief of security", which explained her absence from dealings with the ''Perfect Strangers'' cast.
*''[[Full House]]'' — In the 1991 episode, "[[Full House episodes (Season 4)#Stephanie Gets Framed|Stephanie Gets Framed]]", Steve Urkel helps [[Stephanie Tanner]] ([[Jodie Sweetin]]) deal with her anxiety after she has to get glasses.
*''[[Boy Meets World]]'' — Urkel once sent a [[chain letter]] to his friend [[List of Boy Meets World characters|Cory Matthews]], ([[Ben Savage]]) who lived in Philadelphia. The two never actually appeared together on either show.
*''[[Step by Step (TV series)|Step by Step]]'' — In the original [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] broadcast, the ending gag of ''Family Matters' '' third season episode "[[List of Family Matters episodes#Season 3: 1991-1992|Brains Over Brawn]]" is crossed over with the opening of ''Step By Step'''s second episode, "[[List of Step by Step episodes#Season 1: 1991-1992|The Dance]]". Urkel's jet-propelled flight pack causes him to fly through the Winslows' roof as one show ends, and crash-land in [[Port Washington, Wisconsin]], where the Lambert-Foster family is enjoying a barbecue as the other show opens. Urkel goes on to help his science-fair pen pal, Mark Foster ([[Christopher Castile]]), and lifts Al Lambert's ([[Christine Lakin]]) spirits after her potential date dumps her just before a school dance. He reprises his "[[Steve Urkel#The Urkel dance|Do the Urkel]]" dance in the scene where Al gives the guy who dumped her his comeuppance. Urkel also makes a brief cameo in the 1997 episode "[[List of Step by Step episodes#Season 7: 1997-1998|A Star Is Born]]", snapping a [[clapperboard]] on the set of the movie Al was cast in over her two sisters.

== See also ==
* [[List of Family Matters episodes]]
* [[List of Family Matters characters]]

{{TGIF (ABC)}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:1989 television series debuts]]
[[Category:1998 television series endings]]
[[Category:1980s American television series]]
[[Category:1990s American television series]]
[[Category:Black sitcoms]]
[[Category:American Broadcasting Company network shows]]
[[Category:CBS network shows]]
[[Category:ABC Family shows]]
[[Category:Television series by Warner Bros. Television]]
[[Category:American television sitcoms]]
[[Category:Television shows set in Chicago]]
[[Category:Television spin-offs]]

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Revision as of 02:26, 11 October 2008

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