Family Matters

1989

Seasons & Episodes

  • 9
  • 8
  • 7
  • 6
  • 5
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1

6.6| 0h30m| TV-G| en
Synopsis

A long-running dramedy centering on the Winslow family, a middle-class African American family living in Chicago, and their pesky next-door neighbor, ultra-nerd Steve Urkel. A spin-off of Perfect Strangers.

Director

Producted By

Lorimar Television

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Trailers & Clips

Reviews

Mjeteconer Just perfect...
Mischa Redfern I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.
Stephan Hammond It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
Aspen Orson There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.
willhaskew This show started out like most any other TGIF sitcom. A black family, the Winslows, in Chicago go about their daily lives while dealing with family issues. The father, Carl, is a uniformed police officer with a liking for sweets, a temper, and weird habit of often being paired up with Steve Urkel despite not liking him. His wife, Harriet, is the new black matriarch archetype, no nonsense, sassy, disciplined, and yet supportive and loving. Her son Eddie, the oldest child, is shown to be stupid at first but the writers made him a popular athletic kid with a heart of gold instead. Laura, the oldest daughter and middle child, was pretty, popular and smart. She got the most sitcom attention aside from Urkel. There was an Aunt Rachel, a cousin Richie, a grandmother and a third child Judy, but so little attention is paid to them they're hardly worth mentioning. Steve Urkel, the next door neighbor, is a super nerd who is in love with Laura, and thus by TGIF sitcom rules unable to be boyfriend material. His nerdiness is so great that he invents time machines, a robot duplicate, and a chemical process that can literally re-create someone from scratch by rewriting their DNA (think The Nutty Professor). Thus Urkel becomes Stefan Urkel (a romantic counterpart that under sitcom rules is Laura Winslow boyfriend material), Bruce Lee Urkel and probably some other characters I can't remember. Urkel has one girlfriend, Myra, who seems to genuinely like him for his intelligence and nerdy personality but he inexplicably rejects her in pursuit of Laura. Urkel is the main focus of the show throughout most of it's run. At some point the aunt and youngest daughter were written out of the show with Richie becoming the youngest son by default and a young street kid name 3J (cousin Oliver syndrome anyone?) was adopted by the Winslows. Richie was also age progressed from an infant to about 5 years-old in his second season.
krswlkr56 In all honesty, the ABC / CBS television show "Family Matters" was and still is one of the best TV shows ever made! In all honesty, the characters seemed to mesh well with one another and it made you feel as though you were right at home with them experiencing the same issues they were as if you were a part of the Winslow family paying a visit to them every single week. You were there when Steve Urkel became Stefan Urkelle, when Steve's zany antics drove the Winslows crazy, or when Steve's family came by and visited him and also the Winslows. You saw the love between Laura and Steve become reality and you witnessed them falling for each other, thus revealing Laura loved Steve after all! To say this show is "excellent" is an understatement, but that's how high the IMDb will let us rate it. But, in actuality, it's "perfect". The show came at the right time and addressed many of issues such as race and it wasn't afraid to touch subjects like that and I have to admit it knocks the socks off of "Full House" and "Step by Step" hands down, done deal.
Lana702 Myra was so crazy that she put a hidden camera in steve's glasses she's crazy.I don't like that and she's rude and mean to Laura,and the time Steve and Laura had a date and she interrupted the date and she gave Laura a watch and tried to arrest her.She gave Laura the watch and accused her of stealing it.When Steve found the hidden camera in Myra's bedroom while she was in the bathroom helping her grandma,he found the remote on her dresser and pressed the button opening the to Steve's glasses camera TV he took off the glasses and she invaded his privacy,then she apoligised saying,"I'm sorry,". After that apoligy Steve said,"Yeah you are sorry ,".
lilxi77 Watching Family Matters through 1-4 seasons, I always wonder why Judy was never a hi-light to any episodes. It was very rare that she got into something like Laura, Eddie and even Richie. Example, the episode when Laura fell for this treatment that turned out to be a scam and had Harriette, Rachel and Estelle fall for it. And the treatment made them bald. Judy should of sneaked around and used some of the treatment and wined up being bald like them. And what was tacky bout the show, Judy got booted off with no explanation, and no one talked about her in the series like she never existed. Through 1-4 seasons, Cart & Harriette have three children. Then starting from the 5 season, they have two children out in the blues. The producers should had arranged episodes at the ending of the 4 season that Judy were going away to private school or something. Then in the last season, she returns. And the show should had a special ending. The 10 season shouldn't of never got canceled (thanks to CBS). And my question is, for a long time dealing with the character Steve Urkel, why JoMarie decided to leave sudden? I wasn't use to the Harriette #2, no offense toward Judyann Elder. The show wasn't all about Steve, but what the show would of been like without the character? And the other actors seem like they were getting the pleasure out of Steve. "Quote" Steve was like a loner, he really didn't had no family. The Winslows was like Steve second family. It would of been good that Rachel was officially back into the series with a steady boyfriend. The scenes that Carl & Harriette done, Rachel & her boyfriend could of performed those scenes instead. And the original Harriette were arranged to be away taking care of her father due to his illness (Harriette & Rachel father paid them a visit in one of the episodes in the 2 season). Then Harriette pays the household a visit in a few episodes and Carl be arranged to sometimes visit Harriette and spend the nights over. Just like what was though, they didn't had to arrange to have Harriette dying out or Carl & Hariette get a divorce. In both of those cases, the sitcom would of been a very sad ending.