Family Matters

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Family Matters

Family Matters title screen
Format Sitcom
Created by William Bickley
Michael Warren
Developed by Thomas L. Miller
Robert L. Boyett
Starring Reginald VelJohnson
Jo Marie Payton
Rosetta LeNoire
Darius McCrary
Kellie Shanygne Williams
Michelle Thomas
Jaimee Foxworth
Jaleel White
Telma Hopkins
Country of origin United States
No. of seasons 9
No. of episodes 215
Production
Executive producer(s) Thomas L. Miller
Robert L. Boyett
William Bickley
Michael Warren
(seasons 2–7)
David W. Duclon (seasons 3–8)
Running time 23 Minutes
Broadcast
Original channel ABC (1989-1997)
CBS (1997-1998)
Original run September 22, 1989 – July 17, 1998
Chronology
Related shows Perfect Strangers

Family Matters is an Emmy Award nominated American sitcom about a middle-class family living in Chicago. The series, a spin-off of Perfect Strangers, is notable for the introduction of Steve Urkel, a nerdy character played by Jaleel White. It aired from September 22, 1989, to September 19, 1997, on ABC, and moved to CBS from September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998. Having aired 215 episodes, Family Matters is one of the longest-running U.S. comedies with a cast made up predominantly of African-Americans, surpassed only by The Jeffersons, and followed by The Cosby Show.

Contents

[edit] History

Family Matters originally focused on the character of Carl Winslow and his family: wife Harriette Winslow, rebellious son Eddie Winslow, intelligent daughter Laura Winslow, youngest child Judy Winslow (until Season 4), and (later) adopted son 3J.

In the series opener, the family had also opened their home to Carl's street-wise mother, Estelle Winslow (usually known as "Mother Winslow"), as well as Harriette's sister, Rachel Crawford, and her son, Richie Crawford, after the death of Rachel's husband prior to the start of the series.

The Winslows' nerdy next-door neighbor, Steve Urkel, was introduced midway through the first season, and quickly became the focus of the show. The popular sitcom was part of ABC's TGIF from 1989 until 1997, before it became part of the CBS Block Party lineup from 1997 until 1998. Family Matters is produced by Bickley-Warren Productions and Miller-Boyett Productions, in association with Lorimar Television (1989-1993), and later Warner Bros. Television (1993-1998).

[edit] Original characters leave the show

As the focus of the show began to center more and more on Urkel (and occasionally his alter-ego, Stefan), other original characters were shunted to the periphery. 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), but she made occasional guest appearances until 1997. Foxworth later revealed 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 those 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 two children, not three. The last time Judy was ever seen on the show was as the flower girl at Mother Winslow's wedding.

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). Jo Marie 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 sub-characters (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, Jo Marie Payton-Noble stated that she also wanted to write or direct an episode, but was never permitted to do so. She was replaced in the final season by Judyann Elder.

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

[edit] Network change

In early 1997 CBS decided to buy Family Matters and Step By Step for $40 Million from the ABC Network. ABC then promised to pay Miller-Boyett Productions $1.5 million per episode for a ninth and tenth season of Family Matters. However, tensions had risen between Miller-Boyett Productions and ABC's parent company, Disney. Miller-Boyett thought that they would not be big players on ABC after recently being bought up by Disney. So in turn Miller-Boyett Productions signed in the $40 Million offer from CBS for both Family Matters and Step By Step to be renewed for a 22-episode season on CBS.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Ratings

Family Matters was a top 50 hit for its first eight seasons, and ranked in the top 30 for the second, third, and fourth seasons. However, when the show moved to CBS, it fell out of the top 100 altogether.

[edit] Broadcast history

[edit] Syndication

The show currently airs on Nick at Nite. However, when Nick at Nite airs the show, the theme song is cut short (unlike ABC Family, which aired the full theme song from Seasons 1–3), and towards the middle of the episode, goes straight to commercial (ABC Family went to commercial after the theme song if the episode started with a "cold" opener). 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 in some of the episodes.

[edit] Production

[edit] Crossovers with other TGIF shows

Family Matters is set in the same "TV universe" as several other TV series related to ABC's TGIF:

  • 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. Urkel had also made an appearance on episode of Perfect Strangers.
  • Full House — In the 1991 episode, "Stephanie Gets Framed", Steve Urkel helps Stephanie Tanner (Jodie Sweetin) deal with her anxiety after she has to wear eyeglasses.
  • Boy Meets World — In the episode "Beauty and the Beast" Urkel sent a chain letter to his friend Cory Matthews, (Ben Savage) who lived in Philadelphia. The two never actually appeared together on either show.
  • Step by Step — In the original ABC broadcast, the ending gag of Family Matters' third season episode "Brains Over Brawn" is crossed over with the opening of the second episode of Step By Step, "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 "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 "A Star Is Born", snapping a clapperboard on the set of the movie that Al was cast in over her two sisters.

[edit] Awards and nominations

Year Award Result Category Recipient
1991 BMI Film & TV Awards Won BMI TV Music Award Bennett Salvay
1992 BMI TV Music Award Bennett Salvay
1996 Emmy Award Nominated Outstanding Individual Achievement in Special Visual Effects Kelly Sandefur
(For episode "Send In The Clone")
1994 NAACP Image Awards Won Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress Jaleel White
1995 Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress Jaleel White
1996 Nominated Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Jaleel White
1997 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Jaleel White
1996 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Nominated Favorite Television Show
-
Favorite Television Actor Jaleel White
2008 TV Land Awards Nominated Jaimee Foxworth
1990 Young Artist Award Nominated Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Series Darius McCrary
Best New Television Series
-
Won Best Young Actor Guest Starring in a Television Series Randy Josselyn
1991 Nominated Best Young Actress Supporting or Re-Occurring Role for a TV Series Jaimee Foxworth
Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series Kellie Shanygne Williams
Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Series Darius McCrary
Won Outstanding Young Comedian in a Television Series Jaleel White
1992 Nominated Outstanding Young Comedienne in a Television Series Kellie Shanygne Williams
1993 Nominated Outstanding Young Comedienne in a Television Series Kellie Shanygne Williams
Outstanding Young Comedian in a Television Series Darius McCrary
Best Young Actress Recurring in a Television Series Cherie Johnson
Best Young Actor Recurring in a Television Series Patrick J. Dancy
Best Young Actor Co-starring in a Television Series Shawn Harrison
Won Best Young Actor Recurring in a Television Series Bumper Robinson
(Tied with Aeryk Egan for Brooklyn Bridge)

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Matters"
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