Family Matters is an Emmy Award nominated American sitcom about a black 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 the second longest-running U.S. comedies made up of a predominantly African-Americans cast, surpassed only by The Jeffersons and followed by The Cosby Show. It was filmed in front of a live studio audience at WB studios in Burbank, California.1

Created by William Bickley and Michael Warren (who also wrote for and were producers of parent series Perfect Strangers; they continued to work for Perfect Strangers even after Family Matters debuted) and developed by Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett (executive producers of fellow ABC sitcoms such as Step by Step, Full House and Perfect Strangers), it was also executive produced by Bickley, Warren, Miller and Boyett. The series was produced by Bickley-Warren Productions and Miller-Boyett Productions, in association with Lorimar Television (who produced the show from 1989 to 1993, when the show became produced by Warner Bros. Television).

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).

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.