50 Fun Facts About Family Matters

Family Matters was a spin-off of which sitcom?

Harriette Winslow ran the elevator at the newspaper where Larry and Balki worked.

What job did Harriette Winslow have on the parent show before her own series?

She worked at the newspaper alongside Larry Appleton and Balki Bartokomous.

In which city is Family Matters set?

Carl Winslow serves in the Chicago Police Department.

What is Carl Winslow's profession?

He rises from sergeant to lieutenant to captain over the series and is the only character in every episode.

Reginald VelJohnson came to Family Matters after playing which Die Hard character?

He also had bit parts in Ghostbusters and Turner & Hooch.

Steve Urkel was originally written to appear in how many episodes?

He debuted in episode twelve, and scripts were hastily rewritten around him.

In which episode did Steve Urkel make his debut?

Carl and Eddie had each set up a date for Laura.

Steve Urkel was named after whom?

Michael Warren named him for Steve Erkel, who then got prank calls from 'Laura' for years.

What is Steve Urkel's middle name?

Steven Quincy Urkel is the full version.

Which Winslow is the object of Steve Urkel's undying affection?

She finds him grating for years before finally choosing him over his alter ego in season nine.

What does Steve affectionately call Carl Winslow?

Carl calls himself the King of the Castle and routinely throws Steve out of the house.

What is the name of Steve Urkel's suave alter ego?

He created it with a serum that suppressed his nerd genes, spoofing The Nutty Professor.

What practical reason did the show have for using Stefan so heavily?

Playing a character with a normal voice gave White time to recover.

What device lets Steve become Stefan at will from season five?

He improved the formula in the episode Stefan Returns.

In the season seven finale, what does Steve build that produces a duplicate of himself?

Laura suggests one Steve become Stefan permanently so she and Myra can each have the one they love.

Whom does Laura ultimately choose in the season nine episode Pop Goes the Question?

Stefan leaves and never appears again; Steve and Laura are engaged by the finale.

Which female Urkel relative, also played by the same actor, chases Eddie the way Steve chases Laura?

The rich Southern belle even gets a makeover in a last push to win him.

What is the name of Steve's devoted girlfriend, introduced in season four?

Her full name is Myra Boutros Boutros Monkhouse; she transfers schools to be near her Stevie-kins.

Which school do Steve, Laura and Eddie attend?

Myra transferred there in season five to be closer to Steve.

Waldo Faldo was originally introduced as what?

The bully was played by Larenz Tate; Waldo was rewritten as Eddie's best friend.

Waldo left the show in season eight to attend what?

In real life Shawn Harrison's contract had expired.

What happened to youngest daughter Judy Winslow after season four?

Her last episode was Mama's Wedding; the character was retconned as never having existed.

Who played Judy Winslow?

She later discussed being fired and erased from the show on the VICE series Dark Side of Comedy.

What is Mother Winslow's first name?

Carl's street-wise mother moved in during the pilot; Steve calls her 'Estelle, my Belle'.

Whom does Mother Winslow marry at the Winslow home in season four?

Carl disapproved of the relationship at first.

Harriette's widowed sister opens what teen hangout in season two?

It replaced Leroy's, a burger joint Urkel had accidentally burned down.

Who played Rachel Crawford?

She left full-time to star in the short-lived sitcom Getting By.

What does Rachel's young son Richie call Urkel?

He idolises him thanks to Steve's constant visits.

What is the name of the boy the Winslows adopt in season eight?

Jerry Jamal Jameson was first introduced as Urkel's Little Brother in a mentoring programme.

What is Eddie Winslow's job at the end of the series?

He enrolled in the police academy in season nine after struggling in college.

Who is Eddie's long-term girlfriend by the series finale?

Her father owned Eddie's employer, Mighty Weenie, and tried to keep them apart.

Which Ivy League school accepts Laura in season seven, only for her to decline?

Her parents could not afford the tuition, though she told them she did not want to be far from home.

What is Carl's rank by the ninth season?

He started as a sergeant and made lieutenant in season five.

What was the ABC Friday-night block that Family Matters anchored called?

The stars claimed it stood for Thank Goodness It's Funny.

To which network did Family Matters move for its ninth and final season?

CBS paid $40 million for it and Step by Step, and scheduled them against TGIF.

Why did Miller-Boyett take the show to CBS?

The producers doubted they would be a big player at ABC after the Disney purchase.

Which cast member did Jo Marie Payton nearly come to blows with before leaving in season nine?

White was playing a gangster and trying to insert material that violated standards; Darius McCrary separated them.

Who took over as Harriette for the rest of the final season?

Payton had felt the show jumped the shark years earlier.

How many episodes did Family Matters run for?

It trails only The Jeffersons and House of Payne among Black-cast live-action sitcoms.

The two-part series finale was titled what?

Eddie is hired as a rookie officer in part one, and Steve and Laura are engaged.

Which Sega character was the Urkel actor the first American to voice?

He did it across three animated series in the 1990s.

Which Cosby Show role does the Urkel actor say he was cast in before the part was recast as a girl?

Bill Cosby decided to mirror his real family and Keshia Knight Pulliam got the part.

What novelty dance originated in the season two episode Life of the Party?

White reprised 'Do the Urkel' in a Step by Step crossover.

Steve Urkel crossed over to which show to help Stephanie Tanner cope with getting glasses?

He also jammed with Uncle Jesse and gave Michelle a penny.

Which short-lived breakfast product was licensed from the show?

There was also a pull-string doll of the character.

Where did Steve's never-seen parents move to, leaving him to live with the Winslows?

Most of his relatives are said to despise him.

Which Louis Armstrong song was the show's original theme, dropped after five episodes of season one?

It was replaced by 'As Days Go By', written by Jesse Frederick, Bennett Salvay and Scott Roeme, which ran until 1995.

How much did CBS pay in its 1997 deal to take Family Matters and Step by Step away from ABC?

ABC had offered $1.5 million per episode for two more seasons, but Miller-Boyett feared being sidelined after Disney bought the network.

Which 253-episode sitcom is one of only two Black-cast live-action comedies to outlast Family Matters?

The Jeffersons managed 253 episodes over 11 seasons; Family Matters was also the last 1980s-debuting live-action scripted primetime show to end.

What was the German title of Family Matters, meaning 'All under one roof'?

It ran on ProSieben from 1995 to 1998; Croatia later aired it as Pod istim krovom, 'Under the Same Roof'.