“Ka-choom. Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch…” That’s a sound that greeted many viewers on Friday nights during the 1990s. More specifically, it was the sound that kicked off episodes of Family Matters during ABC’s TGIF programming block. It’s a sound that brings with it a wonderfully warm, cozy, nostalgic feeling because it meant one thing: another episode of Family Matters was beginning.
But looking back at the show today, there’s something else that stands out. At some point, Family Matters stopped being a simple family sitcom and transformed into something completely different. A show that started with everyday stories about the Winslow family eventually featured robots, cloning experiments, time travel, shrinking technology, alternate identities, and even a trip into space.
So what the hell happened? How did Family Matters go from a typical 1990s sitcom into one of television’s strangest sci-fi experiments?
For context, Family Matters was a family-friendly sitcom centered around the Winslow family in Chicago. Carl and Harriette Winslow were the parents, with their children Eddie, Laura, and Judy. The household also included extended family members like Carl’s mother, Estelle, and Harriette’s sister, Rachel Crawford, along with Rachel’s son, Richie.
On paper, it was exactly what audiences expected from a TGIF sitcom: a wholesome family comedy about relationships, parenting, and everyday problems. Except there was one character who wasn’t technically part of the family but eventually became the face of the entire series. Of course, I’m talking about Steve Urkel.
Jaleel White’s nerdy, high-pitched, suspenders-wearing character became one of the biggest sitcom icons of the 1990s. And his rise completely changed the direction of the show.
Many viewers remember the transformation, but it’s worth looking back at just how unexpected it was. Family Matters was not originally designed to revolve around Steve Urkel. In fact, he wasn’t even supposed to be a recurring character. The character was created as a one-time appearance: the annoying neighbor with a crush on Laura Winslow.
Instead, Urkel became a phenomenon. And eventually, he took the show somewhere nobody could have predicted.
Many years later, Key & Peele created a sketch that perfectly captured something many 1990s kids had quietly accepted. In the sketch, Jordan Peele portrays Reginald VelJohnson, who storms into an ABC executive’s office to complain about how ridiculous Family Matters had become. The sketch becomes increasingly absurd, with Steve Urkel gaining supernatural abilities and essentially taking control of the series.
The details in the sketch were fictional, but the joke worked because there was some truth behind it. As a Family Matters fan, I remember watching that sketch and thinking: “Yeah. They really did have some crazy episodes.”
Because they absolutely did.
To understand how the show became so strange, we have to go back to where it started.
The story begins in the spring of 1989. At the time, television producers Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett were major players in family-friendly programming. Their résumé included shows like Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Joanie Loves Chachi, Bosom Buddies, and The Hogan Family. They also had two major successes on ABC Friday nights: Full House and Perfect Strangers.
That same year, Disney executive Bob Iger became president of ABC and wanted to create a two-hour block of sitcoms that families could enjoy together. That block became TGIF. The acronym normally stood for “Thank God It’s Friday,” but Iger reworked it into “Thank Goodness It’s Funny.”
And it became a major part of 1990s television culture.
Family Matters actually began as a spin-off of another popular ABC sitcom: Perfect Strangers. When Perfect Strangers moved to Friday nights during its third season, the show introduced a new location: the offices of the fictional newspaper The Chicago Chronicle. That’s where audiences met Harriette Winslow.
Played by JoMarie Payton, Harriette was the building’s elevator operator. It might not sound like the kind of character who would eventually lead her own series, but viewers loved her. She appeared in more than 30 episodes across three seasons and quickly became a standout character.
Eventually, audiences were introduced to her husband, Carl Winslow, played by Reginald VelJohnson. And the foundation for Family Matters was created.
When Family Matters premiered, however, it struggled to find its identity. Series co-creator Michael Warren has explained that the creative team spent the early episodes trying to discover what the show would become.
Would Harriette remain the focus because she came from Perfect Strangers? Would Carl and his relationship with his mother become the heart of the series? Or would teenage son Eddie Winslow become the breakout character?
The answer came around episode 12. That was when a strange, awkward neighbor named Steve Urkel showed up.
Jaleel White was already an experienced child actor before joining Family Matters. He appeared in commercials, guest spots on shows like The Jeffersons, and even appeared in the early version of Saved by the Bell when it was known as Good Morning, Miss Bliss.
White was only 12 years old when he filmed what was supposed to be his one and only appearance as Steve Urkel. According to White, the inspiration for Urkel came partly from a bad impression of Martin Short’s famous Ed Grimley character.
The reaction was immediate. During the original episode’s taping, audience members reportedly loved Urkel so much that they chanted his name whenever he wasn’t on screen. The writers immediately realized they had something special.
Urkel was supposed to be a one-time character, “the blind date from hell,” but the show brought Jaleel White back almost immediately. They even filmed additional scenes with him and inserted them into episodes that had already been completed. That’s why Urkel seemingly appears out of nowhere if you binge-watch the series today.
Steve Urkel saved Family Matters from cancellation. There is no denying that. He became one of the biggest pop culture figures of the decade. The network capitalized on his popularity by crossing him over into other ABC shows, creating merchandise, releasing a talking doll, producing Urkel cereal, and even launching a dance craze called “The Urkel.”
His influence was enormous. But Steve Urkel also changed what kind of show Family Matters could be.
To be fair, Family Matters experimented before it completely embraced absurdity. Many sitcoms have strange episodes. Characters have dreams, alternate realities, or fantasy scenarios. For example, Family Ties sent Alex P. Keaton back to 1776, years before Michael J. Fox traveled through time in Back to the Future. Even workplace comedy NewsRadio had a space episode.
So unusual stories weren’t completely unheard of. The difference was that Family Matters slowly made those ideas part of its reality. And it all started with Steve Urkel’s inventions.
Steve Urkel wasn’t just a stereotypical nerd. He was a genius inventor. Things started escalating during Season 3 when Steve created the Urkel Bot, a robot built in his own image. The robot was brought to life through the physical performance of Michael “Boogaloo Shrimp” Chambers, best known for playing Turbo in the Breakin’ movies.
The Urkel Bot was a fully functioning cybernetic android that developed feelings for Laura and became dangerous. Later, it returned as a police robot.
And that was only the beginning. Steve would eventually create:
At some point, Steve Urkel stopped being just the neighborhood nerd. He became a mad scientist.
The turning point came during Season 5. In the episode “Dr. Urkel and Mr. Cool,” Steve experiments with his DNA and creates a genetically altered version of himself. The result was Stefan Urquelle.
The transformation was a clear reference to The Nutty Professor, but Jaleel White’s performance made the concept work. He completely changed his personality, body language, and voice.
Unfortunately, Stefan’s cool exterior also came with extreme arrogance. But audiences loved him. And the writers wanted more. That led to one of the most famous inventions in Family Matters history: the transformation chamber.
The machine allowed Steve to become Stefan whenever he wanted. And once that existed, there was no turning back.
From that point forward, the show embraced its strangest ideas. Steve used celebrity DNA to transform into figures like Albert Einstein, Elvis Presley, and Bruce Lee. Carl was transformed into Steve. The Winslows were shrunk down to the size of insects. Steve traveled through time. The family traveled to Paris through a teleportation device. Steve created clones of himself.
And eventually, the series finale sent Steve Urkel into space. Yes. Space. NASA recruited Steve for a mission, and naturally, things went wrong.
So why did the writers take the series in this direction? According to writers and producers Fred Fox Jr. and Stephen Langford, it came down to two things: Steve Urkel’s abilities and Jaleel White’s talent.
Because Urkel could invent almost anything, the writers had unlimited possibilities. And because White was such a gifted performer, he could play multiple versions of the character.
Beyond Steve and Stefan, White also portrayed various Urkel relatives, including a female Southern belle and a streetwise cousin.
The possibilities seemed endless. The problem was that Family Matters wasn’t an animated show. A series like The Simpsons could go anywhere because it existed in a world where anything was possible. But Family Matters was still, at its core, a realistic family sitcom. That created some serious tonal whiplash.
One scene might involve Laura and Harriette teaching Richie about honesty. The next might involve Carl and Steve wrestling the Bushwhackers.
To this day, Family Matters remains a beloved sitcom. The cast continues to receive appreciation from fans, and Jaleel White has returned to the role of Steve Urkel multiple times, including the 2023 animated film Urkel Saves Santa: The Movie!.
Watching Family Matters today is a fascinating experience. It’s nostalgic, strange, and sometimes, you still find yourself asking: “Did they really do that?”
The answer is usually yes.