Family Matters: Story, Cast and Series Facts

Story and premise

A spinoff of Perfect Strangers, Family Matters began as the at-home adventures of elevator operator Harriette Winslow and her multigenerational family. But midway through the first season, Jaleel White made a one-shot appearance as neighborhood nerd Urkel. With oversized glasses, undersized body, screechy voice and indomitable self-confidence, Urkel proved irresistibly funny, turning White into an overnight sensation and a new star of the show.

Series details

• Title: Family Matters
• Format: Scripted
• Language: English
• Genres: Comedy, Family
• Premiere date: 1989-09-22
• Final broadcast date listed: 1998-07-17
• Status in TVmaze: Ended
• Network listed by TVmaze: CBS
• Network country: United States
• Typical episode runtime: 30 minutes
• TVmaze community rating: 5.8/10
• TVMaze ID: 1250

Cast and credited roles

• Bryton James — Richard "Richie" Crawford
• Joseph Wright — Richard "Richie" Crawford
• Julius Wright — Richard "Richie" Crawford
• Reginald VelJohnson — Carl Otis Winslow
• Judyann Elder — Harriette Winslow
• Jo Marie Payton — Harriette Winslow
• Kellie Shanygne Williams — Laura Lee Winslow
• Darius McCrary — Edward "Eddie" Winslow
• Telma Hopkins — Rachel Crawford
• Valerie Jones — Judy Winslow
• Jaimee Foxworth — Judy Winslow
• Jaleel White — Steve Urkel

Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue

• Season 1: premiered 1989-09-22; final listed air date 1990-04-27.
• Season 2: premiered 1990-09-21; final listed air date 1991-04-26.
• Season 3: premiered 1991-09-20; final listed air date 1992-05-08.
• Season 4: premiered 1992-09-18; final listed air date 1993-05-14.
• Season 5: premiered 1993-09-24; final listed air date 1994-05-20.
• Season 6: premiered 1994-09-23; final listed air date 1995-05-19.
• Season 7: premiered 1995-09-22; final listed air date 1996-05-17.
• Season 8: premiered 1996-09-20; final listed air date 1997-05-09.
• Season 9: premiered 1997-09-19; final listed air date 1998-07-17.

Source and licence

Adapted from Family Matters on TVmaze. The synopsis is reproduced as plain text; catalogue facts, cast and season records are selected and reformatted. This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, following the TVmaze API licence. Network and web-channel credits identify the service listed in this source; they do not establish current streaming availability.