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Family Matters is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC for eight seasons from September 22, 1989, to May 9, 1997, then moved to CBS for its ninth and final season from September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998. A spin-off of Perfect Strangers, the series was created by William Bickley and Michael Warren, and revolves around the Winslow family, a Black middle class family living in Chicago, Illinois. Midway through the first season, the show introduced the Winslows' nerdy neighbor Steve Urkel (Jaleel White), originally as a one-time appearance. However, he quickly became the show's breakout character (and eventually the main character), joining the main cast.
Running for 215 episodes over nine seasons, Family Matters is the third-longest-running live action American sitcom with a predominantly African-American cast, behind The Jeffersons with 253 episodes over 11 seasons and Tyler Perry's House of Payne with 355 episodes as of 2023. Family Matters was the last live-action scripted primetime show that debuted in the 1980s to end its run; the only scripted shows that started in the 1980s and have lasted longer in continuous production is The Simpsons and The Bold and the Beautiful.
In the television pilot, "The Mama Who Came to Dinner", the family had also opened their home to Carl's street-wise mother, Estelle (Rosetta LeNoire), usually known as "Mother Winslow". Prior to the start of the series, Harriette's sister, Rachel Crawford and her infant son, Richie, had moved into the Winslow household after the death of Rachel's husband. The Winslows' nerdy teenage next-door neighbor, Steve Urkel (Jaleel White), was introduced early in the first season, given a significant role midway through the season in the episode "Laura’s First Date", and quickly became the focus of the show.
The popular sitcom was a mainstay of ABC's TGIF lineup from 1989 until 1997, at which point it became part of the CBS Block Party lineup for its final season. Family Matters was produced by Bickley-Warren Productions (1991–1998) and Miller-Boyett Productions, in association with Lorimar Television (1989–1993) and later Warner Bros. Television (1993–1998). As the show progressed, episodes began to center increasingly on Steve Urkel, and other original characters also played by White, including Steve's suave alter-ego, Stefan Urquelle (who is similar to Jaleel White's real-life self), and his female cousin, Myrtle Urkel.
Miller-Boyett Productions agreed to a $40 million offer from CBS for a 22-episode season for both Family Matters and Step By Step. CBS scheduled Family Matters along with Meego and Step By Step as a part of its new Friday lineup, branded as the CBS Block Party. The network scheduled the family-oriented block against ABC's TGIF lineup, where the two series originated. Jo Marie Payton's contract had just expired and she was reluctant to continue, feeling the show had jumped the shark years prior. She agreed to stay to keep continuity but left midseason shortly after nearly getting into a physical altercation with White in what would be her last regular episode; in that episode, White (playing a gangster instead of his usual Urkel) was attempting to insert material that violated Broadcast Standards and Practices. The resulting dispute between White and Payton escalated to the point where Darius McCrary had to separate the two. Payton would appear in only one more episode after that—a Christmas episode that also brought back several former characters from the ABC run who had been written out on CBS—before Judyann Elder took over as Harriette for the remainder of the season.
While Family Matters continued to lose viewership compared to previous years, it was initially a modest success on CBS, beating the show that replaced it, You Wish. Meego, however, was a ratings failure and was canceled after six weeks. After the holiday special season, CBS replaced Meego with Kids Say the Darndest Things, and with that show's child-centered focus, it was placed in Family Matters 8/7c time slot. Family Matters was pushed an hour later and paired with Step by Step. The ratings for Family Matters fell even further in this later slot, and the entire block except for Kids Say the Darndest Things was canceled in spring 1998, with the remaining episodes burning off in the summer. The show sporadically aired in 1998, leaving a 5 month gap from January to June.
| Carl Otis Winslow | Reginald VelJohnson | colspan="9" | ||||
| Harriette Baines Winslow | Jo Marie Payton | colspan="9" | ||||
| Judyann Elder | colspan="8" | |||||
| Estelle "Mother" Winslow | Rosetta LeNoire | colspan="8" | ||||
| Edward "Eddie" Winslow | Darius McCrary | colspan="9" | ||||
| Laura Lee Winslow | Kellie Shanygne Williams | colspan="9" | ||||
| Judith "Judy" Winslow | Valerie Jones | colspan="8" | ||||
| Jaimee Foxworth | colspan="4" | colspan="5" | ||||
| Richard "Richie" Crawford | Joseph & Julius Wright | colspan="8" | ||||
| Bryton James | colspan="6" | colspan="2" | ||||
| Rachel Baines Crawford | Telma Hopkins | colspan="4" | colspan="2" | |||
| Steve Urkel | Jaleel White | colspan="8" | ||||
| Waldo Geraldo Faldo | Shawn Harrison | colspan="2" | colspan="4" | colspan="2" | ||
| Myra Monkhouse | Michelle Thomas | colspan="3" | colspan="2" | colspan="4" | ||
| Jerry Jamal "3J" Jameson | Orlando Brown | colspan="6" | colspan="2" |
Starting with season three, the series was also produced by Bickley-Warren Productions. The series was filmed in front of a live studio audience; the Lorimar-produced episodes were shot at Lorimar Studios (later Sony Pictures Studios) in Culver City, California, while the Warner Bros.-produced episodes were filmed at Warner Bros. Studios in nearby Burbank.
The show's original theme was Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World"; it was scrapped after the fifth episode of season one ("Straight A's"), though it was heard only in the pilot episode in syndicated reruns. The second theme, "As Days Go By", written by Jesse Frederick, Bennett Salvay and Scott Roeme and performed by Frederick, was the theme for the majority of the series until 1995. The sixth season's opening credits was last used in the season seven episodes "Talk's Cheap" and "Fa La La La Laagghh", the only two episodes during the final three seasons to feature the theme song (this was heard in season one episodes in ABC Family and syndicated airings). A longer version of "As Days Go By" was used during the first three seasons, though in syndicated reruns the short version is heard (in ABC Family airings, the long theme was used for all of the episodes during the first three seasons).
Family Matters is set in the same fictional universe as several other related to ABC's TGIF or CBS's Block Party. 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. Characters from Family Matters appeared on other shows, including Full House, Boy Meets World, Step by Step and Meego.
From 1997 to 2003, reruns of the series aired on WGN America. In 2003, ABC Family picked up the series and aired it for five years until February 29, 2008. From 2004 to 2006, UPN aired the show for 2 years. BET aired reruns briefly in December 2009 and began airing the series on a regular basis on March 1, 2013; the series returned to BET in mid-February 2023. MTV2 also began airing reruns on September 7, 2013. The show aired on Nick at Nite from June 29, 2008, to December 31, 2012. ABC Family and Nick at Nite airings cut the tag scenes at the end of all episodes, despite the fact that many episodes during the series have tag scenes during the closing credits. The series also aired on TV One from 2019 to 2023. In Canada, the series also aired on CTV, CBC and currently airs on Family Channel.
On September 29, 2017, Family Matters became available for streaming on Hulu. In the UK it aired on Sky One whilst Perfect Strangers aired on BBC One.
Reruns of the series aired on Cartoon Network's ACME Night block in 2021.
TruTV began airing reruns in 2023 as part of their "Comfort Food" block.
On October 1, 2021, Family Matters began streaming on HBO Max after its streaming rights expired from Hulu, but has since returned to the Hulu platform. The series was removed on HBO Max in September 2025.
In Germany, it premiered as Alle unter einem Dach ( All under one roof) on ProSieben between September 4, 1995 and December 8, 1998.
In Italy, it aired as Otto sotto un tetto ( Eight under one roof) on Canale 5, Italia 1 in 1992, with subsequent airings on Fox Retro & Sky Atlantic.
In Croatia, the show aired as Pod istim krovom ( Under the Same Roof) starting in September 2005 on RTL, and later on its sister channels RTL 2 and RTL Kockica.
In Spain it was known as "Cosas de Casa" ( Home Things), broadcast on Antena 3 during the 90s, and is one of the most remembered dubbings. When Jaleel White participated in the program "Sorpresa Sorpresa" ( Surprise Surprise) he praised Pilar Coronado for her way of giving voice to Urkel.
In Israel it was called אריזה משפחתית ( Family Packaging) on Arutz HaYeladim.
A Complete Series DVD boxset was released on September 26, 2023
In 2022, a Christmas-themed movie titled A Family Matters Christmas was made and released direct-to-video on November 8, 2022. The plot focuses on a blended family in which the children Body swap and learn about the others, and must work together to switch back. Jo Marie Payton and Kellie Shanygne Williams appear briefly. However, they play entirely new characters and the movie has no connection to the actual Family Matters show.
| 1992 | BMI TV Music Award | Bennett Salvay | ||
| 1995 | Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress | Jaleel White | ||
| 1996 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Jaleel White | ||
| 1997 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Jaleel White | ||
| Favorite Television Actor | Jaleel White | |||
| Best New Television Series | Family Matters | |||
| Best Young Actor Guest Starring in a Television Series | Randy Josselyn | |||
| 1991 | 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 | |||
| Outstanding Young Comedian in a Television Series | Jaleel White | |||
| 1992 | Outstanding Young Comedienne in a Television Series | Kellie Shanygne Williams | ||
| 1993 | 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 | |||
| Best Young Actor Recurring in a Television Series | Bumper Robinson | |||
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