For eight seasons, Family Matters was a staple of ABC’s Friday night TGIF lineup. Premiering as a spinoff of Perfect Strangers, the series centered on the Winslow family and their pesky next door neighbor. While it was never an Emmy caliber show, it became one of the most popular in the country for many years.
The series underwent major transitions during its run. There were the pains of hurt feelings between cast members as Steve Urkel (Jaleel White) quickly became the show’s main focus early on. After Season 4, showrunners bizarrely did away with one of the Winslow kids, making Judy Winslow (Jaimee Foxworth) disappear as if she never existed, all so more time could be given to Urkel’s antics. In Season 9, Family Matters spent its final year on CBS after the network bought it from ABC. And then, in the last episodes, the matriarch of the Winslow clan, Harriette, was recast, when Jo Marie Payton exited the series. Amidst the chaos of their last days, Family Matters pulled out all the stops for a truly heartwarming series finale.
Steve Urkel Goes to Space but Almost Doesn’t Make It Home
Family Matters came to an end during a two-part series finale held over two weeks, ending on July 17, 1998. For years, Family Matters had long become the Steve Urkel show, focusing on the hijinks of the clumsy nerd who lived next door. While the finale kept Urkel as the main star, it also gave a fitting end to everyone involved. With episodes titled “Lost in Space (Part 1)” and “Lost in Space (Part 2)”, the focal point saw Urkel going to space when NASA purchases one of the patents for his many inventions. The kid turned young man who seemingly always messed up and fell short finally got his due when an astronaut showed up at the Winslow door and told Steve he’d be the first ever student in space. Of course, because this is Steve Urkel, everything goes wrong. Sure, there’s the usual laughter-inducing pratfalls of clumsy Steve, but with Family Matters coming to an end, they went all out with the drama as well.
The space shuttle Urkel is on goes off course when it’s struck by a satellite. The other astronauts are knocked out, leaving Steve all alone. It’s up to him to save the lives of those onboard and get back to Earth safely. Steve is understandably worried, but Mission Control tells them that they’ll walk him through the stabilization technique step by step. Urkel is relieved and asks, “Well, how many steps are there?” “3,672,” they tell him. Steve is able to fix one problem, but now he must put on his astronaut gear and exit the ship to remove the satellite stuck to the ship. Before he can celebrate though, he begins to float away into space.
News of the disaster reaches the Winslows, who sit on their couch watching news coverage, where a serious anchor says, “The situation is dire indeed. Drifting off into space, only a few minutes of oxygen remaining, and no way to return to Explorer.” Of course, because this is Family Matters and not Breaking Bad, our hero makes it, as he’s able to reach the space shuttle. The serious news anchor turns joyful, as he exclaims, “I can’t believe this. The nerd’s okay!”
Eddie Winslow Becomes a Cop and Gets Shot in the Line of Duty
Another serious plot point found Eddie Winslow (Darius McCrary) graduating from the police academy and becoming a Chicago cop just like his father, Carl (Reginald VelJohnson). Carl is proud, saluting his son for becoming the third generation of Winslow police officers. His mother, however, is less than thrilled. The last several episodes of Season 9 saw Harriette Winslow recast, with Jo Marie Payton leaving and Judyann Elder taking over the role. The new face among so many familiar ones makes it hard for viewers to have an emotional connection to her, but still the show tried, with Harriette getting involved in Eddie’s business, leading to him being relegated to nothing more than a meter maid. Carl confronts Harriette about it. The wife tells her husband, “I was worried about Eddie and I wanted him to be safe.”
As fate would have it though, while Eddie is out on the streets doing his meter duties, he comes across an armed thief. Eddie chases him into an alleyway where the cornered man shoots Eddie in the chest. Again, because this is the wholesome Family Matters, Eddie doesn’t meet his maker. It turns out that he was shot in his bulletproof vest. Mother and son have a heart-to-heart later in the kitchen, where Eddie tells Harriette, “Mom, I have everything I need to be a good cop except for one thing…your support.” At this, Harriette reluctantly accepts Eddie’s job.
