Not many shows were like Family Matters in the ‘90s. The series had to find a way to stand out among the other sitcoms of the era, and that was a time when sitcoms were at their best. Series like Friends and Seinfeld were juggernauts, and even smaller series like Home Improvement ran for years.
Fortunately, Family Matters had Steve Urkel to help the series stand out. Though Urkel was meant to be a bit player, the character was a breakout star. His quirky personality and hyper-intelligence were often the reason everyone tuned into the show. Eventually, the show had him creating more and more ridiculous inventions, which became the focal point of the show in the last few seasons.
The Powered-Up Urkel Car Allowed Him To Save Laura From A Dangerous Driver
Steve Urkel was known for driving the same iconic car most of the series. It was a tiny car that could barely fit two people inside it, but it did fit Steve’s quirky personality. But in one episode, Steve is forced to transform his car into something more dangerous. In an attempt to get Laura to stop dating a drag racer, Steve has to beat the racer. He just narrowly manages to win thanks to the augmentations he makes to the Isetta.
Steve’s Jet Pack Was Used For A Great Comedy Bit
Early on, Steve’s inventions were more realistic and down to Earth. In the episode “Brain over Brawn”, Steve invents something that technically exists now: a jet pack. The real thing isn’t nearly as cool, but it’s also much safer. In this episode, Steve uses the jet pack and blasts off, destroying the Winslows’ roof before flying a full state away. For a meta gag that took advantage of both shows airing on the same night, Steve wound up in Wisconsin with the cast of Step by Step.
The Force Field Belt Helped Eddie Survive Against A Heavyweight Boxer
Leave it to Steve to solve a problem with a force field that could’ve been solved with much more normal sitcom ideas. After Steve and Eddie break Laura’s laptop, they need the money to replace it…fast.
Fortunately, heavyweight boxer Butterball is in town, and there’s a massive prize if they can win. Steve gives Eddie his force field belt to keep him from being hurt, but Eddie shorts it out after several minutes. Still, Steve steps in and finds a way to beat Butterball and win the money they need.
The Cloning Machine Solved The Stefan Problem For Good
Somehow, a problem that’s plagued super-villains like Lex Luthor has given Steve Urkel zero trouble. He builds a machine that’s capable of cloning anything and decides to make two of himself. There’s no “bad” side to this one—Steve creates a working clone of himself. Though they get into some mischief at first, this episode allowed them to fix a problem with the show. Laura had been dating Stefan off and on for several seasons, but with a cloned Steve one could remain Stefan forever. Both characters remain on the show until the end, but Steve destroys the cloning machine so no one can use it for the wrong reasons.
Steve’s Time Travel Watch Allowed Him To Travel To The Distant Past
Steve had done everything reasonable after a while, so they had to get progressively more impossible. In one episode, Steve created a watch that would allow him to travel through time. With this watch, they make multiple trips, including going back to the distant past with pirates. Eventually, Carl tries to travel back in time and alter the past subtly to make things better. Instead, he nearly destroys his relationship with his family and has to spend the entire episode trying to fix it or risk losing his family forever.
Steve’s Transformation Chamber Let Him Become A New Man
Steve’s transformation chamber was introduced in the second half of the series. The chamber would alter his DNA to make him more of a “cool” person and less of a…well…a Steve.
It worked, and he popped out as Stefan Urkelle, a charismatic, good-looking version of Steve with a fantastic dress sense. But that wouldn’t be the only thing Steve used the transformation chamber for. Later he would alter himself to give himself martial arts abilities to handle a bunch of criminals.
