For many readers, Friday was the biggest night of our lives when we were kids. Why wouldn’t it be? At the very least, it was the last day of school for the week which meant it was time to kick back and enjoy ourselves. And if we weren’t headed out to the mall, the movies, or an arcade, we still had many reasons to say, “Thank God It’s Friday”. But in this case, the ABC Network hyped up their audiences when they marketed T.G.I.F. to mean, “Thank Goodness It’s Funny.”
One of the sitcoms the network aired every Friday night was Family Matters, a family sitcom that centered around the Winslows, a Chicago-area family and their zany next-door neighbor. The series lasted for nine seasons, from 1988 to 1997, with eight seasons running on its original network, ABC, until moving to the CBS Network for a ninth and final season. Despite its last episode airing 24 years ago, the show is still a well-remembered part of modern pop culture, at least to many older millennials out there.
Jaleel White as Steve Urkel
White, who had past sitcom experience going back to 1984, was cast as Steve Urkel, the weird, hyper-smart, yet enduringly annoying next-door neighbor of the Winslows. Urkel was originally a recurring character during the first season but the immediately positive response from viewers catapulted him into a spot among the regular cast members. His character would go on to become the focal point of nearly every storyline through all nine seasons, earning two NAACP Image Awards along the way.
After the show was over, White would go on to star in a sitcom called Grown Ups, but that only lasted one season. He would also become the first performer to give a voice to Sonic the Hedgehog, in the video game character’s first animated series during the mid-nineties. Like many actors who are typecasted, White did have some trouble finding other roles but still managed to appear in side roles, mainly remaining on television. He appeared in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Boston Legal, House, Bones, and The Big Show Show. His most recent role was as “Blake” in the 2022 Adam Sandler Netflix hit, Hustle.
Reginald VelJohnson as Carl Winslow
As the family patriarch, Carl Winslow, Reginald VelJohnson was given a co-leading role, fresh off of the success of his appearance as Sgt. Al Powell in the legendary action movie, Die Hard. Again, he played a police officer and the constant butt of Urkel’s hijinks and experiments gone wrong. Winslow was a regular cast member all the way through the series’ entire run.
Afterward, VelJohnson found more work over the years by way of guest-starring roles. He would go on to appear in Will & Grace, Monk, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, to name a few. He had even made one extra appearance as Sgt. Powell, this time in a video game, 2002’s Die Hard: Vendetta. He most recently did voice work on Amazon’s Invincible along with more live-action work as the mayor in the short-lived Disney action-comedy series, Turner & Hooch, both in 2021.
Jo Marie Payton as Harriette Winslow
Payton played Harriette, wife of Carl and family matriarch. Before co-starring in Family Matters, Payton appeared in many supporting roles in both film and tv since 1978 but wasn’t until 1987 when her role, also as Harriette, on the ABC sitcom Perfect Strangers was a big hit with viewers. Her role was favored so much that the network quickly got going on a spinoff series featuring her and her husband Carl, who originally made just one prior appearance. And the rest is sitcom history. Payton was a part of the main cast until another actress, Judyann Elder, took over the role to complete the show’s ninth and final season.
After the show ended, Payton would continue to take small roles on both the small and silver screen until joining the family, The Proud Family to be exact, the hit Disney animated series that ran from 2001 to 2005. She would also work on the connected TV movie, The Proud Family Movie, and ongoing TV series revival, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, featuring the same family. In between that, Payton worked consistently over the years by taking numerous guest-starring roles in tv shows like The Parkers, Reba, and Desperate Housewives.
