Why Family Matters Ended After 9 Seasons

Family Matters was one of ABC’s most iconic family sitcoms of the 1990s, airing alongside Full House and Perfect Strangers as part of the network’s legendary ‘TGIF’ lineup. Unfortunately, Family Matters rapidly declined in popularity following its fifth season. The downturn included a network change, the departure of a major co-star, and poor ratings, the latter of which ultimately led to its cancelation.
Conceived as a spinoff of Perfect Strangers, Family Matters focused on the Winslow family. The Winslow’s included: Police officer Carl (played by Die Hard alum Reginald Vel Johnson), his elevator-operator wife Harriette (Jo Marie Payton), son Eddie (Darius McCrary), elder daughter Laura (Kellie Shanygne Williams) and younger daughter Judy (Valerie Jones/Jaimee Foxworth). While the comedy originally centered on their exploits, Family Matters’ early ratings were underwhelming — but a creative change made the sitcom last for nearly a decade.

Updated February 5, 2024, by Joshua M. Patton:Payton’s Harriette Winslow was the original star of the family, appearing in 33 episodes of Perfect Strangers as an elevator operator, an antiquated job even then. Vel Johnson’s Carl Winslow first appeared on the show in the Season 4 episode “Crimebusters,” revealing he was a police officer. The actors’ performances inspired producers Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett to move the characters out of Larry and Balki’s apartment building to the Chicago suburbs for their own series. However, Steve Urkel, practically a “goof” character, soon took over Family Matters.

Steve Urkel Saved (and Changed) Family Matters

Family Matters may have had an ignominious finish, but the series ran for nine full seasons and was a massive hit. Originally, the series creators conceived the series around Payton and Vel Johnson’s characters, as Harriette was the best-known character on its debut. The show enjoyed success from the beginning, as part of ABC’s TGIF lineup. It’s possible a show focused solely on the Winslow family could’ve had the same longevity. However, midway through Season 1, Family Matters drastically changed with the arrival of Jaleel White’s character, Steve Urkel.

Urkel was intended as a one-off guest in Season 1, but became the show’s breakout star. The character’s nerdy mannerisms quickly won over audiences, catapulting Family Matters to success. As a result of his popularity, the sitcom became less focused on the Winslows and family issues. Instead, Urkel became the central figure in many plots. This reportedly caused tension behind the scenes. Nonetheless, the show continued on an impressive run. Throughout seasons 4 and 5, Family Matters maintained an average of 12.6 million viewers.

Along with ratings success, Steve Urkel helped Family Matters become an indelible part of the 1990s TV zeitgeist. His catchphrase, an exaggerated reading of the line “Did I do that?” became widely known and often parodied on contemporaneous shows. The defining characteristic of Urkel was his deep affection for Laura Winslow. After leaving his girlfriend, Myra (played by Michelle Thomas), Steve and Laura finally got together in the series finale, after Urkel went to space. (The 1990s!) However, the series wasn’t supposed to end when it did.

How Many Seasons of Family Matters Were There?

The show’s first ratings dip came in Season 6, following Foxworth’s departure. The audience declined by more than a million viewers each subsequent season. By Season 8, Family Matters had fallen to an average of 8.8 million viewers. About this time, the Walt Disney Company purchased ABC, and relations between the new owners and Meyer-Burnett Productions were poor. Still, the studio agreed to pay $33 million for a ninth and tenth season. However, CBS entered into a $40 million deal with Disney for the rights to air Family Matters, Step By Step and Meego. Family Matters became part of the network’s burgeoning Block Party lineup — intended as a TGIF rival.

Family Matters’ troubles continued after the network change. Payton left in the middle of Season 9. According to the actress, her contract ended after Season 8, and she had no interest in renewing it. Although Payton had played Harriette since the character’s introduction on Perfect Strangers, she felt the role interfered with her pursuit of other projects. She was also allegedly involved in an altercation with White. Payton eventually agreed to appear in half of Season 9, before Judyann Elder took over the role of Harriette. “I never wanted to stop acting,” Payton explained in an interview with TV Series Finale. “I’ve been acting since I was 6 years old. It’s just that I was tired of doing that project. You know what I’m saying. I wanted to do something else.”