I remembe rit used to be a serious show, real topics...I was looking at it the other day, they got two Urkels, he's flying in space....him and Carl were shrunken...they just made a circus of this show towards the end...

I never watched this show when it was on in prime time (although I do remember watching the very first episode in 1989), but I have to admit that I like the reruns of the last season. I guess it is because the characters were maturing. Since I'm in my 30s now, shows focusing on kids don't hold my attention as much as a show about a budding relationship even one as bizarre as Steve Urkel and Laura Lee.

On another note, this show would have gotten cancelled quickly if Urkel didn't come on. It's not that it wasn't watchable, but there was nothing unique enough about any of the family members to keep this on for 9 years. Urkel created a strong reaction in people and even if you hated him or never watched the show you knew who he was.

Also, the family members were not conventionally attractive people. A case could be made that some were actually rather unattractive. If this were starting up now, they would cast some very different looking people in those parts.

Originally posted by jamesanthony
I never watched this show when it was on in prime time (although I do remember watching the very first episode in 1989), but I have to admit that I like the reruns of the last season. I guess it is because the characters were maturing. Since I'm in my 30s now, shows focusing on kids don't hold my attention as much as a show about a budding relationship even one as bizarre as Steve Urkel and Laura Lee.

On another note, this show would have gotten cancelled quickly if Urkel didn't come on. It's not that it wasn't watchable, but there was nothing unique enough about any of the family members to keep this on for 9 years. Urkel created a strong reaction in people and even if you hated him or never watched the show you knew who he was.

Also, the family members were not conventionally attractive people. A case could be made that some were actually rather unattractive. If this were starting up now, they would cast some very different looking people in those parts.



Laura looked good

I didn't find her to be all of that, but one thing is for certain: she very believably played JoMarie Payton's daughter. They had the same kind of attitude in their demeanor. Actually looking at the picture above the children looked like they could believably pass for being the children of JoMarie and Reginald VelJohnson so the casting wasn't so bad. Based purely on physical appearance they did a better job than most shows. On Good Times none of the actors who played the children looked anything at all like each other or the parents.

That's exactly why I loved Family Matters. They looked like real people. Laura would be a girl I could actually date.

Now all the sitcoms seem to need a big boobed actress else they can't last.