Do you guys think that Family Matters would have lasted as long as it did if they just kept Steve a side character like they did in seasons 1 & 2?

Without him, it wouldn't have, but with him simply as a side character, I'm pretty sure it would have.

I seriously doubt it! The show revolved around Steve!

FM did much better in the ratings during seasons 2/3, when Steve was only getting a descent amount of attention, as opposed to the huge amount of attention he got the last few yrs.

Yeah because in seasons 2/3 although Steve was getting more attention, it still felt like a family show because the rest of the characters were getting a decent amount of attention.

Watching the last few seasons, and seeing how Steve got so much attention and most of the others characters were ignored because of him, I always think it's hard to believe how that all came from one small guest appearance.