Im sure this was posted before but i'm curious do you think Family Matter's would of lasted 9 seasons without Steve??

Im sure this was posted before but i'm curious do you think Family Matter's would of lasted 9 seasons without Steve??

In my opinion, no way. He made that show.

I don't think a spin-off would last 9 years..
It was obvious that a few episodes before Steve first entered the Winslow's house the show would have been canceled! :D

I think the show would have been cancelled if steve was not on the show

No, seeing as Steve was one of the TGIF "celebrities", it wouldn't have been right not to include him.

if my memory is correct Steve was only going to be on for 1 episode.

I personally think it could have. The problem was that the writers MADE it the Urkel show. If they would have kept the format like they did in season 1 and kept Steve as a scene stealing side character, it would have went on just as much. But it was too much of the Urkel show and that got stale in later years especially when he was getting taller. You had to focus back on the family after seeing that.

Im sure this was posted before but i'm curious do you think Family Matter's would of lasted 9 seasons without Steve??

yes the cosby show lasted 8 seasons and never had a URKEL like character

yes the cosby show lasted 8 seasons and never had a URKEL like character

Because they kept Bill Cosby the focal point of the series.....something they should have done on Family Matters. I know Jo Marie doesn't have the star power Bill does, but it still would have worked.

I personally think it could have. The problem was that the writers MADE it the Urkel show. If they would have kept the format like they did in season 1 and kept Steve as a scene stealing side character, it would have went on just as much. But it was too much of the Urkel show and that got stale in later years especially when he was getting taller. You had to focus back on the family after seeing that.


I so agree, you took the words right out of my mouth. I enjoyed FM when it was just about family issues. It just became silly with all of Steve’s chemistry projects, Breaking and Knocking over things, his Chambers and his different personalities.

I don't think the show would have lasted too long without Steve. The first season 's ratings weren't that great. I even stopped watching it halfway through the first season because I was bored. lol

I so agree, you took the words right out of my mouth. I enjoyed FM when it was just about family issues. It just became silly with all of Steve’s chemistry projects, Breaking and Knocking over things, his Chambers and his different personalities.

:yeahthat

Also I noticed that in the later seasons Steve's bafoonery and cluminess became waaay over the top

It's hard to imagine this show without Steve, because it obviously needed him to stand out. I love Steve as a character (except that he should given up on Laura), and I see no problems with his inventions or his bafoonery, not even in the later seasons. But it could have worked out too, if they had kept the same format, that they had during the first half of the show, when it was about both the Winslows and Steve.

I like the 1st few episodes without him. I think it couldve worked. Or they couldve made him a recurring character, like appearing in a few episodes in the season and not all. Like if they were at school he'd be there.

I like the first episodes without Steve better now than what I did as a teenager, but I still think Steve was excactly what this show needed. I sincerely wonder if anyone would have remembered this show today, if it hadn't been for Steve.

Yeah, without Steve it wouldn't be good.

It sure wouldn't.

I like the first episodes without Steve better now than what I did as a teenager, but I still think Steve was excactly what this show needed. I sincerely wonder if anyone would have remembered this show today, if it hadn't been for Steve.
True, but shows like Full House are kinda popular and they didnt really have anyone like Steve. The closest would be Kimmy, and she wasnt a regular til season 5! i think it coulda worked and made a unique show, even without Steve. Carl was deffinitly funny.

True, but shows like Full House are kinda popular and they didnt really have anyone like Steve. The closest would be Kimmy, and she wasnt a regular til season 5! i think it coulda worked and made a unique show, even without Steve. Carl was deffinitly funny.

Ok, but Steve made the show very special, Jaleel could play Steve so well. He's so extremly talented, so apart from the first episodes, I can't imagine Family Matters without Steve.

And don't people complain about "Full House" becoming "the Michelle show"?

Yeah, without Steve it wouldn't be good.

I would not go as far to say Family Matters would not be any good without Steve. It just would not have been unique and stood out (but it does not mean the show would not have been any good). Plus we have to remember that a lot of times first seasons of shows start out a little slow, the writers are seeing what works and what doesn't. I know a lot of shows where the first season was not all that good, but by the 2nd and 3rd seasons became better.

I would not go as far to say Family Matters would not be any good without Steve. It just would not have been unique and stood out (but it does not mean the show would not have been any good). Plus we have to remember that a lot of times first seasons of shows start out a little slow, the writers are seeing what works and what doesn't. I know a lot of shows where the first season was not all that good, but by the 2nd and 3rd seasons became better.

Yeah, I don't think it'd be a bad show, but I sure prefer Steve in it. I mean, with Steve in it, Famil Matters had something that a TV-show never had before.

I would not go as far to say Family Matters would not be any good without Steve. It just would not have been unique and stood out (but it does not mean the show would not have been any good). Plus we have to remember that a lot of times first seasons of shows start out a little slow, the writers are seeing what works and what doesn't. I know a lot of shows where the first season was not all that good, but by the 2nd and 3rd seasons became better.

Yeah, I don't think it'd be a bad show, but I sure prefer Steve in it. I don't hink I would watch it without him. I mean, with Steve in it, Family Matters had something that a TV-show never had before.

Yeah, I don't think it'd be a bad show, but I sure prefer Steve in it. I don't hink I would watch it without him. I mean, with Steve in it, Family Matters had something that a TV-show never had before.

I agree, I don't dispute at all that Urkel bought that uniqueness to the show, but in my opinion they blew it out of proportion and lost the balance they had in the earlier seasons. JoMarie Payton said this in an interview, and I have to agree with this analogy: She said that "Jaleel White contributed tremendously to the show's success, he was the "salt" needed for this show". "However as time went on I felt at times it just got too salty"

Ohh, ok.

And don't people complain about "Full House" becoming "the Michelle show"?
True, but I still think the characters were balanced.

But every TV-show change through the seasons. Not just Full House and Family Matters.

Yeah, that's true. Especially if the show has a long run.

Yes, and to do the exactly same thing for 9 years is kinda hard.

I know, but the change was soooo extreme.

Yes, if you compare the first ever episode and last ever episode, there are some notable differences (even if you still recognize Carl, Eddy and Laura.) But the change was a process, that happened gradually over the years.

I would never complain on any of the seaons, it changed, every show does. I love this show too much.^^

I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much without Steve. Many other shows do the crazy character thing as well like Step by Step with Cody SBTB with Screech and on and on. However, FM is not one of my most famous shows but it is a show I will always watch if it is on and a show I grew up with.

This show never comes on TV in Canada anymore so I can't watch it, although most episodes are on YouTube. I remember when I used to wake up on Saturday mornings and WPIX would air it from 7-8 AM and then TBS would air it from 8-10 AM so I would watch FM for 3 hrs straight while eating numerous breakfasts lol

That's cool. I don't think I'd watch it without Steve cause he made the showsospecial compare to other shows. It's on TV everyday in Sweden.

do you think Family Matters would gety cancelled with out Steve.

It's hard to tell because we don't know what would have happened otherwise but I can say forsure that it would not have been as memorable.

I know, but the change was soooo extreme.

Exactly, and also I think the show lasted too long. I think they should have ended after season 7 although that is when I think Family Matters offically jumped the shark. They could have had Laura, Steve and the rest of the gang have the prom episode (but not with Laura and Steve as dates) and have them graduate in the season finale and that would be that. They could have had all the cast members come back for the graduation, and it would have worked for a season finale. By season 7, it was clear the writers were running out of ideas.

That sounds good, GCW.

Exactly, and also I think the show lasted too long. I think they should have ended after season 7 although that is when I think Family Matters offically jumped the shark. They could have had Laura, Steve and the rest of the gang have the prom episode (but not with Laura and Steve as dates) and have them graduate in the season finale and that would be that. They could have had all the cast members come back for the graduation, and it would have worked for a season finale. By season 7, it was clear the writers were running out of ideas.
Yeah I agree too. But in my opinion, it jumped the shark after season 4. Technically in season 3 it started to get off focus, but it was still about family. Season 5 started to hve Urkel's experiments, plus Judy and Rachel inexplicibly dissapeared!

Even tho I thought Steve was kinda funny....and I liked him...the show could have done without him...at some time...this guy was just so annoying...and even made me switch it....and one thing I like about sitcoms is that they are at least somewhat real.....Steve without the inventions was quite unrealistic....with it...he was out of this world...and that was annoying....

Still....I would love to watch it again as it was...but still think it would hvae done quite well without him as well

steve made the show. but i also loved interaction between laura and steve. he keeps asking her out and she keeps sayings no no no no

There is NO question in my mind the show would not have lasted anywhere near as long as it did without Steve Urkel. My guess is it would have lasted 2 seasons at best..MAYBE 3 if they had tried some creative and different things with the family.

The way the show developed, Steve Urkel was what made the show. He WAS that show's heart and soul. A lot of the ideas and concepts in that show simply couldn't have been possible without a character like Steve. His character injected an enormous deal of creativity into that series. I had absolutely no problem with the clumsiness, buffonery, slapstick and just how out there his character was. I loved that. Plus they were able to do some things with his character I don't see very often, the best example being the whole alter-ego of Stefan and how they developed it.

With that said, by the time the series ended my Dad made a good assesment of it, at least in regards to Steve's character..."They put his character in every possible situation you can think of and then some" By the time the series ended, they really had taken it in every possible direction there was to go with it. I don't think there was really any further they could have taken it after 9 seasons. Maybe recycle old episode ideas and themes but at that point it's just dragging the series out longer than it should be. All that was left for them to do was a proper series finale and they really should have at least done that much at the end for the series.

Hmm, yeah.