Just a fun post I thought I'd like to share. Personally I think Season 5 would have been a great ending to the series with Eddie graduating from High School and preparing to go to college move into an apartment with Waldo and Steve deciding he will never become Stephan again. And deciding to commit himself to Myra and forget about Laura. Like he did in the early Season 6 episode. Only have that be part of the season finale 2 parter. Harriete could find a successful job as a news reporter. Rachel returns with the explination of where shes been for the past year. That she moved her restaurant to NYC and since it was such a tough first year she thought Richie would be better off with Harriette and Carl. Of course it wouldn't come off as if she had left without saying anything and dumped him there. But it would be explained somewhere in the 2 parter that's where she's been and why Richie was left behind. Mabye even at the very end of the 2 parter Judy could come down from her room and Harriete could say 'There you are Judy, it's about time you came out of your room, it felt like you were up there for a whole year!" What season do you all think Family Matters should have ended and why.

To me, Laura and Steve finally getting married should have been shown since she actually decided to marry him at all after all of them years.

God bless you always!!! :) :) :)

Holly

Family matters should have ned when they put that new stupid Harriette on the show

Season 7, I think. It could have ended with the episode, where Stephan became his own person.

If Season 9 never happened then Laura can move into Waldo & Eddie’s Apartment(If Eddie decides to not move back to the Winslow house at the end of Season 6) and continues to date Stefan while Myra remains loyalty commited towards Steve.

End of Season Four is when it should have ended. Any episode without little Judy Winslow is dead to me.

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Based on the YouTube comments, "Deck the Malls" (http://familymatters.wikia.com/wiki/Deck_the_Malls) is the real final episode.

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End of Season Four is when it should have ended. Any episode without little Judy Winslow is dead to me.
Excuse me, but... why? Judy was never allowed to become memorable in any way, except for how she was mercilessly retconned away from the show.

Excuse me, but... why? Judy was never allowed to become memorable in any way, except for how she was mercilessly retconned away from the show.

The show was called Family Matters. When the producers decided to remove family members from the family, they torpedoed the entire original premise of the show, in favor of a short-term fad.

It would be like watching Full House, but the house is now empty. Like watching The Golden Girls, but it's now about frat brothers chugging keggers on the lanai. Like watching Cheers, but the setting has changed to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting room, the characters now swearing to never set foot again in the iconic bar.

Imagine watching Family Ties, but suddenly Jennifer and Mallory Keaton are gone, and no one on-camera even acknowledges they ever existed. You feel yourself in a weird, sinister parallel world. When the opening credits appear, we now see the Keaton family is just Steven, Elise, Alex and Andy. Weirdly, Nick is still hanging around, although there's absolutely no reason for him to be there, with Mallory no longer existing. The show would no longer be Family Ties, just a hollow, empty shell of the show it once was. Some viewers might even wonder where Jennifer and Mallory's corpses were buried.

"Not central to the plot" is not at all the same as "not important to the show". When a show names itself with the words Family Matters, viewers expect the family to matter. The way this show made family members disappear never to be seen again was creepy, and only made more creepy by the canned laughter as Urkel murdered more and more family members.

When TV writers/producers introduce characters to TV shows, they want the audience to care for these characters. Writing off family members to give Urkel more screen time destroyed the whole original premise of the show.

The show was called Family Matters. When the producers decided to remove family members from the family, they torpedoed the entire original premise of the show, in favor of a short-term fad.

It would be like watching Full House, but the house is now empty. Like watching The Golden Girls, but it's now about frat brothers chugging keggers on the lanai. Like watching Cheers, but the setting has changed to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting room, the characters now swearing to never set foot again in the iconic bar.

Imagine watching Family Ties, but suddenly Jennifer and Mallory Keaton are gone, and no one on-camera even acknowledges they ever existed. You feel yourself in a weird, sinister parallel world. When the opening credits appear, we now see the Keaton family is just Steven, Elise, Alex and Andy. Weirdly, Nick is still hanging around, although there's absolutely no reason for him to be there, with Mallory no longer existing. The show would no longer be Family Ties, just a hollow, empty shell of the show it once was. Some viewers might even wonder where Jennifer and Mallory's corpses were buried.

"Not central to the plot" is not at all the same as "not important to the show". When a show names itself with the words Family Matters, viewers expect the family to matter. The way this show made family members disappear never to be seen again was creepy, and only made more creepy by the canned laughter as Urkel murdered more and more family members.

When TV writers/producers introduce characters to TV shows, they want the audience to care for these characters. Writing off family members to give Urkel more screen time destroyed the whole original premise of the show.
Well, not that I approve of how the people in charge handled the situation with Judy/Jaimee. They should have developed the character a bit instead of firing the 13-year-old actress and blaming that decision on her mother. But I don't believe that you're 100 % fair.

Judy had been given so little to do after the 1rst season, that cutting her from the show made no difference at all by that point. I wonder if most people even remembered the poor thing, when they watched the 5th season and it rolled on without her. So in the long run, cutting Judy never hurt the show. After all, it lasted for five years after she disappeared.

And neither is it fair to blame Judy's disappearance on Steve. The writers found a place for several other characters (who were not always connected to Steve), even if they didn't give a fig about Judy. Remember how Lieutenant Murtaugh, Waldo, Maxine and Myra were important characters, while Judy was brother chucked?

So even though I too wish that things could have been different, I kind of understand why Judy had to go. The writers and the producers obviously started to see her as her as dead weight already by somewhere around the 2nd season. And as soon as the actress's mother demanded a raise, they used that as a reason to fire her.

End of Season Four is when it should have ended. Any episode without little Judy Winslow is dead to me.

OMG! Are we twins separated at birth?

OMG! Are we twins separated at birth?

Oops, just saw this.

When TV writers create characters on a show, they want the audience to care for these characters. The audience then grows fond of these characters. Thus when the writers write out a character with no explanation given as to what has happened to the character, it is a total betrayal of the TV audience.

Chuck Cunningham, Judy Winslow, and Brendan Lambert are examples of TV producers' contempt for their own viewers. They believe the audience won't care that we see where the absent family member's picture hung on the wall is now just a lighter, square spot.

I'm not talking about instances where the producers just couldn't work with an out of control sitcom star. I'm talking about when they just decide no-one will care or notice if a character we've come to care about is never seen or mentioned ever again.

It spoils the illusion of the show. It makes a mockery of the earlier episodes, where we saw the entire family laughing and cracking jokes. It makes the viewer wonder why everyone's pretending a family member never existed, and what sinister reasons are behind the cruel charade. It makes it impossible to focus on the episode, and it ruins entire seasons.

Nope, no Judy, no watchee.

^^^ Brenden Lambert disappearing from Step By Step was definitely a stand out. When the show first started each parent had three kids from their previous spouse.

God bless you always!!!

Holly

P.S. If Brenden was written out to make room for Dana's boyfriend, J.T.'s best friend that is, them writers need to be kicked where it hurts especially when Dana hated that guy just before Brenden disappeared. Remember what happens in the season five episode named Forever Young?

Oops, just saw this.

When TV writers create characters on a show, they want the audience to care for these characters. The audience then grows fond of these characters. Thus when the writers write out a character with no explanation given as to what has happened to the character, it is a total betrayal of the TV audience.

Chuck Cunningham, Judy Winslow, and Brendan Lambert are examples of TV producers' contempt for their own viewers. They believe the audience won't care that we see where the absent family member's picture hung on the wall is now just a lighter, square spot.

I'm not talking about instances where the producers just couldn't work with an out of control sitcom star. I'm talking about when they just decide no-one will care or notice if a character we've come to care about is never seen or mentioned ever again.

It spoils the illusion of the show. It makes a mockery of the earlier episodes, where we saw the entire family laughing and cracking jokes. It makes the viewer wonder why everyone's pretending a family member never existed, and what sinister reasons are behind the cruel charade. It makes it impossible to focus on the episode, and it ruins entire seasons.

Nope, no Judy, no watchee.
Wow… Again, you're not being fair here at all! Think about the rest of the actors, who worked on the show all through the five following seasons. Are they worth nothing at all to you then? You want to throw more than half of what "Family Matters" was into the garbage bin, because one character didn't work out with the writers. And that is just unbelievable to me...

^^^ Brenden Lambert disappearing from Step By Step was definitely a stand out. When the show first started each parent had three kids from their previous spouse.

Jo, I completely agree with you. The whole premise of the show was three kids vs. three kids. When kids started disappearing, I lost interest.

If Brenden was written out to make room for Dana's boyfriend, J.T.'s best friend that is, them writers need to be kicked where it hurts especially when Dana hated that guy just before Brenden disappeared.

Dana did hate Rich.


Remember what happens in the season five episode named Forever Young?

No, what happened?

^^^ At the end of that episode, Dana and Rich kiss for the first time, only it was after him and J.T. staged a life threatening fight between each other for her to over hear in order for her to think that they were killing each other over a girl. Why did they do that to Dana? Because they realized that she was the one who brought the girl into their picture in the first place. Dana was setting them up and once they figured that out, turning the tables on her in return is how they decided to respond. She of course went ballistic, but in my opinion, they gave her exactly what she deserved especially when she was always treating Cody like dirt! I LOVE him!!! :) :) :)

God bless you always!!!

Holly

^^^ At the end of that episode, Dana and Rich kiss for the first time, only it was after him and J.T. staged a life threatening fight between each other for her to over hear in order for her to think that they were killing each other over a girl. Why did they do that to Dana? Because they realized that she was the one who brought the girl into their picture in the first place. Dana was setting them up and once they figured that out, turning the tables on her in return is how they decided to respond. She of course went ballistic, but in my opinion, they gave her exactly what she deserved especially when she was always treating Cody like dirt! I LOVE him!!! :) :) :)



Ahaha! I don't even remember this episode, but I'm sure I was working a lot at that time, and likely missed it. I'll need to watch some DVDs!

As you say, Dana often treated Cody badly. I always thought they would get together in the end, but maybe that was too 'hillbilly'.

^^^ Exactly. Because they were still related in a way, it probably would have only been able to go so far, but whether they did or not, I hated the way that Dana treated Cody when he pretty much took her and her siblings in as if they truly were family. I love when Cody helped Mark get ready for his Karate match and later on defended Karen when she got harassed for being a virgin. :) :) :)

God bless you always!!!

Holly

P.S. Dana got the best of him right when she needed it too. He was there for her in the first season when she went to see her favorite singer at a dangerous address and was attacked by a man at a bus station I think it was during season three and even though she did thank him, she still continued to treat him like trash.

^^^ Exactly. Because they were still related in a way, it probably would have only been able to go so far, but whether they did or not, I hated the way that Dana treated Cody when he pretty much took her and her siblings in as if they truly were family. I love when Cody helped Mark get ready for his Karate match and later on defended Karen when she got harassed for being a virgin.

Cody really was awesome. He was also often dumb. It was a strange juxtaposition.

Since they weren't blood relatives, it wouldn't be incest. Still, they were step-cousins.

When Steve Urkel got too old.

When Steve Urkel got too old.Which was when exactly?

I think the show should have ended after season 7. It was clear they were running out of ideas by then because after that is when the show really got crazy. And it would have allowed for a Steve/Myra future pairing to look better because that was before Myra went off the rails with her obsessive behavior towards Steve.

Which was when exactly?

Prob season 6

I think the show should have ended after season 7. It was clear they were running out of ideas by then because after that is when the show really got crazy. And it would have allowed for a Steve/Myra future pairing to look better because that was before Myra went off the rails with her obsessive behavior towards Steve.
Or they could have simply made a 9th season, where they didn't try to make Myra look insane in a lame attempt to make us prefer Laura as Steve's love interest. But nah, they had to go that route... :(

Just a fun post I thought I'd like to share. Personally I think Season 5 would have been a great ending to the series with Eddie graduating from High School and preparing to go to college move into an apartment with Waldo and Steve deciding he will never become Stephan again. And deciding to commit himself to Myra and forget about Laura. Like he did in the early Season 6 episode. Only have that be part of the season finale 2 parter. Harriete could find a successful job as a news reporter. Rachel returns with the explination of where shes been for the past year. That she moved her restaurant to NYC and since it was such a tough first year she thought Richie would be better off with Harriette and Carl. Of course it wouldn't come off as if she had left without saying anything and dumped him there. But it would be explained somewhere in the 2 parter that's where she's been and why Richie was left behind. Mabye even at the very end of the 2 parter Judy could come down from her room and Harriete could say 'There you are Judy, it's about time you came out of your room, it felt like you were up there for a whole year!" What season do you all think Family Matters should have ended and why.

Then Steve would have "settled" for somebody whom he wasn't genuinely attracted to because Steve fantasized about Laura 24/7. He even said Laura's name while him and Myra got intimate. He would have never forgotten about Laura no matter who he "dates".

^^^ I don't remember Steve ever calling out Laura's name when him and Myra got intimate because they never went further than a kiss to begin with. Even when a kiss happened, Steve never called Myra "Laura".

God bless you always!!!

Holly

Then Steve would have "settled" for somebody whom he wasn't genuinely attracted to because Steve fantasized about Laura 24/7. He even said Laura's name while him and Myra got intimate. He would have never forgotten about Laura no matter who he "dates".
Except that is not realistic at all.
It made no sense that Steve would be that obsessed with a girl, who had never loved him back.

^^^ I don't remember Steve ever calling out Laura's name when him and Myra got intimate because they never went further than a kiss to begin with. Even when a kiss happened, Steve never called Myra "Laura".

God bless you always!!!

Holly
Unfortunately, it is actually true that Steve said the wrong name on a date with Myra. :(
It was in the same episode, where he later decided to go steady with Myra.

Season 6

Unfortunately, it is actually true that Steve said the wrong name on a date with Myra. :(
It was in the same episode, where he later decided to go steady with Myra.
Thank you. :) :) :)

God bless you always!!!

Holly

Thank you. :) :) :)

God bless you always!!!

Holly

"I'm willing to date you while I'm in love with Laura, What more do you want woman?" Convo starts @0:55-2:10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lgp5tqp8-7o&list=PLvmYvXBm_vG5FZCx3Wae8cOsJLIX2bk7a&index=21

^^^ I remember that. Thank you. :) :) :)

God bless you always!!!

Holly

I think the show should have ended after season 7. It was clear they were running out of ideas by then because after that is when the show really got crazy. And it would have allowed for a Steve/Myra future pairing to look better because that was before Myra went off the rails with her obsessive behavior towards Steve.

Family Matters was a pretty formulaic show when you really think about it. It seemed like every episode after a while had Urkel barging in to the Winslow's house, acts annoying, breaks things, and Carl gets mad but forgives Steve by the end of the episode. They did try to address several things regarding issues like underage drinking, bullying, etc., but it was all an afterthought of what the real plot of each episode being Steve acting like a goof and either inventing or destroying stuff. So in a nutshell, it became all about him and whatever zany hijinks he was up to this week.

Family Matters was a pretty formulaic show when you really think about it. It seemed like every episode after a while had Urkel barging in to the Winslow's house, acts annoying, breaks things, and Carl gets mad but forgives Steve by the end of the episode. They did try to address several things regarding issues like underage drinking, bullying, etc., but it was all an afterthought of what the real plot of each episode being Steve acting like a goof and either inventing or destroying stuff. So in a nutshell, it became all about him and whatever zany hijinks he was up to this week.
That is not really true though.
There were other characters with their own storylines around in most episodes.