Do you think Steve Urkel RUINED Family Matters?

[Scoobiedoo30]

if my memory is correct I belive Steve Urkel was susposed to be just be a one episode Guest Spot on amily Matters.

[GCW]

Originally Posted by agmfox8@yahoo.com

if my memory is correct I belive Steve Urkel was susposed to be just be a one episode Guest Spot on amily Matters.

Yes that is correct.

[Scoobiedoo30]

I am glad they decided to keep Steve Urkel

[Scrooge McDuck]

Urkel definitely saved the show, but as others have said, it probably would have survived without him becoming the lead.

Look at Seinfeld; Kramer was clearly their zany "Urkel" type that hooked a lot of viewers, but they never pushed him at the expense of developing any of the other characters. They were also still able to convincingly put him in over-the-top subplots.

I know it's not really fair to compare FM to one of the greatest shows of all-time, but it says a lot that the writers completely threw in the towel with Judy rather than taking up the challenge of making her an interesting character.

[Yooch]

Not at all.

[Furienna]

Okay, the Judy thing was handled very badly, I give you that. But Steve WAS "Family Matters". If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't even remember Carl, Harriet, Eddy, Laura etc, because the show would have been canceled in 1990 without Steve. In the first episodes, where there still was no Steve, you just long for Steve to turn up. The show was nothing special at all without him. Eat that!

[GCW]

Urkel may have been Family Matters and he did help the show but you have to admit he also ruined the show as well

I got this from jumptheshark.com and I agree with it.

It jumped the shark when it became a live action cartoon. At first, it was an honest look at real life topics (racism, poverty, school environments), a slice of real life family life. It was honest, realistic, and brutally frank in its depictions. Then came Urkel (though he didn't ruin the show at first), but as the show progressed on, the show shifted from realism and real life topics, i.e. it shifted from the family dynamics and the Winslows in life, to basically week after week of comedic escapeds, inventions and adventures. It became an excuse for just hijinks and tomfoolery, week after week of just corny jokes and Urkel mishap after Urkel mishap. Less about the family, and the Winslows and more about their wacky adventures and Urkelish shannigans. It jumped the shark when it all about the jokes, all about the adventures, and less about the normal and relaistic slice of life that I truly loved to watch.

[LivinLaarge]

When i was younger i thought Family Matters was called "URKEL"

[MikeLutton]

urkel did kil Family Matters mean my god whole show turned out be about him and his damm inventions whole family got shafted cause of him may as well call it urkel show he buried the whole show n family.

[SitcomFanFromCroatia]

Both sides have a point.

Yes, Steve Urkel saved the family matters IMO. He was the most charismatic character they had and he was just incredibly funny.
However, all those inventions were a bit silly.
Ok, I must admit that I don't really mind Steffane although I think they could've used that character better.
Myrtle was something that the show didn't need. Hated that character.
Besides all that, some of Steve's inventions got ridiculous and show turned into a semi SF.
That's not what familly matters was meant to be.
They focused on Steve and that was alright they went too far IMO.

[Furienna]

Okay, "Family Matters" sure did change over the years. But I can't say it was for the worse. It went from the boring meaningless episodes from before Steve was introduced to the more interesting episodes in seasons one, two, three and four, where Steve was a brilliant side character, but the family was in focus too, to the just as brilliant episodes in seasons five, six, seven and eight, where the inventions became more and more important to the plots, to the awful season nine, where the writers thought it was a good idea to hook Steve up with Laura instead of with Myra. I have to say, that this show jumped the shark because they put Steve with Laura instead of Myra, not because of the inventions or the bafoonery. I can't understand how anyone can prefer watching the pilot or any other pre-Steve season one episode to the episode where Steve and Carl turn into Bruce Lees and defeat that gang. Not to mention that the Winslow family still was in focus, no matter what the Steve-haters say. Even if these were sub-plots to what Steve did with his inventions, almost every episode was about family matters too. If you only want realism, the later seasons might not be the thing for you, but they sure are funny, which I can't say about the pre-Steve episodes in season one.

[GCW]

Originally Posted by Furienna

Okay, "Family Matters" sure did change over the years. But I can't say it was for the worse. It went from the boring meaningless episodes from before Steve was introduced to the more interesting episodes in seasons one, two, three and four, where Steve was a brilliant side character, but the family was in focus too, to the just as brilliant episodes in seasons five, six, seven and eight, where the inventions became more and more important to the plots, to the awful season nine, where the writers thought it was a good idea to hook Steve up with Laura instead of with Myra. I have to say, that this show jumped the shark because they put Steve with Laura instead of Myra, not because of the inventions or the bafoonery. I can't understand how anyone can prefer watching the pilot or any other pre-Steve season one episode to the episode where Steve and Carl turn into Bruce Lees and defeat that gang. Not to mention that the Winslow family still was in focus, no matter what the Steve-haters say. Even if these were sub-plots to what Steve did with his inventions, almost every episode was about family matters too. If you only want realism, the later seasons might not be the thing for you, but they sure are funny, which I can't say about the pre-Steve episodes in season one.

It just wasn't the inventions and bafoonery that made Family Matters jump the shark it was a combination of things. But all of Urkel's antics just got old after awhile and the show lasted too long. I also think that people don't really argue too much that Urkel was funny and contributed greatly to the shows success but you have to admit that they took it all too far. Another problem was that they got rid of too many characters or lessened their screen time: Judy, Rachel, Mother Winslow, even replaced JoMarie Payton as Harriette. Also why did they have to have all of those Urkel based characters? Stefan, Mrytle, Bruce Lee Urkel etc. it was just too much Urkel. Another thing that got so old was they kept using the same plots over and over. Carl gets Harriette upset, and he is in the doghouse and they make up at the end. "I love you Mrs. Winslow, I love you too Mr. Winslow" and the audience goes "awwww". And I definetly agree with you on the big mistake of putting Laura and Urkel together to me they had much better chemistry as friends when they got together it just seemed too forced to me.

[Furienna]

Actually, I think Steve's antics were funny just because it was "tradition" for him to do things, that you might think got old, like saying "Did I do that?" after he knew he had done something. Steve was such an excellent character to me, that I think this only added to his charm. About the other characters leaving... Well, the Jody thing ticks me off too, but Telma Hopkins ("Rachel") chose to leave for another show, and Rosetta LeNoire ("Estelle") was old and her health got worse (she has passed away now). So that wasn't only about bad writing, like the Jody thing was. I don't think anybody wanted a new Harriette either, but JoMarie Payton wanted to quit, and that other actress was introduced. About Jaleel White's secondary characters, I don't like Stephan, but I see this character as a good excuse for Jaleel to use his real voice for a change and not strain himself into the geek voice. However, Myrthle was pretty funny, when she chased a very reluctant Eddy, and the Bruce Lee Urkel was even funnier. So basically, I don't see any problem with this. But I'm glad you agree about it being wrong to have Steve with Laura, and that they should have been friends instead.

[GCW]

Well like I said before, he was a mixed blessing. They could have tone down all of the screen time Urkel was getting just a bit. I think FM was at its peak in 2nd and 3rd seasons because he was used with a great balance along with the other characters. Later on the show just turn into a cartoon and it became way too bafoonish to point where it was not funny anymore but too silly and predictable.

[catlover79]

I don't think the character ruined the show per se, but making him THE WHOLE SHOW sure did. Why did they even bother to keep the title Family Matters? Most of the family was just pushed aside. I missed Mother Winslow, Rachel, etc. I think there were several characters much more interesting than Urkel.

I've said elsewhere that Urkel is a classic example of a supporting character who should've stayed a supporting character. ABC and Miller/Boyett (also responsible for turning Happy Days into The Fonzie Show) never learned that there CAN be too much of a good thing.