Why was the Steve Urkel character so popular?

[TMC]

I mean even at the time, he was super obnoxious and borderline creepy. My best guess is because he appealed to our inner losers and to much outer losers. He appeared confident, chased dreams and relentless and in a world of insecure people, no matter how secure they seemed, we wished that we could who he was, to a certain extent. He was also the nice guy you wanted to win. He was easy to relate to but he was also someone to laugh at (in particular, his funny voice and everything appealed to young children) because he was annoying.

He even got Bea Arthur to do the "Urkel Dance"!

[tlc38tlc38]

I was a kid when FM first aired so, to me, the reason I liked Urkel was simply because I found him funny.

Now, I still find him funny but not only that, the show itself is family-friendly and that's the kind of shows I (mostly) like.

Btw, Urkel used to be my favorite character but Carl is now.

I'm so happy to officially own all 9 seasons of this series!

[JO Sweet Heart]

What I love about Steve was his being the one who didn't hesitate to stand up for what is right.

God bless you always!!!

Holly

[Furienna]

Indeed. As obnoxious as Steve could be, the kid also had a heart of purest gold. He even started a bone marrow drive for a guy, who had given him a swirly earlier in the same episode! Now that is freaking saint-like! But he also had enough personal flaws to be relatable and not too perfect. (And I just realized that this is probably a big part of why I really don't like his Stephan Urquelle alter ego: Stephan was nothing more than a seemingly perfect chick magnet, and I just found him boring.)

And personally, I just freaking love nerdy characters in general. And I share Myra's taste in men. So that is another thing, that will endear Steve Urkel to me. And oh yeah, I have to really applaud Jaleel White's acting skills. The guy was so perfect for the role, that he could never get much of a career after this show ended. People wanted to typecast him all the time.

What I really don't like about Steve though is that he never stopped drooling over Laura and fully commited to Myra instead, but I suppose that that is a subject for another time and a different thread.

[Hawkee]

When Family Matters became huge Jaleel White had become a huge celebrity and he had a funny yet confident character that brought comic relief to Family Matters. But when Steve Urkel became so popular he became not only a character that brought the laughs to the table but gained celebrity status as one of the top TV characters of the 90's as well as a pop culture icon. Starting with the classic Steve Urkel talking doll made by Hasbro in 1991 and the release of Urkel-O's cereal made by Ralston/Purina in 1992 it proved that Family Matters soared in ratings due to Steve Urkel's popularity and Jaleel White became an even bigger star after Family Matters ended by becoming a voice actor by acting in the movie Quest For Camelot where he voiced the character Bladebeak and has done voices for cartoons too. But Family Matters will always be remembered for becoming a popular sitcom of the 90's that made the character Steve Urkel a popular 90's pop culture icon
Bestie

[RockyMountain]

Over the top humor dealing with all the social cliches there are out there was a popular medium back in the '80's and 90's. A Urkel type character wouldn't work in this day and where being a geek has become more socially acceptable and people being bullied is a real issue. But back then it still worked as a way to get a laugh out of people. Other shows used that same type of humor. Married With Children for instance (though it used more adult humor regarding social cliches where as FM used more family friendly humor about social cliches.

[Furienna]

Originally Posted by RockyMountain

Over the top humor dealing with all the social cliches there are out there was a popular medium back in the '80's and 90's. A Urkel type character wouldn't work in this day and where being a geek has become more socially acceptable and people being bullied is a real issue. But back then it still worked as a way to get a laugh out of people. Other shows used that same type of humor. Married With Children for instance (though it used more adult humor regarding social cliches where as FM used more family friendly humor about social cliches.

This post reminded me of that I always hated how "Family Matters" played how Steve was bullied for laughs.
Yes, other shows did that as well back in the 90s, but really, that only makes it worse.

[TMC]

This is what TV Tropes has to say regarding Steve Urkel and what they consider a form of "Character Perception Evolution", so take it as you will:

Family Matters: Steve Urkel was originally intended as a one-shot character, created for an early episode about Carl Winslow trying to find a tame guy to take his daughter Laura to a dance. Unexpectedly, he proved a hit with viewers, leading to the producers deciding to make him a regular. At first, he was seen as a welcome addition to the cast, with his quirky personality and bizarre inventions helping to give the show its own unique identity. However, as Steve went on to dominate the series, his reputation became increasingly polarizing, with fans of the show to this day arguing over whether he elevated Family Matters from being just another family sitcom or ruined it by turning it into a wacky sci-fi series centered around himself. The fact that some of his behavior towards Laura comes off as more creepy than funny nowadays has only given his detractors more ammunition, though his defenders will point to moments where he respects Laura's boundaries and decisions.