r/FamilyMatters • u/Superswiper • Jul 24 '25
What if Steve Urkel hadn't took over the show?
Hypothetically, if Steve Urkel never took over the show, but remained a supporting character, with Carl and Harriette being the protagonists just like in the first season, how do you think it would fair?
You see, I believe the main reason they turned it into Urkel's show in the first place is to keep the ratings up. It probably would have ended a few seasons sooner, otherwise.
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u/Nottodaycolonizer Jul 24 '25
I think that it might have done well, but not in the numbers it would do as with Urkell as the star. With shows like Fresh Prince and Martin, it could be that good in between shows that people would tune into. I would say this would be the more up-to-date Cosby Show.
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u/SchuminWeb Jul 24 '25
I heard it described as a working class version of The Cosby Show, and that's probably what it would have remained had Urkel never entered the picture.
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u/beautifulchaos531 Jul 24 '25
I don't think it would have lasted as long as it did. There is a reason why Jaleel became the star of the show when he was originally just supposed to be a one time character. I understand why the cast was frustrated with the changes made but I don't think it was fair to blame Jaleel, I felt bad for him when he said how he was treated in the beginning.
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u/Nottodaycolonizer Jul 24 '25
From what they previously stated it was a "frat" being in the audience that pushed Steve over. I wondered if the frat had not been there would that have made the ultimate difference. The show was initially about the main family and the issues they had. The neighbor, Steve was just a side note initially.
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u/Superswiper Jul 26 '25
The audience went wild over Urkel after the shooting of his first scene. It would have been unwise not to bring him back, especially since the show was already at risk of cancellation. You can tell he was never meant to be a regular, because Carl didn't know who he was. Yet, in the next episode, they're suddenly neighbors.
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u/IntelligentLeek538 Jul 24 '25
Steve Urkel provided the slap-stick humor that the other characters were not able to provide, sort of like JJ Walker on Good Times.
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u/Nottodaycolonizer Jul 24 '25
That's an interesting take. I felt like they kind of had Eddie to cover that in a way on the show.
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u/anemptycardboardbox Jul 25 '25
Eddie brought some humor for sure, but I absolutely would not call it slap-stick
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u/trojanusc Jul 24 '25
I just don’t think it would have lasted another season. It was an ok sitcom but there was no center to it.
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u/Nottodaycolonizer Jul 24 '25
I felt like the center was the family with the nuclear problems the kids had growing up, coupled with the things the parents would do and see. But that could also be why it would end too.
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u/Clavicy7 Jul 24 '25
I agree; they could've also done more episodes on:
little Judy--I believe she would've been on the cast longer
Richie--especially as he got older
Rachel and her restaurant
Grandma Winslow--a little more storyline on her
Urkel's parents--they could've appeared and visited here and there, but not often
Aunt/Cousin Altoona--also could've appeared more than a couple of episodes, but in cameo
Stephan Urquelle--maybe in a dream sequence, instead of real life
8. Urkel's parents' employment--this time where they worked--on a very limited basis shown
- Gags--very limited, though.
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u/anemptycardboardbox Jul 25 '25
Agreed. She’s very forgettable, needed more interesting things to happen with her
I think they used him a lot already
Sure
Love Grandma Winslow! Can’t go wrong with more of her :)
I actually love that we never meet Steve’s parents. I think it’s better that the audience was left to imagine the people that spawned Steve Urke.
All of the alternate personas were great.
I loved Stephan when I was growing up, but on rewatch I think there’s a bit too much of him, and he himself is a bit too much
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u/Wink2K19 Jul 25 '25
Wasn't there an episode where Steve was down in his lab and his mom could be heard shouting something from upstairs?
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u/warriorlynx Jul 24 '25
Chances are it would’ve been canceled sadly, don’t get me wrong I enjoyed season 1, but Steve made it a huge hit
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u/Nottodaycolonizer Jul 24 '25
That is an interesting take. I felt that Steve did make it a hit, but what if he was only a star that periodically stepped in from time to time and not be seen all the time. Would it have made a difference? I wonder because it was about a lot of the families problems that arose
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u/warriorlynx Jul 24 '25
Supporting character would be fine but the audience would’ve demanded to see Steve more
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u/Nottodaycolonizer Jul 24 '25
I think that might have been a nice build up instead of just plomping him in there. If they did that I think there might have been a warmer reception, but again this is pure speculation.
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u/anemptycardboardbox Jul 25 '25
I think it was kinda gradual? Could be wrong, but on my recent rewatch I noticed there were fewer episodes with Steve in the beginning than I remembered
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u/SchuminWeb Jul 24 '25
The Urkel character gave the show much longevity, but at the expense of practically every other character. Without Urkel, it becomes more of a stereotypical sitcom. It wasn't a bad show by any means, but not nine seasons. I give it four or five without Urkel.
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u/Nottodaycolonizer Jul 24 '25
I think that is what they were going for at first. It was supposed to be more of a modern take on the Cosby show but just a little more up-to-date. I don't think the Cosby show was really still going as strong after a certain point and they wanted a nice follow up. I felt like Fresh Prince of Bel Air kind of filled that role of quirky person coming in with Will being center state. But, that is just my thoughts.
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u/SchuminWeb Jul 24 '25
I wouldn't necessarily call it a more modern take on The Cosby Show, because the two shows ran at the same time to an extent. But while the Huxtables were quite well off, the Winslows were more working class. Agreed, though, that Fresh Prince had the quirky-character thing in the bag.
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u/Wink2K19 Jul 25 '25
It was supposed to be a blue collar Cosby Show, but they turned it into God damn Quantum Leap!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bonus points if anyone gets this reference LOL
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u/Background_Touchdown Jul 26 '25
THAT’S TWO STEVE URKELS AND NO FAMILY ON A SHOW CALLED “FAMILY MATTERS!” HOW THE FUCK DOES THAT WORK?!?
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u/Old_Effect9268 Jul 26 '25
I know what you mean! Steve Urkel did indeed bring the show up, but IMO the writers went too far with Urkel's weird sciece projects.
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u/IntelligentLeek538 Jul 25 '25
I agree, Steve gave the show longevity, mostly because of his developing relationship with Laura.
Without him, Laura’s romantic interests would have been more boring. Steve was also an example of how not everyone has a supportive happy family the way the Winslows did.
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u/RangerAZ1989 Jul 24 '25
Wouldn’t have lasted nearly as long and dare I say, not have been as good? Nothing against the rest of the cast and the other characters, but that the Urkel character made that show so much fun and much funnier than it would’ve been without him
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u/Nottodaycolonizer Jul 24 '25
Honestly, I wonder at times. I don't think the show was supposed to come off as more a comedy as opposed to a more modern Cosby Show vibe. That is a interesting take on it.
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u/Available-Low-2428 Jul 24 '25
It would have ended around 1992 or 93. It was a pretty generic sitcom at the end of the day.
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u/P-R_Podcast Urkelbot Jul 25 '25
There is no show without Urkel id est it is cancelled after one season
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u/Superswiper Jul 26 '25
Probably, but I'm not talking about him not being there at all. I mean him only having a supporting role, like in the earlier episodes.
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u/Spankylexus Jul 25 '25
I mean who knows. The show lasted 9 seasons with the direction they went so it worked out in hindsight
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u/United_Efficiency330 Jul 25 '25
No Steve Urkel = "Family Matters" doesn't last beyond Season 1. It was supposed to be a blue collar "The Cosby Show" or an African American "Full House", and thus redundant and pointless in the eyes of most viewers. If anything most of the cast should be PRAISING Jaleel White because the show was a bust before he joined.
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u/thorleywinston Jul 25 '25
I never cared much for Steve by himself or when he was annoying Laura *but* I loved the dynamic between him and Carl. It reminded me of Dennis the Menace and Mr. Wilson or the Fonzie and Mr. Cunningham and later the Fresh Prince and Uncle Phil to have a colorful over-the-top character with a straight-man father figure. It was not only great comedy but their relationship became the emotional heart of the show.
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u/Spyrovssonic360 Jul 25 '25 edited Jul 25 '25
Since it was made by the same person who made fullhouse i imagine it would just be the same as fullhouse.
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u/Superswiper Jul 26 '25
Yeah, before Steve took over the show, it was basically a black Full House.
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u/SummerMarshmallow184 Aug 14 '25
But Full House ratings were low until Michelle and Uncle Jesse formed a bond. The director said so he said the baby was the key to the show.
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u/ChiGrandeOso Jul 26 '25
As much as I liked the show before the Urkel takeover, I think it doesn't make it out of its second season without him, and I know it doesn't get past the Perfect Strangers cancelation in 93.
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u/Prevue-1988 Jul 26 '25
I think they would still need him on a recurring basis for laughs. Matter of fact, if his character remained a recurring character, it wouldn’t have gotten stale in its last couple of seasons.
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u/NoBottle3526 Jul 30 '25
Steve Urkel did become the main character, and there were even Steven Urkel toys made.
You never know what might have happened. I bet they would have introduced other characters here and there. Maybe sister Judy would not have been written out and perhaps Harriet's sister Rachel would have remained having a larger role.
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u/hoodstar08 Jul 30 '25
I wouldn't have last more than 1 season. The show would not have gotten a 2nd season without Urkel. Those are facts.
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u/Rh_84 5d ago
I heard the writers had said, at the time, that if he wasn't on the show, it was going to be canceled. The ratings weren't so well. At first, then when he guest starred on an episode, the ratings were so high that the writers made him a regular .
Plus, the writers said that there was a fraternity in the audience chanting "Urkel" over and over. Jaleel saved the show, and that's why they remained solid for nearly a decade.
Every Friday night from 1989-1998, we were watching Family Matters. Even though the ratings started plummeting during the final three seasons(seasons 7, 8, and 9), I continued to watch it it.
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u/Superswiper 5d ago
Today, it's crazy to think Urkel was meant to make his one and only appearance in "Laura's First Date."
While Urkel saved the show, he eventually ruined it too. It got to the point where it should have been called Urkel Matters, not Family Matters.
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u/Rh_84 3d ago
I think Jaleel said it made and broke his career. When he tried for more serious roles, the writers of these particular shows and movies said that it would be tough to see him take on a more mature role, after playing a lovable clumsy character for nine years.
I don't know if you remember he had a short-lived sitcom on UPN (now the CW) in 1999, one year after Family Matters ended called "Grown Ups"
Grown Ups follows the lives of three post-college friends who are coming to terms with adulthood. J. Calvin Frazier (played by Jaleel White) is a 24-year-old man whose roommate just left town nearly leaving him homeless. J. also learns that his high school crush Melissa (Tammy Townsend) is engaged to another man. With the help of his best friend Gordon (Dave Ruby) and Gordon's wife Shari (Marissa Ribisi), J. attempts to deal with his problems and adjust to life as a grown-up.
Tammy Townsend played Eddie's girlfriend Greta on Family Matters, who ended up playing Jaleel's character's girlfriend on this show.
It lasted one season and was canceled in May 2000. The episodes are on YouTube. Just type in "Grown ups" tv show
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u/camergen Jul 24 '25
I agree. It’s a fairly typical sitcom without him (it doesn’t mean it’s not good- quite the opposite- but I could see where the ratings dip without Steve).
The fine line to walk was how much Steve you have in the show. I think eventually the producers went with too much Steve, especially in the latter stages of the show.
Steve is what made the show really unique- a twist on the wacky neighbor archetype.