Family Matters (1989-1998) Cast: Then and Now 2023 – [34 Years After] by HollywoodNuts
American television sitcom Family Matters had its ABC debut on September 22, 1989, and ran until May 9, 1997. From September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998, it was broadcast on CBS after moving there. A spin-off of Perfect Strangers, the Winslow family, a black middle class family residing in Chicago, Illinois, is the focus of the television series.[2] The nerdy Winslows’ neighbor Steve Urkel (Jaleel White), who was initially intended to appear as a one-time character, was first introduced to the audience halfway through the first season. But after joining the main cast, he quickly emerged as the show’s breakout character (and eventually its protagonist).
Family Matters, which aired for nine seasons, surpassed The Jeffersons (11 seasons) as the second-longest-running live action American sitcom with a primarily African-American cast. The Jeffersons (253), Tyler Perry’s House of Payne (280+ as of 2021), and it all aired for a total of 215 episodes, placing it third overall. The only scripted program that premiered in the 1980s and continued to be produced for a longer period of time was The Simpsons; Family Matters was the last live-action scripted primetime show to go off the air.
In the premiere episode “The Mama Who Came to Dinner,” Carl’s street-smart mother Estelle (Rosetta LeNoire), better known as “Mother Winslow,” was also welcomed into the family’s home. Prior to the commencement of the series, Rachel Crawford, Harriette’s sister, and her little son, Richie, had moved into the Winslow home after Rachel’s husband passed away. Steve Urkel (Jaleel White), the geeky teenage next-door neighbor of the Winslows, was introduced in the episode “Laura’s First Date” midway through the first season and rapidly took center stage.
From 1989 until 1997, the well-known sitcom was a staple of ABC’s TGIF program before joining the CBS Block Party lineup for its final season. In collaboration with Lorimar Television (1989-1993) and later Warner Bros. Television (1993-1998), Bickley-Warren Productions (1991-1998) and Miller-Boyett Productions (1993-1998) created Family Matters. Episodes focused more and more on Steve Urkel as the series went on, as well as other original characters performed by White, such as Steve’s sexy alter ego Stefan Urquelle and his female cousin Myrtle Urkel.