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Ane of the quintessential sitcoms of The Nineties. Started as a spin-off of Perfect Strangers with background grapheme Harriet Winslow and her married man Carl, a policeman. The prove is about their picturesque family unit living on a working-class income. Carl'southward mother Estelle moved in with them in the first episode, and that is essentially how the prove began.

Compared to the after seasons, it seemed rather quaint.

Mid-style through the beginning season, the annoying neighbor and Hollywood Nerd Steve Urkel was introduced, intended as a 1-shot character revolving around Carl finding a tame guy to take his girl Laura to a trip the light fantastic. Actor Jaleel White hit the office and then enthusiastically that some higher students in the studio audience started chanting "Urkel" repeatedly. This was a pleasant surprise to the producers, who chop-chop signed up White to return every bit a regular.

His wackiness and prominence got to the signal where Steve was the go-to example of an Extraverted Nerd. Every bit information technology went on, Urkel came to dominate the show, and more and more than episodes revolved around him and his wacky sci-fi inventions.

The Winslow family members came to be defined past their human relationship with Steve: the oldest son Eddie was his all-time friend, Laura was his unrequited dearest interest, Estelle always recognized his good eye, Harriette kept Carl from killing him. In fact, the youngest daughter, Judy Winslow, was phased out to a life of porn considering she didn't have much interaction with him.

It's notable in existence the well-nigh successful sitcom aside from The Cosby Testify to focus on African-American characters, besides every bit non make race an overwhelming topic. It's also like the one millionth time Reginald VelJohnson was cast as a policeman, subsequently Die Hard, Turner and Hooch and Ghostbusters.

Sometimes described every bit a Spiritual Successor to Happy Days; the 2 shows have many superficial similarities.^[ane]

Tropes used in Family Matters include:

• Abhorrent Admirer: Steve to Laura, most of the fourth dimension. Meet Alternate Character Estimation.
  • Lieutenant Murtaugh to Rachel, and most of the time he doesn't help his case. (He actually tries to brand a motion on her while Carl'southward in the hospital with a gunshot wound in the barrel. She chop-chop gets him to reconsider.)
• Abusive Parents: Steve's never seen parents are this normally for laughs. Examples include trying to push him back into the womb, non owning a auto because he was born in 1, neglecting to feed him, making him pay rent even as a child, and finally moving to Russia without him.
  • Of grade, with his parents gone, Steve moved in with the Winslows, whom he liked improve, past his ain admission: "Big Guy, I dearest you like a father, and my male parent similar... a neighbour."
  • And who tin can forget the fourth dimension that Steve had to stay with the Winslows while his parents went on their second honeymoon. He almost casually mentions that they went on divide honeymoons. So as to not repeat the horrible accident they had on their first. Him.
• Acrofatic: Carl, but he's a cop.
• Acting for Two: Jaleel White played Steve Urkel, Myrtle Urkel, and Stefan Urquelle (when Steve accidently clones himself and have one be permanently Stefan). He fifty-fifty got to be a 1-off criminal cousin. All of that, in addition to the transformation sleeping room, was to allow Jaleel White some opportunity to non go on up the squeaky Steve voice, which got harder and harder as he grew up.
  • Besides because White was a talented grapheme actor and impressionist. His Bruce Lee is actually quite good, and reportedly one of his favorite roles.
• Aesop Amnesia: Several examples:
  • Many of the before episodes would have at least one graphic symbol learning to be nicer to Urkel (particuarly afterward he would stick up for them or, in the case of Laura, expose a potential young man with an unsavory agenda), then promptly forget it the very next episode. This was downplayed and eventually forgotten past the later seasons.
  • During the series' early on years, Eddie was especially prone to this. He threatened to motility out at least twice (and did and so on one of those occassions) after conflicting with Carl over house rules; and at least twice got into problem for getting into pocket-size accidents ... without having a valid driver's license (both times to heighten his value to girlfriend, Jolene). At least iii other times, he got into trouble for gambling ... one fourth dimension landing himself and Urkel in jail (when the law disrepair an illegal casino) and at to the lowest degree twice when he ran into people who threatened to trounce him (or Urkel, or them both) to death if they didn't pay their debts.
    • In the gambling instance, it took Eddie's fourth time in losing coin to realize that gambling was non the way to recoup losses (he and Waldo had been swindled out of thousands after a con man promised them tickets/locker room passes/opportunities to date the cheerleaders to a Chicago Bulls game, and Eddie goes to his father for assistance; Carl threatens to press charges and that is enough to scare the con man into paying Eddie back).
• Alliterative Name: Jerry Jamal Jameson (3J).
  • Waldo Geraldo Faldo.
• All Just a Dream: In one episode, Laura partners upward with Steve for a science project, hoping to become an piece of cake "A". She falls asleep on the couch at 1 point and dreams that he accidentally nukes Chicago, consummate with a mushroom deject echoing "DID I DO THAT?"
  • "We have an Urkel in the Defense Department?!"
• All Men Are Perverts: Played surprisingly straight for a child-friendly sitcom. Aside from Steve, Waldo and Eddie, most every school-historic period male on the show cheats on and/or demands sex from women (specifically, Laura and Maxine).
  • In one episode, Eddie even refuses to innovate his male friends (other than Steve) to Gretta because "they're all players." Actually makes yous wonder what kinds of people Eddie hangs out with (which is specially odd since he's supposed to be a "proficient child")...
• Alpha Bitch: Cassie Lynn Nubbles, a daughter in high schoolhouse who tried to blackmail Steve and Laura.
• Abrasive Laugh: Urkel'south snorting laugh he always did. "Ah heh-heh-heh *snort**snort*!"
• Ax Crazy: Myra in the concluding season
• Back for the Finale: Jo Marie Payton, the original Harriet, did appear in the concluding episode, every bit ane of the NASA staff monitoring Steve's infinite expedition.
• Back-to-Back Badasses: Twice with Bruce Lee Clones (literal ones, due to Urkel science).
• Bad Task, Worse Uniform: The Mighty Weenie'southward hat.
  • Carl gets a function-time chore there during season iv. "I want to dice."
• Badass Family: The Winslows, Urkel and 3J included. Carl, who has taken downwardly crooks and has verbally defended his family unit (and Urkel) several times and helped to lengthened a bomb. This is understandable because he's a cop. Only and then there's Urkel, Ritchie and 3J (equally Bruce Lee Clones) defeating a street gang, Estelle judo throwing a crook, Rachel tightrope walking on a clothesline several stories in the air (in heels!) to save a drunk Urkel from plummeting to his decease and Harriet telling off her boss.
• Cute All Forth: Steve'southward "Stefan Urquelle" persona shows us that all he has to do to be attractive is get some contacts and flattering apparel, and stand up up direct.
  • Toning down the vocalism and non breaking shit all the time didn't injure either.
• Beta Couple: Waldo and Maxine, Eddie and Laura'due south corresponding all-time friends, somewhen begin dating.
• Black and Nerdy: Take a guess.
• Book Dumb: Eddie.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: In the Western All Just a Dream episode, the characters are constantly looking for the source of the incidental music, which continues outside of the dream at the end of the episode.
  • At the end of another episode, the Winslows are spring-cleaning, and Steve brings a humongous vacuum cleaner. In one case he turns it on, it sucks in the entire scene (literally), leaving Steve in front of a black groundwork with the Winslows shouting from inside the vacuum.
• Breakout Graphic symbol: Steve Urkel.
• Broken Aesop: Urkel changes from a Be Yourself paragon to a Transformation Ray abuser.
  • He gets amend afterwards he manages to clone himself. Rather than transforming into Stefan, Steve opts to improve himself the old-fashioned way. Several episodes fifty-fifty heart around him trying to alter the way he talks and dresses in order to be less grating.
• Bruce Lee Clone: Steve really becomes i occasionally through utilise of his transformation chamber.
• The Not bad: Really, 90% of the prove's incidental characters are this - or, at to the lowest degree, those who are related to Eddie, Urkel and Laura. By the time all three characters were in higher, this made near no sense.
• Cannot Stand Them Cannot Live Without Them: Anytime Urkel focuses his attending on another girl Laura shows shades of this to various degrees. She eventually falls in love with and agrees to marry him.
• Machine Meets House: Eddie drives his car into the house after failing his driving exam, but taking a girl out for a ride anyway.
• The Cast Boaster: Darius McCrary (Eddie) is featured singing on several episodes.
  • And in the Bruce Lee episodes Jaleel gets to evidence off his magnificent upper body and his beloved of Kung-Fu. And his piano accordion playing, which is actually quite skilful. And Urkel was made into a basketball prodigy despite having no athletic talent anywhere else.
  • Reginald Vel Johnson's singing and dancing
  • Telma Hopkins in the earlier shows
  • Shawn Harrison'southward tap dancing was fabricated into a plot point where Waldo learned the art to amend play basketball game.
• Cast the Expert: Invoked in-universe. In "A Ham Is Born", Carl Winslow moonlights as a security guard at a movie studio where a police drama is beingness filmed. The moving-picture show managing director is annoyed at Carl'southward opinion of a film scene until Carl mentions his 20-year feel as a Chicago police officeholder. After Carl demonstrates the actual procedure for arresting criminals, the impressed manager decides to cast Carl Winslow as the new leading protagonist of the moving-picture show. Ultimately, Carl quits his career as a film star because he, as a married man, refuses to kiss the leading extra, even if information technology was only part of the movie storyline.
• Grab Phrase: Urkel'south ubiquitous "Did I practise that?"
  • Afterwards: "Await what y'all did."
  • "Yeah!" "I said no." "Simply last week you said 'drib dead nerd-boy'. I'm wearing yous down, infant!"
    • " I'm wearing yous DOOOOOOWWWWWWNNNNNN!"
  • "You love me, don't yous?"
  • "Shhhhhhh...not while I'm pouring."
  • "Go dwelling house, Steve!" "Just-" "Go abode, go home, become home!" "I don't accept to take this. I'thousand going home."
  • "Well, at least no one was hurt." "Not yet..."
  • "Got any cheese?"
  • "Manner to become, Carl!"
  • "(Myra) is one sick puppy."
• Cat Fight: Narrowly averted past Urkel jumping in betwixt Myra and Laura fighting over him.

Urkel: Girls! Girls! There's no demand to fight over me! (Beat) Although it is my dream come true.

• • Myrtle and Greta'southward (Eddie's girlfriend in the terminal few seasons) meetings usually result in these. One episode had the ii even duking it out in a boxing ring.
• Celebrity Star: Enough.
• Channel Hop: From ABC to CBS for its last season.
• Graphic symbol Development: Carl goes from police Sergeant to Lieutenant to Helm. Harriet goes from elevator operator to department shop clerk to Head of Security. Waldo is a Butt Monkey until heading off to culinary school. Eddie the underachiever spends the concluding season working as a cop, even evoking a Mama Behave moment from Harriet at the finish of the serial.
• Label Marches On: Waldo was originally a crony of one of Eddie's classmates, Willie, who was the school slap-up. I of his primeval appearance was the first "Practice The Urkel" trip the light fantastic and he was the one handing out alcohol from his trench coat. He wasn't exactly the honest and innocent person he was later known for, but in that location were traces of it. He was reimagined every bit one of both Eddie and Steve'due south best friends (with Willie rarely seen again), getting a title credit and starts dating Laura's friend Maxine.
  • Fridge Brilliance: He and Willie were arrested for illegally serving beer at a party (which nearly got Urkel killed). Waldo (dumb every bit he was) was well-nigh probable smart enough to distance himself from Willie later on.
• Chemistry Can Do Annihilation: is seen with Steve's transmogrification device.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Judy Winslow. She went to her chamber to play with her NES and was never seen again. Eddie'due south pal Rodney also abruptly stopped appearing.
  • Well, some NES games can take a long time to beat out.
  • Rachel is a subversion. Telma Hopkins left the series as a regular after the 4th flavor, but made recurring appearances in Flavour 6 (which demonstrated that she was all the same at the Winslow household even if she wasn't seen). She didn't appear at all later on, until a last season episode stated that she had a job out of boondocks.
• Class Reunion
• Clingy Jealous Daughter: Myra and Myrtle
• Cloudcuckoolander: Waldo, at his best.
• Cock Fight: Richie vs 3J in a Valentine's Mean solar day Episode. Richie wins.
• Competition Winner Cameo: The 4 children picked to exist Steve and Laura'due south children for i of Carl Winslow's nightmares.
• Cool Old Lady: Mother Winslow.
  • Cool Old Guy: Her eventual hubby, Fletcher, to a lesser extent. Though he does own a Harley.
• Cousin Oliver: 3J
• Covers Ever Lie: The DVD cover for Season i. Certainly, Urkel overshadowing everyone else is accurate of the series every bit a whole, but not of flavour i: He only has a prominent role in a handful of episodes, and was shoe-horned into a few new teasers shot for syndication to create the illusion that he was always a part of the show. About half the episodes in the set are entirely Urkel-free.
• CPR: Clean, Pretty, Reliable: In ane episode, Carl got electrocuted, leading to him beingness saved by Urkel. Textbook Hollywood CPR ensues, but he doesn't forget a oral cavity barrier.
• Crossover: An episode of Total Firm dealt with 1 of DJ's friends complaining that her irritating cousin from Chicago was coming to San Francisco to visit: that cousin turned out to exist none other than Steve Urkel, who proceeds to wreak every bit much havoc in the Tanner household as he usually does with the Winslows.
  • Likewise in Step by Footstep, where he arrives to assistance Mark with a science project. Somewhat more justified than the above case, every bit Chicago is only a jetpack ride abroad from Wisconsin.
• Trip the light fantastic toe Sensation: "Do The Urkel".
  • And in both appearances, a school trip the light fantastic takes identify that he gets to participate in, leading to everybody doing "The Urkel".
• Darker and Edgier: The "Stevil" episodes are simultaneously this and Denser and Wackier, taking a turn from comedy towards a campy comedy-horror that had a depression budget. And in terms of seriousness, "The Gun". It's really emotional, trust me.
• Deadpan Snarker: Anybody takes turns at this, merely actually Urkel managed to outdo them all.
• Demoted to Actress: Aunt Rachel. She left the bear witness as a regular, only made occasional appearances subsequently.
• Denser and Wackier: Until Urkel turned science into magic, this was simply a mundane sitcom.
• Department of Child Disservices: 3J doesn't take much stability in his life until mentored past Steve and fostered by the Winslows. Lampshaded repeatedly in "3J In The House."
• Derailing Love Interests: Poor Myra had always been crazy, peculiarly where Steve was concerned. But during the breakdown arc in the last season she went off the deep finish: she broke up with Steve, but it was a ploy to get him to beg her to take him back. And then, when he refused to continue the relationship, she sued him for 'Breach of Affection' and even got Johnnie Cochrane equally her lawyer. Oh, and she installed a spy cam in his glasses so she could sentry him through a monitor in her bedroom!
• Did Non Exercise the Research: In "Trunk Damage", Rachel points out that the car is a 1936 Ford. Carl adds that it was driven by Eliot Ness. For those playing along at home, Eliot Ness was a Prohibition agent in Chicago. Illinois ratified the 21st Subpoena (the 1 that nulled Prohibition) in 1933. Past 1936, he was an alcohol tax agent (he was looking for moonshiners who didn't take liquor licenses) in Cleveland.
  • Ness probably drove a auto at the time. Is this about if the machine could have been in Illinois in the present day of the show? Because cars do tend to get moved around.
    • It was a Chicago city police automobile, at that.
  • Speaking of which, in a scene on the El train, it doesn't await a thing like the bodily Els in Chicago!
• The Ditz: Eddie's buddy Waldo.
• Ditzy Genius: Steven Q. Urkel
• DIY Disaster: i episode centered effectually a do-it-yourself dwelling bathroom repair idea. Naturally, the toilet flusher ends upwardly turning on the shower, the sink ends upwardly turning on the bathtub, the bathtub ends up turning on the sink, etc.
• Dogged Nice Guy: Urkel.
• Dom Com
• Drop in Character: Urkel.
• Early on Installment Weirdness: Inverted.
  • During the last season (or perchance the 2d-to-terminal season?) there was an episode that REALLY highlighted how much the show had changed. Information technology involved a fourth dimension machine sending the characters back in time to a pirate ship in the 1700's. Words cannot describe how surreal it felt watching Carl, Laura, and Maxine fighting a group of pirates.
    • Carl hilariously acknowledges this in the beginning (of two) time-automobile episodes, going through a litany of Urkel's previous inventions and concluding that a time machine is "no big deal" at this point. In the same episode, when asked where he got the plutonium to make his time-automobile's nuclear batteries, Urkel casually replies, "Radio Shack." Carl is unfazed.
• Establishing Shot: Miller - Boyett loves to use these, and makes a addiction of it.
• Estranged Lather Family: Aunt Rachel leaves the show, but somehow her son Richie stays around, which means that his mother is yet effectually somewhere. She is plain unable to make information technology to a number of of import events.
• Expy: Stefan Urquelle is the Buddy Beloved to Steve Urkel's Nutty Professor, complete with Alternative Cocky Name Modify.
• Extraverted Nerd: Steve Urkel, who somewhen became an example of a Creator's Pet. Also the former Trope Namer.
• First Girl Wins: In the finish, Laura eventually did warm up to Steve. The end of the serial has the ii engaged and had the bear witness ran ane more season, would've saw them wed.
• Flanderization: Of Urkel, and actually the unabridged testify.
  • Actually Urkel got about of the grapheme evolution on the show, going from a 1-note character (nerd in love with Laura) To a much more than believing and confident swain who managed to improve upon himself as time went on. The rest of the show was Flanderized to exist centered around him though.
  • His skills at science were Flanderized, even so, with him going from a bright simply mundane high-school nerd to a full Mad Scientist who can wrap the laws of physics effectually his picayune finger.
• Freudian Alibi: Urkel's attachment to the Winslows (peculiarly Carl) stems from his parents rather frigid handling of their ain son, eventually all but abandoning him for an extended research projection. The Winslows act as a stable surrogate family for him.
• Full House Music: While Family Matters did non employ this trope as often as the respective Trope Namer, it should exist noted that the two shows share a production visitor, every bit well several staff members.
• Full-Name Basis: Waldo.
  • Waldo Faldo?
    • Waldo Geraldo Faldo?
• Game Show Advent: When Carl and Urkel have a quarrel that can't exist resolved by normal means, they take their case to...American Gladiators!
  • Eddie made ii game show appearances of his own.
• Genius Ditz: Waldo is revealed to be a prodigy when it comes to cooking.
  • And tap dancing.
• Genki Daughter: Myra in the start.
• Genre Shift: Steve Urkel's inventions were frequently then astonishing, and began actualization with so much frequency, that the show could have quite reasonably been considered a sci-fi/comedy rather than a simple Dom Com during the final few seasons.
• The Ghost: Steve's parents are never seen in person.
• Halfway Plot Switch
• Hidden Depths: Waldo is generally an idiot, just he displays an amazing cooking talent in his starting time class. Also, when approached well-nigh adulterous on examination, he refuses - saying, "I may get Fs, just past God, I earn them!"
• Hypocritical Humor: In ane episode, Harriette recruits the girls for a dazzler contest and they initially refuse because of the thought of there beingness a bathing suit competition simply join when they're assured there isn't one or annihilation like it. Come the actual contest, Maxine wears a pretty revealing outfit during the talent showcase.
• I Am Not Urkel: This series pretty much killed any shot at Jaleel being taken seriously equally an actor, exterior voicework.
  • Although slightly subverted as White doesn't resent his most famous role and has fond memories of the series.
• I Let Gwen Stacy Die: The Flavor 2 episode "I Should Have Done Something," where Carl blames himself for a hostage situation gone tragically incorrect, even though he and swain officers followed procedure to the letter. (What had happened was that a drug-crazed man robbed a convenience shop and took an elderly man hostage, simply merely as it appears Carl has successfully negotiated with the suspect to free his hostage, the immature man shoots the hostage in the head, killing him instantly.) Carl finally gets closure when he meets with the hostage's widow at a cemetery, and learns that no one – except for the robber – is responsible.
• I Was Quite a Looker: Estelle, as revealed during a photo testify-and-tell for Eddie'southward class.
• Jerkass: Almost of the Winslow Family (Except Harriette, Grandma Winslow, and Richie) act similar this toward Urkel in every episode, regardless of how he helped them out in the previous episode.
  • Urkel even acts similar this sometimes. During the episode "Hell Toupee", Urkel outright tells Myra that "Equally soon as I become a feeling that Laura wants me, I'm washed with you lot." Granted, Myra was a Yandere towards Urkel, so you can't feel too bad for her.
  • Stefan Urquelle started out equally the black version of Gaston, but once Steve fine-tuned the formula, he got amend.
• Kidanova: 3J.
• Knight of Cerebus: The bully who shot one of Laura'due south friends in "The Gun" has absolutely no comedic quirks at all, even when compared to any other bad guy or gal on the show.
  • A rather downplayed and comedic example: Stevil. He turns everything into a comedy-horror than a drama.
• The Klutz: Urkel.
• Lie Detector
• Lighter and Softer: To The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. While The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was a lighthearted sitcom aimed at older children during flavour one, the plots became more than darker (Will getting shot, Carlton beingness seduced by a woman, Hillary's fellow dying on alive TV, Will's dad coming back only to disappear on him once again etc.) equally each season went on, and the jokes more mature while still trying to go on it'south overall lighthearted tone. Family Matters, on the other mitt, while not shying abroad from the occasional gallows humour and serious issues ("The Gun"), was much more lighthearted and kid-oriented than The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, with the seasons becoming more and more cartoony than the concluding, because of Urkel.
  • It can also exist seen as this to the also kid-oriented Full House, which itself is Lighter and Softer to All in the Family.
  • This could also be this to every other sitcom you lot could possibly call back of, of course, because of Urkel beingness more of a Comic Relief (and making things Denser and Wackier) than any other sitcom grapheme you could, once more, perhaps call back of.
• Long Runners: nine seasons, for better or worse, definitely due to Urkel.
• Lost Wedding ceremony Band: Downwards the master bathroom sink. The unabridged plot is, For Want of a Boom, A Recycled Script from Full House.
• Loves My Alter Ego: Laura Winslow loved and fawned over Stefan Urquelle, and was visibly disappointed when Steve returned. Equally the series progressed, yet, Laura fell for Steve and ultimately chose him.
• The Magic Poker Equation: Used twice in "A Pair of Ladies".
• Malaproper: Waldo. "If you cut me, do I non sneeze?"
• A Man Is Not a Virgin: An Eddie A-plot in one episode. Predictably leads to An Aesop about waiting for dear.
• Manipulative Editing: Nearly got Carl convicted in a later on episode.
• Mistaken for Cheating: Carl was put on an cloak-and-dagger sting with an attractive female co-worker. He couldn't tell Harriet considering he was undercover, only she got current of air of his belatedly-night meetings with the other woman and...
  • Eddie once brought ii girls back to the apartment he was sharing with Waldo. Maxine showed up and, thinking that Waldo was cheating on her, bankrupt upward with him. Luckily, the girls were so moved by Waldo'southward sorrow (and and then disgusted by Eddie's actions), that they explained everything to Maxine.
• Moebius Neighborhood: Steve is the only neighbour that the Winslows mention for about v years, until Nick Neidemeyer moves into the house on the opposite side.
• Mundane Fantastic: Urkel's sci-fi inventions in the otherwise realistic setting of Family Matters.
• Muscles Are Meaningless: Not intentional, but Jaleel White became a well built, athletic adult later on in the shows run. Steve was supposed to exist toothpick-thin with nearly no masculine strength, and so it wasn't always disarming.
  • This is pretty much the reason why the Bruce Lee Clone episodes were written, Jaleel White was an athletic and well-built boyfriend (and huge Bruce Lee fan).
• Due north-Give-and-take Privileges: The Season two episode "Fight the Good Fight." Laura and Urkel petition the school to begin a Black History Calendar month at Vanderbilt Loftier, but things get ugly when a group of racist students threaten the ii; things come up to a head — and the trope kicks in — when Laura discovers that her locker is spray-painted with the n-word. The original episode was intact in terrestrial syndication prints and ABC Family unit, but in TVLand/NickAtNite airings the scene apace fades to a commercial before Laura discovers the offending discussion.
• Dainty Grapheme, Mean Histrion: The Buddy Goodrich grapheme. On screen, Goodrich (possibly a Bill Cosby Captain Ersatz) is a loving father. Off screen, he's a manipulative jerk who hassles Carl (only there to go him to motion his machine out of a handicapped spot), reveals he's only at a clemency event for the money, shoves (and later on tries to punch) Carl, twists the result to look like the victim to the press, so threatens to have his assistant commit perjury and finally attempts to ransom Carl with a chore as a "technical banana" for his show.
• Dainty Task Breaking Information technology, Hero: Seen in nearly every episode, peculiarly the early Urkel years, thanks to the nerd'south never-catastrophe clumsiness. The Winslows' never-catastrophe exasperation with Urkel breaking things was expanded on in several episodes, most notably "Words Hurt" (Urkel is and then traumatized by Carl's rant over a busted send-in-a-canteen that he repeatedly raps Carl over the head with a rolled-upward newspaper, in such a state of shock that he refuses to explain to a concerned Harriet; a hypnotist gets to the truth) and "What's Up Medico?" (a flashback-filled episode featuring numerous "How Urkel Breaks Things" incidents; Harriet once again rides to the nerd's rescue).
• Orwellian Editor: Even though Urkel was commencement introduced in episode 12, the bear witness's producers filmed new teasers for episodes iv, seven, viii, and 10 with him in them, in order to create the illusion that he was a part of the show from the very first; these new episodes are what air in syndication. The first season DVD restored the original teasers in 3 out of four cases; the fourth (for episode four, "Rachel's First Date") appears to be lost to history.
• The Other Darrin: Jo Marie Payton, the original star of the prove, left halfway through the testify's final season and the function of Harriet was recast with Judyann Elder. Much less dramatically, the actor playing Richie was originally a pair of twins, since he was a baby during the first flavour. The grapheme went through Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome subsequently this and he was recast with four-year-onetime Bryton McClure.
• Out of Focus: Harriet Winslow, the character for whom the series was developed in the showtime place, was eclipsed and so completely by Steve Urkel'southward shadow that actress Jo Marie Payton eventually quit the show in disgust, equally noted to a higher place.
• Oven Logic: Laura tries to cut the baking time in one-half for a home-ec cake past doubling the oven temperature. Hilarity Ensues.
• Phrase Catcher: "Go home, Steve!", usually followed past "I don't have to take this. I'thou going home."
• Delight Dump Me
• Promotion to Opening Titles: Urkel (well duh), Waldo, Myra and 3J, but surprisingly non Maxine.
• Put on a Bus: Estelle, Rachel, Richie, Myra and Waldo. All only Waldo appeared in the last season, with Waldo being mentioned a couple times.
  • Some of these examples are more Chuck Cunningham Syndrome-ish
• Proud to Be a Geek: Urkel.
• Recurring Character: Maxine.
• Rhymes on a Dime: Waldo Geraldo Faldo.
• Ridiculously Man Robot: Urkel creates Urkelbot, which soon develops a mind of its own and wants Laura for itself. Afterward that situation, he later become a Robocop.
• Robot Girl: Laurabot was built afterward Urkelbot was close down and reprogrammed.
• Running Gag: The over-the-tiptop Food Fights.
• Sassy Black Woman: Laura, Harriet, Rachel, and Mother Winslow all took turns at this. Some ladies more than others. Mother Winslow is an odd example of this trope seeing as how she'south usually sugariness and kind... except when she's trying to show a signal, of course.
  • Maxine had her moments of this trope too.
    • Myra likewise had some memorable uses of this trope.
• Screwed past the Network: Afterwards ratings dropped during the 6th, seventh and 8th seasons, ABC was nigh ready to abolish the series, before CBS silently picked information technology upwardly for one final season. Ratings during the final season were so bad that CBS didn't even air the final seven (six, if you count the two-part finale as a single episode) episodes until the mid-Summer of 1998! And the series finale (Lost In Space Parts 1 and ii) was given little promotion or hype.
  • Family Matters is besides an instance of an actor/extra beingness screwed past the network. Jaimee Foxworth was given very footling screen time and, afterwards Season 4, her grapheme was inexplicably written off the evidence. It was later on revealed that this was due to Foxworth demanding more money and a bigger function in the serial, which the producers would have none of. We all know what happened to her later on...
• Sexier Alter Ego - Steve Urkel had a machine that turned him into a sexier version of himself who was smoothen and a ladies human being without a hint of nerdiness.
• Shout-Out: In one episode, Steve creates a self-aware nuke, which has a video screen with an AI version of himself on it in forepart of pretty much the same background as Max Headroom. The AI Urkel even did the Max Headroom-type stuttering.
  • Urkel has a pen pal by the name of Cory Matthews. (This is not a Crossover, as the two never meet on-screen.)
• Testify Stopper: Urkel.
• Soap Opera Rapid Crumbling Syndrome: Richie went from an infant in the first season to a iv twelvemonth erstwhile at the kickoff of the second.
• Smart People Play Chess: As information technology becomes clear that Eddie's rival for school president in "The Candidate" is genuinely more qualified than he is, she mentions her years as recording secretary of the chess club. It's effectually here Eddie's hype squad starts a Oversupply Chant of "NERD!", which is in turn the final straw for his accepting that kind of assist.
• Stalker with a Crush: Steve to Laura, Myrtle to Eddie, Myra to Steve
  • The get-go two were played for laughs, with a mixture of Dogged Nice Guy for Steve. Myra, still, was as creepy every bit they came. At i bespeak, Steve finds out that she's painted a portrait of him. He notices that the background has his reckoner and other details of his bedroom that Myra (to his knowledge) has never been in. And most agonizing of all:

Steve: "That'southward me . . . As naked as a jaybird."

• Standard Snippet: Expect "Strangers in the Night" to exist played over romantic trip the light fantastic toe scenes.
• Strange Minds Remember Alike: What happens when the Winslows find out that Steve'southward parents are moving to Russian federation:

• Swapped Roles: In a Christmas special, Laura tells Steve that she wants him out of her life and wishes he knew how it was like to be her. Her wish is granted past her Guardian Angel and Steve and Laura switch places. Steve beingness apart of the Winslow family, is a normal kid fifty-fifty having a normal phonation, while Laura becomes an Extraverted Nerd and pursues for Steve'due south angel. This time Steve tells Laura that he wants her out of his life and even coldly slams the door in her confront afterward she tells him that she'll still love him.
• Sweet Polly Oliver: After not beingness taken seriously at a used car lot, Laura returns every bit "Larry."
• Supreme Chef: Waldo later on he discovers his talent for cooking.
• Suspiciously Specific Denial

Eddie: There's naught wrong with the motorcar!

• Syndication: Has been on in syndication almost continually for about xx years, much like another Miller-Boyett show.
• Tempting Fate: When Myra threatens to sue Steve for "Alienation of Affection", he declares that she'd need "the all-time lawyer in America" to win. Myra opens the door and lets in her attorney: Johnnie Cochran.
• Theme Tune: "As Days Go By". Not used in the last three seasons. The pilot used "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong.
• There Is Only One Bed: Involving Urkel and Laura in a hotel. During the whole ordeal, Urkel takes crap from Laura until he finally snaps and unloads on her.

• • Considering that he collection her to her cheerleading meet and didn't become a dime in gas or fifty-fifty a "Thank you" out of her, information technology was a Crowning Moment of Awesome when he finally told her off.
• Title-Only Opening: The last three seasons.
• Token White:
  • Lieutenant (later Helm) Murtaugh.
  • Later, the annoying neighbor.
  • The kickoff, dorsum in the Urkel-light days, was Eddie'south friend Rodney.
• Too Impaired to Live: Sometimes y'all have to wonder but how Waldo made to high school ...
• Took a Level In Badass: Happened every time Steve went into his transformation booth to gain the personality, fighting skills and even the accent and hairstyle of Bruce Lee.
• Transformation Ray
• Ii Lines, No Waiting
• Ii Scenes, One Dialogue: This is how we (and Eddie and Laura) find out about Waldo'south interest in Maxine, and how their first engagement went.

All: Well, proficient nighttime! (Everyone hangs upward in unison)

• Unrequited Love Switcheroo: Steve and Laura.
• Victorious Childhood Friend
• Vignette Episode: Steve hosts a Valentine's Day episode that is split into stories about Get-go Beloved, True Dearest, and Lasting Love.
  • At that place is another episode about taking credit from others, merely it's hands forgotten because everyone involved in the framing device eventually disappeared.
• Unfortunate Name: Actually unfortunate initials in the case of 1 Carl Otis Winslow.
• Waxing Lyrical: At to the lowest degree twice, the kids employ lines from Bobby Brown's "It's my Prerogative" In season one. Subsequently, Myra does the same with a Stevie Wonder song.
• Wham! Episode: Although the show rarely dealt with racism, in that location was an episode where Eddie got stopped and roughed up by a pair of cops considering he was a blackness kid in a white neighborhood, and had to deal with the after effects of discrimination.
  • There was likewise the episode where Laura'southward locker was defaced and she was harassed for starting a petition to add Black History to the regular school curriculum.
  • And the time Eddie was teased for beingness a virgin and somewhen had to face up his friends for it.
  • Some other episode dealt with guns and had a friend of Maxine's getting shot in the shoulder (offscreen). They even had a special segment subsequently the episode where the actors talk most how dangerous guns were.
  • Some other episode had a street gang named The Dragons who come into Rachel's restaurant and causes trouble. When Rachel, Harriet, Laura and Eddie stood up to them and tells them to leave, they decline and tries to vandalize the identify only for Carl to go far in time to cease them and force them to leave. That very dark the family finds out that The Dragons broke into the eating house after closing fourth dimension and heavily vandalized the identify. If things weren't already bad plenty, a hobbling and bloodied Eddie staggers into the eatery.
• Wire Dilemma: Carl finds himself on a treadmill that will detonate without a rider. It speeds up, and Lt. Murtaugh enters. The ii switch out long enough for Carl to catch his breath, and, on a whim, Carl settles for the yellow wire. Also a Crowning Moment of Awesome and Crowning Moment of Funny.
• Wolverine Publicity: Urkel. The ubiquity was and still is amazing.
• Written in Infirmity: ...Myra appeared sporadically in the last season afterwards extra Michelle Thomas was diagnosed with cancer, from which she died v months later on the bear witness was cancelled.
• Yandere: Or her proper name isn't Myra Boutros Boutros Monkhouse.
• Aye, Virginia: Twice, and Richie was never the unbeliever.
• You Fail Logic Forever: In one episode, Urkel joins the Winslow's family unit'due south church. He reports that his father doesn't approve, considering "You can't meet or feel God." Urkel supposedly counters with: "I can't see or feel an cantlet, but I know it's in that location." Estelle tells him that'due south what it means to accept religion. (Despite the fact an atom is visible under certain microscopes.)
  • If you want to be technical, you lot can feel atoms too. It just takes a lot of them grouped together before y'all can.

1. ↑ Both by the aforementioned production company, and both spinoffs of a pop series. Both about a married couple with iii children living in the suburbs of a Midwestern city. In each series, a pocket-size grapheme introduced equally an reconsideration quickly becomes wildly popular and dominates the show, 1 of the iii original siblings mysteriously disappears and is never mentioned once more, and somewhen the person for whom the show was intended as a star vehicle in the offset place leaves the testify entirely.

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Source: https://tropedia.fandom.com/wiki/Family_Matters

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