Let's face it, Jaleel White's unforgettable role and performance as Urkel was the show's saving grace. After all the show had a stellar cast including the wonderful Rosetta LeNoire who played the grandmother, JoMarie Payton-France as the show's matriarch whose character was spun off from Perfect Strangers, Reginald Veljohnson who plays the husband, Darius McCary who played the oldest teenage son, Telma Hopkins who played the widowed aunt who lived with the family. The show might have been ABC's answer to the Cosby Show but it had quite a life of it's own especially when Urkel, the lovable geek next door, entered the scene. You couldn't forget him and that is why the show lasted as long as it did. I'm sure ABC realized Urkel's contributions to the show. Even though his character overshadowed the other characters, it kept the show floating for 8 years and it separated itself from being a Cosby Clone.
Review of Family Matters
