History Series / FamilyMatters

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
** In "Rachel's Place", Steve and Laura both work at a LocalHangout named Leroy's. When they're closing up, Steve offers to cook Laura some food. Laura advises him not to, but Steve says WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong. One JumpCut later, Leroy's is burning to the ground. Laura explains to the fire inspector that a grease fire started on the stove, which she could have dealt with, but Steve tried to put it out with water. Since oil and water don't mix, pouring water on a grease fire actually ''spreads'' it. (Which you’d expect Steve with his superscience to know, but nobody’s perfect.)
** In "Dog Day Halloween", Steve and Laura wind up being held hostage during a bank robbery. At one point during the stand off, Steve has an ImagineSpot where [[HeroicBystander he confronts the robber and beats him up]], saving everyone. When he decides to actually do it for real, the robber immediately intimidates him with his gun and Steve quickly returns to sitting on the floor. After Carl and his partners diffuse the situation, he explains to Steve that his reaction was natural and he and the other officers are only able to confront men like the robber because they are trained for it.
** In "Born to Be Mild", after the Dragons street gang vandalizes Rachel's Place, including leaving a CallingCard, Rachel asks Carl to arrest them. Carl says he and his partners will, but the gang members will be back on the street in two hours because their associates will give them phony alibis and the graffiti tags aren't enough evidence to indict. It's only after Steve goes undercover and tricks the gang into confessing on tape that the police can finally put them behind bars.
** When Carl suggests cloning money with Steve's cloning device, Steve points out that the mass influx of cash or valuable goods would throw the world economy into absolute chaos, regardless of where the influx came from. He also points out no one really wants to deal with the mass chaos of such a dramatic economic shift.
** In "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do", Myra, disgusted with the way Steve has changed over the years, breaks up with him, expecting him to change so that she will take him back. Based on StatusQuoIsGod and TheUnfairSex, prevalent in contemporary sitcoms, you'd expect Steve to win Myra back, probably via increasingly elaborate hijinks that prove he is the same man she fell in love with. It is implied that this is what Myra expects. Alternatively, given StatusQuoIsGod, you'd expect Myra to come to accept that Steve is growing up, and for them to get back together shortly afterward. Unfortunately for Myra, neither scenario happens. Instead, her dumping Steve gets him to take a good long look at his life and realize that he has outgrown the person he used to be -- and consequently, outgrown his relationship with Myra. He ends up with Laura, who has developed feelings for him, and Myra's subsequent jealous antics end up alienating Steve even further.
** Eddie is a LovableJock who's also [[TheCasanova popular with the ladies]], not unlike [[Series/TheCosbyShow Theo Huxtable]] and [[Series/MamasFamily Bubba Higgins]]. But unlike the latter two, Eddie never applies himself in school and relied solely on his popularity and athleticism to coast through life, and which he winds up not being accepted to college. He ends up on the police force with Carl, but even that doesn't go too well since he doesn't take the job seriously and believes that being his son will expedite his career trajectory.

In 2019, White would reprise his role as Urkel in the animated series, ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndGuessWho''. In 2021, it was [[https://pressroom.warnermedia.com/us/media-release/cartoon-network-9/warnermedia-kids-family-launches-new-family-destination-acme-night-sundays-cartoon announced]] he would reprise the role again in an animated film, ''Did I Do That to the Holidays? A Steve Urkel Story''. Although the project was initially shelved following the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, [[https://www.animationmagazine.net/2023/11/urkel-saves-santa-xmas-special-rescued-from-the-naughty-list-for-digital-release/ it would see a proper digital release]] in November 2023 under the title ''Urkel Saves Santa: The Movie!''.

In 2019, White would reprise his role as Urkel in the animated series, ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndGuessWho''. In 2021, it was [[https://pressroom.warnermedia.com/us/media-release/cartoon-network-9/warnermedia-kids-family-launches-new-family-destination-acme-night-sundays-cartoon announced]] he would reprise the role again in an animated film, ''Urkel Saves Santa: The Movie!''. Although the project was initially shelved following the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, [[https://www.animationmagazine.net/2023/11/urkel-saves-santa-xmas-special-rescued-from-the-naughty-list-for-digital-release/ it would see a proper digital release]] in November 2023.

In 2019, White would reprise his role as Urkel in the animated series, ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndGuessWho''. In 2021, it was [[https://pressroom.warnermedia.com/us/media-release/cartoon-network-9/warnermedia-kids-family-launches-new-family-destination-acme-night-sundays-cartoon announced]] he would reprise the role again in an animated film, ''Urkel Saves Santa: The Movie''. Although the project was initially shelved following the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, [[https://www.animationmagazine.net/2023/11/urkel-saves-santa-xmas-special-rescued-from-the-naughty-list-for-digital-release/ it would see a proper digital release]] in November 2023.

In 2019, White would reprise his role as Urkel in the animated series, ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndGuessWho''. In 2021, it was [[https://pressroom.warnermedia.com/us/media-release/cartoon-network-9/warnermedia-kids-family-launches-new-family-destination-acme-night-sundays-cartoon announced]] he would reprise the role again in an animated film, ''Urkel Saves Santa: The Movie". Although the project was initially shelved following the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, it would see a proper digital release in November 2023.

In 2019, White would reprise his role as Urkel in the animated series, ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndGuessWho''. In 2021, it was [[https://pressroom.warnermedia.com/us/media-release/cartoon-network-9/warnermedia-kids-family-launches-new-family-destination-acme-night-sundays-cartoon announced]] he would reprise the role again in an animated film, ''Did I Do That to the Holidays?: A Steve Urkel Story'', though the project was eventually cancelled following the Warner Bros. Discovery merger.

* {{Catchphrase}}:
** Daniel Wallace's "That'd be me."
** "(Myra) is one sick puppy."

* ImplausibleDeniability: Steve combined this with a CatchPhrase: "Did I do that?"

** Any situation involving one of Steve's {{Catch Phrase}}s.

** Throughout the series, Laura would constantly date these no good {{Jerkass}}es who were clearly taking advantage of her. The corresponding episodes would always end with her learning a lesson about being more discerning of men, only for her to promptly forget it soon after.

** In "Rachel's Place", Steve and Laura both work at a LocalHangout named Leroy's. When they're closing up, Steve offers to cook Laura some food. Laura advises him not to, but Steve says WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong. One JumpCut later, Leroy's is burning to the ground. Laura explains to the fire inspector that a grease fire started on the stove, which she could have dealt with, but Steve tried to put it out with water. Since oil and water don't mix, pouring water on a grease fire actually ''spreads'' it.

** Willie Fuffner, one of the worst bullies on the show. In "Requiem for an Urkel", Laura refuses to go to dance with him, so Willie [[IfICantHaveYou threatens to beat up]] any other guy in the school who goes to the dance with Laura, unless the guy is resident loser Steve Urkel, in order to humiliate her. When Steve confronts him for his actions, they get into a fight. It turns out Willie was hated by many other guys he had bullied before, and they all finally find the courage to stand up to him. He later appears again in "Life of the Party" to take revenge on Steve, and decides to spike Steve's drink with alcohol at a party, causing Steve to get drunk and ''almost'' falling from a building. He and [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness his friend Waldo]] are later arrested.

** Nick Neidermeyer, the next-door neighbor and SitcomArchNemesis to the Winslows. Sleazy, obnoxious, and unbearably rude towards the whole family, including Richie and 3J, Nick bears no sympathetic qualities whatsoever, which makes it all the more satisfying whenever he gets his comeuppance. The ending of "Revenge of the Nerd" finally gives him some HiddenDepths and reveals him to be SourOutsideSadInside. He then [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome completely disappears afterwards]].

** In "Words Hurt," Steve is so traumatized by Carl's rant over a busted model ship that he sleepwalks into the Winslows' house and repeatedly raps Carl over the head with a rolled-up newspaper. Steve has no idea that he's doing it and isn't sure why. The Winslows hire a therapist, who hypnotizes Steve and figures out the truth.
** "What's Up Doc?": A [[ClipShow flashback-filled episode]] from Season 6, featuring numerous "how Steve breaks things" incidents. Harriette once again comes to Steve's rescue by reminding the family of all the times he has helped them resolve various crisis.
** "Life in the Fast Lane," a Season 7 episode where Steve breaking things almost didn't have a "ha-ha" ending. He had gone into a stupor when he accidentally mistakes Laura's [[GRatedDrug diet pills]] for his own Vitamin C supplements, and while in the garage, barely avoids seriously injuring himself when some large boxes come crashing down (in one of the typical for the series chain reaction accidents).

* NiceMeanAndInBetween:

* LockerMail: In the VerySpecialEpisode "Fight The Good Fight," Laura finds her locker open with a racist note attached to it in response to her petition for a Black history course.

* MaliciousMisnaming: In "Presumed Urkel", Dexter Thornhill to Steve: "Yuckel".

[[caption-width-right:325: No, it wasn't called "''The Urkel Show''".[[note]]Clockwise from the left: [[TheDitz Waldo]], [[LovableJock Eddie]], [[DudeMagnet Laura]], [[ExtravertedNerd Steve Urkel]], [[ActionDad Carl]], [[OnlySaneWoman Harriette]], [[CoolOldLady Mother Winslow]], [[CheerfulChild Richie]]. Not pictured: [[CoolAunt Rachel]], [[CousinOliver 3J]], [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome Judy]] and [[StalkerWithACrush Myra]].[[/note]]]]

Midway through Season 1, the annoying neighbor and ExtravertedNerd Steve Urkel was introduced, intended as a one-shot character revolving around Carl finding a tame guy to take his daughter Laura to a dance. Creator/JaleelWhite hit the role so enthusiastically that his character went over massively with the live audience attending the episode's taping.[[note]]Legend has it that a group of college kids at the taping went as far as to start chanting "Urkel! Urkel!"[[/note]] This was a pleasant surprise for the producers, who quickly signed up White to return as a regular. By the second season, Steve (or "Urkel" as he was often referred to) [[BreakoutCharacter had become so popular that almost every episode featured him in a prominent role]].

Steve's wackiness and prominence got to the point where he became the go-to example of an ExtravertedNerd. As the show went on, Steve [[SpotlightStealingSquad came to dominate it]], and more and more episodes revolved around him and his wacky sci-fi inventions.

** This happens to Laura in "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Urkel" when her guardian angel grants her wish for Steve to know what it's like to be her. Since Steve is now a normal kid and part of the Winslow family, Laura has to take Steve's place as an ExtravertedNerd in the Urkel family.

** In "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Urkel", Laura tells Steve that she wants him out of her life and wishes that he knew how it was like to be her. Her wish is granted by her guardian angel and Steve and Laura switch places. Steve become a part of the Winslow family as a normal kid with a normal voice, while Laura becomes an extraverted nerd and pursues for Steve's affections. This time around, it's Steve who tells Laura that he wants her out of his life and even coldly slams the door in her face after she tells him that she'll still love him. Carl and Harriette swap roles in this episode too. Normally, Carl is the one who suffers from Steve's mishaps and Harriette stops him from chasing Steve. In the alternate scenario, Harriette is the one who suffers from Laura's mishaps and Carl is the one who has to stop her from chasing Laura. Laura even addresses her as "Big Gal", in contrast to Steve usually calling Carl "Big Guy".

* GirlswithMoustaches: Judy’s fourth grade teacher that the kids all call Fuzz lip

** There is another episode about taking credit from others, but it's easily forgotten because everyone involved in the framing device eventually disappeared.

** In the first season, Laura was meant to be the smart but not very popular type, as seen in episodes like "Laura's First Date", in contrast to her older brother Eddie being the BookDumb but outgoing teenager. While her intelligence remains the same, she became a popular DudeMagnet cheerleader following Steve's introduction, to create the "nerd pursues popular girl" dynamic.

** In the first season, Laura was meant to be the smart but not very popular HollywoodDateless type, as seen in episodes like "Laura's First Date", in contrast to her older brother Eddie being the BookDumb but outgoing teenager. While her intelligence remains the same, she became a popular DudeMagnet cheerleader following Steve's introduction, to create the "nerd pursues popular girl" dynamic.

** Dexter Thornhill, Steve's academic rival from Season 5's "Presumed Urkel". Jealous of Steve's academic performance, having always taken second place in the science fair while Steve took first every year, and always calling him "Yuckel", he would go so far as to [[spoiler:frame him for blowing up the school's science lab by tampering with his latest science fair project, a graffiti remover, by adding explosive chemicals into it and turning up the Bunsen burner to the maximum point in an effort to get him expelled, especially serving as prosecutor in the Vanderbilt student court, only for Laura, who represented Steve in spite of her being annoyed about his calls for love at the time, to eventually expose him in the end, upon which he himself ends up expelled and likely arrested.]]

* RivalTurnedEvil: [[spoiler:Dexter Thornhill]] was so sick of being beaten by Steve in the annual state science fair every year that [[spoiler:he framed Steve for blowing up the school science lab]].

** Dexter Thornhill, Steve's academic rival from Season 5's "Presumed Urkel". Jealous of Steve's academic performance, having always taken second place in the science fair while Steve took first every year, and always calling him "Yuckel", he would go so far as to [[spoiler:frame him for blowing up the school's science lab by tampering with his latest science fair project, a graffiti remover, by adding explosive chemicals into it in an effort to get him expelled, especially serving as prosecutor in the Vanderbilt student court, only for Laura, who represented Steve in spite of her being annoyed about his calls for love at the time, to eventually expose him in the end, upon which he himself ends up expelled and likely arrested.]]

** Dexter Thornhill, Steve's academic rival from Season 5's "Presumed Urkel". From being jealous of Steve's academic performance and always calling him "Yuckel", [[spoiler:he would go so far as to frame him for blowing up the school's science lab by tampering with his science fair project, a graffiti remover, in an effort to get him expelled, especially serving as prosecutor in the Vanderbilt student court, only for Laura, who represented Steve, to eventually expose him in the end.]]

** Toni Procopio, a gang member and one-time antagonist from Season 6's "The Gun". She and hard work apparently don't go together that she's willing to resort to murder (hence the name of the episode) to steal what others have earned, from a leather jacket owned by Laura to tennis shoes owned by one of Laura's close friends, namely Josie. She was arrested for stealing Laura's jacket, but let out on bail, upon which she threatens to shoot Laura and Steve if either of the two testify at her trial. Because she never told her parents (her father, a policeman, most especially) about Toni pulling a gun on her, Laura is considering buying a gun of her own from a classmate illegally selling them, which he had done earlier with Josie. After Toni tries to steal Josie's tennis shoes and shoots her, despite her being armed herself, [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse we don't exactly know what happens to her afterwards]]; we can only assume that she and her friends were expelled from school and sent to jail for good or were likely killed due to gun violence themselves or they managed to [[KarmaHoudini get away with their crimes scot-free]]. While Carl is used to dealing with gang and gun violence on a daily basis, it doesn't really hit home until it happens to your own child.

* GottaHaveItGonnaStealIt: "The Gun" centers around Laura and Maxine's friend Josie getting a pair of super cool high-top sneakers that are all the rage among teenagers. Then she gets ''shot'' by another kid who steals her shoes. She does get better, though.