tanman

Just a quick question. In a recent Weakest Link (afternoon version I can't stand the lady that used to do it) one of the questions was "Family Matters was a spinoff of what Bronson Pinchot sitcom." The answer was Perfect Strangers. I had no idea that it was a spinoff. What was the connection between the two shows?

tofu

The wife worked in the newspaper office with Balky and Larry, I think.

tanman

That's a strange spinoff. Did they ever have crossovers. I really don't remember any? I know they both took place in Chicago.

tofu

I don't remember any either but it's been a while since I've seen it. Maybe there was a show where Erkle and Balky hang out?

davejt1

Here you go:

http://www.poobala.com/familyandperfect.html

Morf

Holy crap, I checked out Family Matters on IMDB.com, and the 3rd sibling (Judy) who disappeared from the show is now a porn star!

http://us.imdb.com/Bio?Foxworth,%20Jaimee

and

http://www.bet.com/articles/0,1048,c...9-5218,00.html

tanman

That helped out a lot.


How did the series end?

Was Stephan engaged to Laura and Steve was with Mira?

Goat3001

nightwing82

You don't remember Harriette being on Perfect Strangers? Don't call yourself a fan of the show then! Just kidding. But I remember her vividly on the show.

Deftones

If I remember correctly, she was the elevator attendant at the newspaper office that Larry and Balki worked at.

tanman

now that I think of it I remember her but I didn't know it was Harriet.

McHawkson

Bingo.

neiname

If I remember correctly, Perfect Strangers was a sitcom that told the story of a pair of mismatched cousins. Larry was a young photographer new to Chicago who was living on his own for the first time. But before he could even get used to being on his own, his cousin Balki Bartokomous arrived and became Larry's roommate. Balki was an immigrant from the country of Mypos. A former shepherd, Balki was all innocence and decency. Larry was smart but prone to taking actions based on his desperation to get ahead. They made for a sort of male Laverne and Shirley with lots of physical slapstick and silliness. My favorite joke had to be when a delivery man delivered a package, held out the invoice to Balki and told him to sign his name. Balki slowly and methodically spelled out his name in sign language and slammed the door in his face. The next time the deliveryman came with another package, he thrust a pen in Balki's face and ordered him to "take this pen and sign your name". Balki took the pen, gave his name in sign language, slammed the door and kept the pen. The entire time you had the feeling Balki knew exactly what the guy wanted but just insisted on screwing with him. It was innocent and snotty at the same time.

Well, back to the point of this - the spin off. In 1987 Larry and Balki both went to work for The Chicago Chronicle newspaper. With the addition of the newspaper to the show came a bunch of new characters who worked at the paper. One of them was Harriette Winslow the building's elevator operator. Harriette was blunt, honest and outspoken and served as a sort of friendly but, like I said, blunt voice of advice for Larry and Balki. Her husband Carl was a heavy set donut loving cop. Reginald VelJohnson who played Carl has made a whole career out of playing friendly black police officers (Die Hard 1 & 2, Ghostbusters, Perfect Strangers...). Carl was also a friend of the guys.

In 1989, Carl and Harriette Winslow spun off into their own series called Family Matters. It was a friendly family sitcom. With some of the same people who made Happy Days working on Family Matters, it had the same sort of feel. Sort of a black Happy Days for the early nineties. Like Happy Days, it centered on a nice enough if maybe a bit bland middle class family. And like Happy Days, it didn't truly become successful until it discovered a strong character to liven things up. On Happy Days it was the super cool Fonzie. For Family Matters it was a character at the entire opposite end of the spectrum - super uncool Steve Urkel. Urkel was a genius who was also a hopeless nerd. The show played to Steve's staying a nerd because he was proud of who he was.

Steve caused all sorts of slapstick comedy with his clumsiness and especially annoyed Carl and the Winslow's daughter Laura. Carl's problem was that Steve viewed him as a close friend and always wanted to hang out and help him. Of course in "helping" Urkel always ended up screwing things up. His signature bit would be to by accident utterly destroy something and then whine out, "Did I do that?" For Carl's pretty and smart daughter Laura the problem was that Steve was helplessly in love with her. While she didn't hate Steve she sure didn't want to date him. In his persistence, Steve did slowly wear her down (as he would say "I'm wearin' you dooown baby!) and she did come to see the good decent person he was. But he still made her nuts on a regular basis and would never give up on her. By the end of the series he had actually even become engaged to her!

Family Matters had one other thing in common with Happy Days I just have to mention - the disappearing sibling! When Happy Days started, the Cunnigham family had three children - young daughter Joanie, High School aged son Richie and their off at college son Chuck. Chuck was mainly known for his constant basketball dribbling and, being in college, didn't figure into the show too heavily. After a short time he was dropped from the show entirely. Again, since he wasn't of major importance his disappearance was hardly noticeable. You just assumed he was in college. But no! Later episodes would clearly state he no longer existed at all. In one episode when asked how many children he had, Mr. Cunnigham responded, "Two. One daughter and a smart alecky son!"

On Family Matters the goodbye girl was daughter Judy Winslow. The show focused mainly on the older Winslow kids Eddie and Laura. For kid appeal there was adorable little cousin Richie. With all the other kids around, there was little left plotwise for Judy. I think they wrote her into the show in the first place as a sort of spare kid. Happy Days ran into trouble when all the kids grew up and left the show. I think Judy was there just in case some of the older kids left. But they didn't. All the kids stayed with the show to the end! That being the case, there wasn't much need for Judy. I don't think there was even one story on the show about her! She was expendable. And so in 1993, Judy disappeared and nobody seemed to even notice. What the hell is up with that? What sort of loving family does not notice their daughter is missing. Did Steve accidentally kill her and brainwash the others into not knowing she ever existed? WHAT PHANTOM IS STEALING THESE CHILDREN. the horror. The horror.

fujishig

Doesn't "That 70's Show" have a disappearing sibling too? One of the characters had an older sister that I haven't seen in newer episodes...

Seantn

Sadly, Myra, Steve's girlfriend, died of cancer many years back.

Draven

They don't show her much anymore, but I think Laurie was on an episode this season (the funeral one, I believe) and Kittie just mentioned her again a few episodes ago.

But they DO have some disappearing siblings. I caught up on the reruns when it went to syndication, and they have shown Donna with a younger sister and have mentioned her having an older one.

???

tanman

The actress died?

She was really cute.

December 22, 1998 it must have been soon after the final episode.

Jeeden

Yea, I read that she died of stomach cancer. The article also said that most of the last season she acted in extreme pain all the time, but never showed it. Also, she was like 32 years old or something, pretty amazing.

I was a pretty big fan of the show, but I think I have yet to see the final episode. I recall Steve and Laura getting engaged, planning the wedding etc, but I don't remember the last episode. I thought maybe they just stopped it before the last episode because of her death.

Jericho

The disappearing sibling seems like a sitcom standard. Anyone else remember Married with Children, when the Bundys got stuck with Seven, I believe one of Peggy's sibling or cousin's kids. Anyways, he was on the show for a while, then completely forgotten. Well, almost. After he had been gone from the show for a while, they showed his face on a milk carton as one of those missing children things. Classic.

nightwing82

I stopped watching when it made the move from ABC to CBS for the last season. I wondered what happened also.

outcastja

I got this from TVTome

214. Lost in Space (1)

The long-running family sitcom that made Urkel a nerd for the ages comes to a close after nine seasons. The two-part series finale sends Urkel into space as a student astronaut. It seems NASA wants to test his prize-winning artificial-gravity invention in space - with him on board. Unfortunately, this means that Urkel will have to postpone his other mission: to marry Laura. Meanwhile, back on terra firma, Harriette conspires to get Eddie reassigned to a precinct desk job out of fear for his safety.

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215. Lost in Space (2)

The long-running family sitcom that made Urkel a nerd for the ages comes to a close after nine seasons. The two-part series finale sends Urkel into space as a student astronaut. It seems NASA wants to test his prize-winning artificial-gravity invention in space - with him on board. Unfortunately, this means that Urkel will have to postpone his other mission: to marry Laura. Meanwhile, back on terra firma, Harriette conspires to get Eddie reassigned to a precinct desk job out of fear for his safety.

NOTE: This was never meant to be the series finale. The cast and crew were told to finish filming the season by March and get ready for another season. The 1oth season would have featured the wedding of Steve and Laura. However it was learned that CBS had the sets for the show destroyed and that's when the cast knew the series was over.

tanman

Man that was a really crappy way to end such a great series. No wonder noone know what happened in the end. There was no end.

What happened with the whole Stephan arc?

*edit*

just found this on the same website. Man the last season was really messed up.


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206. Breaking Up Is Hard to Do


Urkel decides to call it splitsville with Myra, but freaks out when she beats him to the punch. Although he is surprised that Myra broke up with him, Urkel decides that it's all for the best and goes to his true love, Laura. But when Myra turns up at the Winslows claiming that she made a mistake and wants "her man back," she discovers Urkel and Laura in a passionate kiss. Meanwhile, Eddie quits school and decides to become a police officer - just like his dad.


b: 16-Jan-1998 pc: 466463

NOTE: This is the last episode for JoMarie Payton-Noble. She left because she felt she was not playing "the same Harriette" as she was in the beginning of the show.

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207. Crazy for You (1)
gs: Ray Laska (Keresey)

In the first half of this special two-part episode, Myra spies on Urkel's every move with her elaborate "Stevie-Glasses-cam". She is shocked to learn of his upcoming Saturday night date with Laura. When she tells Stefan about her rival's pending date with "her Stevie," Stefan agrees to help rain on their parade. Meanwhile, Carl tries to control Eddie's trigger-happy finger during police training. Judyann Elder takes over the role of Harriette.


b: 23-Jan-1998 pc: 466464 w: Jim Geoghan d: Richard Correll


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208. Crazier for You (2)
gs: Phynjuar (Mrs. Monkhouse)

Urkel is shocked to discover that Myra has been spying on him, but he thinks she's really snapped her cap when she starts dressing like Laura. Meanwhile, Harriette discovers that her wedding ring was originally intended for another woman.


b: 30-Jan-1998 pc: 466465

NOTE: The series was put on hiatus after this episode. The remaining episodes were broadcast in June 1998

tanman

Its kinda funny. I just saw a rerun. It was when Lara was going to take diet pills but steve took them instead, since they were stimulants he was going crazy. at the end he couldn't sleep so Lara stood up with him.

Steve: "I tried counting milk and drinking warm sheep but nothing works"

Lara: "Well, let's just watch some TV"

Steve: "Let's see whats on CBS"

both instantly fall asleep.


I guess this was a preview to what would happen to their show in the end?

atari2600

when is perfect strangers coming to dvd?!? (had to ask...i want this tv series on dvd more than any other, including seinfeld!)

(yes i know no one knows...im trying to make a point )

CaptDS9E

Perfect strangers was hilarious

Cousin Larry Appleton HELLOOOOOO HELLOOOOOOOOOO.

hehe