X
  • ABC
  • Sep 22, 1989
  • ABC
  • Sep 22, 1989
Family Matters

Summary A perfect spin-off from Perfect Strangers: Family Matters focused on Harriet Winslow (the elevator operator from the Chronicle) and her family of sorts. Carl Winslow, her husband, was a dutiful cop, and a gruff and lovable father to three kids: Eddie Winslow, the rebel son; Laura Winslow, the smart-aleck daughter; and cute little Judy Wi...

Created By: William Bickley, Michael Warren

  • ABC
  • Sep 22, 1989
  • ABC
  • Sep 22, 1989
Family Matters
Season 1
9 Seasons
Season Premiere: Sep 22, 1989
Metascore Mixed or Average Based on 8 Critic Reviews
48
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 10 User Ratings
7.2
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary A perfect spin-off from Perfect Strangers: Family Matters focused on Harriet Winslow (the elevator operator from the Chronicle) and her family of sorts. Carl Winslow, her husband, was a dutiful cop, and a gruff and lovable father to three kids: Eddie Winslow, the rebel son; Laura Winslow, the smart-aleck daughter; and cute little Judy Wi...

Created By: William Bickley, Michael Warren

Where to Watch

Season Episodes

View All Seasons
Episode 1 • Sep 22, 1989 • 23 m
The Mama Who Came to Dinner
The Winslow home is full of love and family, and now Carl's mom is moving in.
Episode 2 • Sep 29, 1989 • 23 m
Two Income Family
Episode 3 • Oct 6, 1989 • 24 m
Short Story
Rachel writes a short story with characters that resemble the Winslow family.
Episode 4 • Oct 13, 1989 • 23 m
Rachel's First Date
Recently widowed Rachel is nervous about her first date since the death of her husband.
Episode 5 • Oct 20, 1989 • 23 m
Straight A's
Eddie surprises everyone, and himself, when he gets straight A's on his report card.
Episode 6 • Nov 3, 1989 • 23 m
Basketball Blues
Carl wants Eddie to become a big-time basketball star, and invites star player Will "The Thrill' Morgan over for encouragement. But Morgan sees through Carl's desire to live out his dreams through Eddie and helps set him straight.
Episode 7 • Nov 10, 1989 • 23 m
Body Damage
Episode 8 • Nov 17, 1989 • 23 m
Mr. Badwrench
Carl wants to build a bathroom for Mother Winslow. Ignoring Harriette's plea to call a contractor to do the work properly, Carl recruits Eddie in an inept attempt to renovate one of the unused rooms downstairs.
Episode 9 • Nov 24, 1989 • 23 m
Stake-Out
Carl and his attractive new partner, Vanessa, are involved in a stake-out in a hotel room. Harriette worries (over nothing, as it turns out) that Carl will put aside his professionalism and try to woo Vanessa.
Episode 10 • Dec 1, 1989 • 23 m
False Arrest
Episode 11 • Dec 8, 1989 • 25 m
The Quilt
Episode 12 • Dec 15, 1989 • 30 m
Laura's First Date
Episode 13 • Jan 5, 1990 • 25 m
Man's Best Friend
Episode 14 • Jan 12, 1990 • 25 m
Baker's Dozen
Episode 15 • Jan 19, 1990 • 25 m
The Big Reunion
Carl tries to lose some weight in time for an upcoming class reunion, where he is expected to perform with his high school band.
Episode 16 • Feb 2, 1990 • 30 m
The Party
Episode 17 • Feb 9, 1990 • 30 m
The Big Fix
Episode 18 • Feb 23, 1990 • 30 m
Sitting Pretty
Episode 19 • Mar 16, 1990 • 30 m
In a Jam
Episode 20 • Mar 23, 1990 • 25 m
The Candidate
Episode 21 • Apr 20, 1990 • 25 m
Bowl Me Over
It's the War of the Winslows at the bowling alley.
Episode 22 • Apr 27, 1990 • 25 m
Rock Video
Eddie decides to enter a contest to create a music video, but his ego proves to be too much for the rest of the band, and they all decide to abandon him.
9 Seasons

Top Cast

View All
View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 8 Critic Reviews
48
38% Positive
3 Reviews
25% Mixed
2 Reviews
38% Negative
3 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 8 Critic Reviews
48
38% Positive
3 Reviews
25% Mixed
2 Reviews
38% Negative
3 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
83
Jun 7, 2013
Family Matters offers a picture of black family life that takes its middle-class ordinariness for granted, which is unusual for TV. Even more unusual, it's a show you can watch with your whole family, and chances are, everyone will get a few good laughs out of it.
By Ken Tucker FULL REVIEW
80
Aug 16, 2013
Family Matters has assembled one of the most broadly appealing casts seen in recent years. Reginald VelJohnson, who played the sympathetic cop in the movie "Die Hard," is almost irresistible as a character. And yet the show's concept is so familiar that Family Matters will have to struggle to be fresh, to avoid going over old ground, to give its characters texture and definition. The potential for some excellent comedy is certainly here. [18 Sept 1989, p.1D]
By Eric Mink FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 10 User Ratings
7.2
80% Positive
8 Ratings
10% Mixed
1 Rating
10% Negative
1 Rating

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 10 User Ratings
7.2
80% Positive
8 Ratings
10% Mixed
1 Rating
10% Negative
1 Rating

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

70
Aug 16, 2013
Remarkable for one reason only: It achieves levels of warmth that are rare for such shows. It may not make everybody laugh, but a decent human being would have a hard time not smiling. [22 Sept 1989, p.B1]
By Tom Shales FULL REVIEW
40
Aug 16, 2013
Though inoffensive, this is as standard as sitcom gets. [22 Sept 1989, p.1]
By Rick Kogan FULL REVIEW
37
Aug 16, 2013
Family Matters is a spinoff from "Perfect Strangers," but not nearly as good. [22 Sept 1989, p.C-16]
FULL REVIEW
25
Aug 16, 2013
There are plenty of black faces on this show, but there should be red faces at producing a comedy with so few laughs. Family Matters makes "The Cosby Show" still look fresh. Family Matters makes "Father Knows Best" look fresh. The writing is practically nonexistent. [22 Sept 1989, p.29]
By Ed Siegel FULL REVIEW
20
Aug 16, 2013
One of the most forgettable [newcomers].[22 Sept 1989, p.C28]
By Howard Rosenberg FULL REVIEW
See All 8 Critic Reviews

Related Shows

Samurai Jack

93
Universal Acclaim

Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal

91
Universal Acclaim

Battlestar Galactica (2003)

89
Universal Acclaim

Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock

89
Universal Acclaim

The Baby-Sitters Club (2020)

87
Universal Acclaim

Game of Thrones

86
Universal Acclaim

The Pacific

86
Universal Acclaim

Harley Quinn

86
Universal Acclaim

Shogun (2024)

85
Universal Acclaim

Rick & Morty

85
Universal Acclaim

The Last of Us

84
Universal Acclaim

Lost

84
Universal Acclaim

X-Men '97

82
Universal Acclaim

The Midnight Gospel

82
Universal Acclaim

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance

82
Universal Acclaim

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

82
Universal Acclaim

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

82
Universal Acclaim

Star Wars: Visions

81
Universal Acclaim

Toy Story That Time Forgot

81
Universal Acclaim

The Legend of Vox Machina

81
Universal Acclaim

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017)

81
Universal Acclaim

Station Eleven

81
Universal Acclaim

Related News

What to Watch on Prime Video Right Now

What to Watch on Prime Video Right Now

Jason Dietz

Get a list of the best movies and TV shows recently added (and coming soon) to Amazon's Prime Video, updated frequently.

  • tv show
What to Watch on Netflix Right Now

What to Watch on Netflix Right Now

Jason Dietz

Get a list of the best movies and TV shows recently added (and coming soon) to Netflix, updated frequently. You can also find a list of titles leaving Netflix this month.

  • tv show
What to Watch on Hulu Right Now

What to Watch on Hulu Right Now

Jason Dietz

Get a list of the best movies and TV shows recently added (and coming soon) to Hulu, updated frequently.

  • tv show
What to Watch on Disney+ Right Now

What to Watch on Disney+ Right Now

Jason Dietz

Get a list of the best movies and TV shows recently added (and coming soon) to Disney's streaming service, updated frequently.

  • tv show
April TV Preview (2024)

April TV Preview (2024)

Jason Dietz

The month ahead will bring a series adaptation of the videogame Fallout plus Netflix newcomer Ripley, Park Chan-wook's miniseries The Sympathizer, a sequel to Emmy winner The Jinx, Idris Elba's weirdest project to date, and more.

  • tv show
What to Watch on Paramount+ Right Now

What to Watch on Paramount+ Right Now

Jason Dietz

Find a list of the best movies and TV shows recently added to Paramount+ and Paramount+ With Showtime, plus a list of titles coming soon to the streaming services.

  • tv show