For the majority of the 1990s, you couldn't readily accept primetime television without paying some attention to the bumbling, nasal-voiced genius Steve Urkel on the TGIF staple Family Matters. It's a role that actor Jaleel White will likely never live down, but that doesn't mean his career stopped after the show ended in 1998. While he hasn't managed to land any long-term network TV follow-up gigs in that time, it could all change soon, as White has been added to the cast of Bobby Moynihan's CBS comedy pilot Me, Myself & I.
Don't expect Jaleel White to go completely atypical with this role, even though the project's premise sounds rather unlike anything else CBS tends to run with. Me, Myself & I centers on an inventor named Alex Riley, only it'll switch between three very distinct points in his long life: the years 1991, 2017 and 2042. Jaleel White will enter the story during the present-day storyline, as he'll be playing Alex's best friend Darryl. Their buddy-buddy-ness isn't just something that happens in their spare time, either, as Darryl and Alex are also business partners...and also roommates of a sort. Darryl is kind enough to let Alex sleep in his garage while dealing with the repercussions of a divorce.
According to Deadline, Darryl will also be one to look to for a word to the wise, and he'll offer Alex some guidance during that troublesome time. So hopefully that means Jaleel White will be in Smooth-As-Hell mode, like Stefan. And not all squeaky-wheel nerve-grinder like Urkel proper. It's but a simple request, not that the actor isn't capable of many different things on camera.
As far as other elements of Me, Myself & I go, we've got SNL vet Bobby Moynihan (who can soon be heard on the DuckTales reboot) playing Alex during his 40-year-old stage in the present day, while sitcom legend John Larroquette will fill the role as the 65-year-old in 2042. (Cannot wait to see Larroquette in future-clothes.) The pilot was written by Malcolm in the Middle and Galavant writer/producer Dan Kopelman, and it'll be directed by veteran TV helmer Randall Einhorn, who is known for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The Mick, to name a couple.
Jaleel White has been all over TV in the last few years, and in some really solid shows, too, so it makes sense that it would build up to something this big. Well, assuming it gets picked up to series. White played a character named Darryl for Regular Show, one of many voice roles he's known for, and in the last handful of years, he's appeared on NCIS, CSI, Drunk History, Atlanta, and Castle, to name a few. He's also appeared as himself for shows like Celebrity Family Feud and Hell's Kitchen.
As the casting process is still underway, there's currently no telling how CBS will handle Me, Myself & I when it comes down to the decision-making. While waiting to hear about the time-flipping comedy's fate, check out our midseason premiere schedule and our summer TV guide to see what is definitely coming to the small screen soon.
