It appears that all bets are off when it comes to reviving and rebooting TV shows of yore, as just about everything is up for grabs at this point. And that may or may not include the classic TGIF sitcom Family Matters. But if Family Matters ever does come back, former star Jaleel White has an admittedly interesting idea for how to bring the somewhat iconic Steve Urkel back for modern audiences. See if you agree.
He's a cartoon as far as I'm concerned. If you advance the clock by 25 years, I'm not sure you could really even capture what he is in live-action ... So that's my 'hint hint,' and what I think should be done.
Without actually saying it -- and it's kind of unclear why he'd be reluctant to be specific about this -- Jaleel White is implying to Entertainment Tonight that he'd be down to return to the role of Steve Urkel in an animated format. So if the thought of a Family Matters cartoon is right up your alley, it's probably a good time to start making waves about it on social media so that all the relevant producers and network execs can catch wind of it.
Granted, this is 2017 and not the '80s and '90s, when animated series based on live-action programming happened with more regularity, thanks to Saturday Morning Cartoon lineups. This would have made a lot of sense back in the day, when you could find network cartoons based on ALF, Highlander, Punky Brewster and Tales from the Crypt, among other things. Now, though, animated series are relegated to either kid-specific TV channels or to streaming services with mass hordes of child-friendly shows. So I'm not sure anyone would be clamoring for Family Matters in 2D form, even if it's partly because no one has considered it yet.
But while Family Matters' original network ABC probably wouldn't dive into an animated take on Steve Urkel and the Winslow family, Hulu did just make a huge deal to be the exclusive streaming platform for the upper-tier TGIF shows. Since the shows haven't started up yet, it's hard to say how popular Family Matters will be with modern viewers, but should it prove to be a massive success with both adults and younger audiences, it wouldn't be unbelievable for them to get interested in branching out, Steve Urkel-style.
Even though some conversations started some months back about a possible return, nothing official apparently ever came out of that. Here's what else Jaleel White said.
That's kinda up to Warner Bros. I think there's something to be done, but it hasn't been discussed and, you know, I'm gonna leave that up to Peter and Warner Bros. to come holler at me if they wanna do that.
Jaleel White will soon be seen in the new CBS comedy Me, Myself & I, which also stars SNL vet Bobby Moynihan, John Larroquette and more. That series starts up on CBS on Monday, September 25 at 9:30 p.m. ET. While waiting to hear about other Family Matters news, head to our summer premiere schedule and our fall TV schedule.
