Family Matters: Where Did the Winslow Family Go After the Laughter Ended?

Top photo: John Manard / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Remember Friday nights in the early 1990s? The week’s work was finally finished, the television was warmed up, and families gathered around the living room for ABC’s famous TGIF block. For nine memorable seasons, our living rooms welcomed the Winslows of Chicago as Jesse Frederick’s familiar theme song, “As Days Go By,” set the stage for laughter, heart, and the inevitable high-pitched greeting from next door: “Did I do that?”

Debuting in September 1989 as a spin-off of Perfect Strangers, Family Matters ran for 215 episodes across ABC and CBS. Along the way, it became the third-longest-running live-action sitcom featuring a predominantly Black cast in American television history. Let’s look back at the beloved actors who brought the Winslow home to life and see where their paths led once the cameras stopped rolling.

Reginald VelJohnson (Carl Winslow)

Before he ever donned the badge of Chicago police officer Carl Winslow, Reginald VelJohnson was already turning heads on the big screen. After memorable early appearances in movies like Ghostbusters and Crocodile Dundee, he landed his breakthrough role as Sergeant Al Powell in the 1988 classic Die Hard, later returning for Die Hard 2. When producers built Family Matters around his character and his quick-witted on-screen wife, VelJohnson anchored the household with warm authority and exasperated comic timing until the sitcom ended in July 1998.

After the show concluded, VelJohnson remained a constant presence on screen and television through dozens of guest appearances and voice parts. Over the years, eagle-eyed viewers have spotted him on series such as Diagnosis: Murder, Will & Grace, Monk, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Mike & Molly. In 2021, he lent his familiar voice to the animated series Invincible as Principal Winslow, a character named directly in honor of his iconic role. VelJohnson also returned to his roots by playing David Sutton again in Disney’s television version of Turner & Hooch. Starting in January 2023, he playfully leaned into his fatherly persona as the “TV Dad” in Progressive insurance commercials, and in September 2024, he took to the ballroom floor on season 33 of Dancing with the Stars, placing tenth with partner Emma Slater.

Family Matters house, at 1516 W. Wrightwood Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. The structure to the left of the Family Matters house did not exist at the time the exterior shots for Family Matters were fil — Photo: Ben Schumin / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Jaleel White (Steve Urkel)

It is impossible to discuss the Winslows without Steve Urkel. Originally brought in for a single guest spot during the first season in “Laura’s First Date,” Jaleel White’s portrayal of the clumsy neighbor was an instant sensation. White soon joined the main cast full-time, creating one of the most recognizable pop-culture figures of the decade and branching out to play smooth alter-ego Stefan Urquelle and quirky cousin Myrtle Urkel.

Following the conclusion of Family Matters in 1998, White stepped away from the suspenders for many years. Netflix approached him in 2016 about a potential reboot focused on Steve and Laura raising their son, though White declined the concept and proposed an alternate autobiographical project that ultimately was not picked up. However, he delighted longtime fans when he returned to voice Steve Urkel in television animation for the first time in over two decades on a 2019 episode of Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? titled “When Urkel-Bots Go Bad!”. He also reprised his famous role for the animated holiday movie Urkel Saves Santa: The Movie!, released on digital platforms in November 2023.

Jo Marie Payton and Judyann Elder (Harriette Winslow)

The entire premise of Family Matters began with Harriette Winslow, a character Jo Marie Payton introduced on Perfect Strangers as an elevator operator. Producers fell in love with Harriette’s great morale and snappy wit, which formed the foundation of the spin-off in 1989. Payton served as the loving, sensible heart of the household for most of the show’s run.

By the ninth season, when the series shifted from ABC to CBS, Payton felt the sitcom had run its course. Following creative tensions during production—culminating in an on-set dispute with White during an episode where co-star Darius McCrary had to step between them—Payton departed midway through the final season, making her farewell appearance in a Christmas special. Accomplished stage and screen actress Judyann Elder, who had earned praise as Coretta King on Broadway in I Have a Dream and played recurring characters on Murphy Brown and Martin, stepped in with grace to portray Harriette for the final eight episodes.

Bryton James (Richie Crawford)

Little Richie Crawford was just an infant when he and his mother Rachel (Telma Hopkins) moved in with the Winslows in the pilot episode. While Joseph and Julius Wright shared the role early on, Bryton James joined the cast at age four in 1990 and remained a fixture for more than 200 episodes through 1997.

After his childhood days in the Winslow home, James built an enduring, acclaimed career in daytime television. In June 2004, he took on the role of Devon Hamilton on the long-running CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless. His work on the soap earned him two Daytime Emmy Awards—one in 2007 and another in 2020—alongside an NAACP Image Award in 2009. Beyond daytime drama, James has lent his voice to popular animated programs such as Young Justice, Zevo-3, and Glitch Techs, while remaining dedicated to charitable causes through RADDKids, an organization he founded back in 1996.

A Fond Look in the Rearview Mirror

Through network switches, time slot changes, and cast transitions, the Winslow household provided a steady source of gentle comfort for nearly a decade. Whether it was Carl trying to enjoy a quiet moment on the sofa or the kids navigating life on the front porch, the series captured a special chapter of family-friendly television that remains hard to match.

Did you tune in every Friday night for the Winslow family? Which classic episode or character was your absolute favorite to watch together?