'Family Matters: The Complete First Season'
(Rosetta LeNoire, Jaleel White, et al / 3-Disc DVD / NR / (1989) 2010 / Warner Bros.)
Overview: “Hi, everybody!” Fans of ’90s sitcoms know those words mean Steve Urkel has come to call, bringing lots of geeky, goofy fun with him. A spinoff of Perfect Strangers, Family Matters began as the at-home adventures of elevator operator Harriette Winslow and her multigenerational family.
DVD: I have watched Family Matters for most of the nine years it has been on the air and catch reruns every chance I get. I have enjoyed this show for so long becuase it was an uplifting, and quick paced combination of comedy and drama with a lesson to teach in every episode. The range of character profiles in the show and how they interacted with each other was poetry in motion.
To me, this was what the show that took over the slot once the Cosby show ran its course. I enjoyed watching all the characters get in and out situations, especially Steve Urkel and it was one of the few shows I followed from beginning to end.
And now, finally, it is here on DVD!
Let's be honest though about this great show, sometimes a great show comes about almost by accident! The wind blows in just the right creator, just the right performers and the kind of writing that extends beyond the domestic audience into something universal that can be enjoyed at many levels by many kinds of people.
Family Matters has the kind of classic formula that made The Three Stooges, The Munsters and Seinfeld great in and beyond their time, and features the kind of endearing personalities that transcend the usual American barriers of color.
Though going from top billing to next in line after unexpected bombshell Jaleel White hit the show could not have been easy for the rest of the crew, all the support they gave him for as long as they could endeared each of their characters to the viewers even more.
The show does suffer from some errors in continuity and inconsistencies / exaggerations, many most probably stemming from network pressure to ride the Urkel wave at the expense of all else. Even so, it has an indescribable attraction and adorable nature that has made viewers like me die hard fans forever. Enjoy this wonderful box-set for all it's worth - and trust me, you will! [KH] This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.77:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.
www.familymattersdvd.com