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Over a decade ago, The Office was building a fanbase, but often, what pulled people in was not just the comedy but the romance between Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer). But after a time, it started to feel forced. Instead, Jim fit better with Karen (Rashida Jones), but with Jim pining for Pam for so long, he couldn’t see it. It is reminiscent of another sitcom romance from many years before. On Family Matters, the nerdy Steve Urkel (Jaleel White) spends the entire series pining for Laura Winslow (Kelly Shanygne Williams), even though she was usually disgusted by and embarrassed of him. It’s a shame because right there in front of him for several years was a woman just as odd as he was. Myra Bunkhouse (Michelle Thomas) saw Steve Urkel for who he was and loved him for it without ever wishing he was someone else.
Steve Urkel Is in Love With Laura Winslow From the Moment We Meet Him
When Family Matters debuted in 1989, it was a spinoff of Jo Marie Payton‘s character of Harriette Winslow from Perfect Strangers. However, what started as a simple, wholesome family comedy about the Winslow family became something more for the TGIF series when Steve Urkel was introduced during the first season. Urkel, the nerdy next-door neighbor with the big glasses and suspenders, was only meant to be around for one episode, but audiences loved him so much that he was brought back, became a series regular, and then became the star of the entire show, whether the rest of the cast liked it or not.
We loved Urkel’s high voice and the way he’d say, “Did I do that?” but beyond the laughs, what made him so charming was his infatuation with Laura Winslow. He was in awe of her from the get-go, even though she always dismissed him or looked at him as the weirdest guy on the planet. How many times did Steve give her a “Hey baby” only for her to roll her eyes and say, “Shut up, Steve”? He was the nerd, and she was the popular girl, a pairing that could never happen, but it didn’t stop Steve from trying, no matter how often she ignored him or outright rejected him. That could have been off-putting, but Family Matters kept the two as friends and sitcom rules state that any will-they-won’t-they romance must end with the two together.
Myra Bunkhouse Loves Steve Urkel for Being His Nerdy Self
Family Matters hinted at putting Steve and Laura together sometimes, but she was often put with the good-looking bad boy instead. That was her type, not the nice guy dork who would wait on her hand and foot. Because of that, the fourth season introduced a new character named Myra Bunkhouse. She was arguably just as pretty as Laura, and with a big smile and cheery attitude, any guy would want to be with her, even if she was an oddball just like Steve.
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How ‘Family Matters’ Made One of Its Biggest Characters Disappear
When ‘Family Matters’ started, the Winslow family had three children, but suddenly, there were only two.
With Laura being unattainable, Steve and Myra became a couple, and the two clicked. They had shared interests, the same positive outlook, and maybe most importantly, unlike Laura, Myra wasn’t annoyed by Steve. If anything, she was so smitten with him that she became obsessed. Myra saw Steve Urkel for who he was and loved him for it. She didn’t want him to change. A perfect example is when Steve transformed himself into the suave Stefan Urquelle. Laura was absolutely giddy with this version of him, but Myra wasn’t a fan because this wasn’t the guy she was in love with. That says it all.
Jaleel White Wishes Michelle Thomas Could Play His Wife in a ‘Family Matters’ Reboot
After eight seasons, Family Matters finally had to make the move and put Steve and Laura together for good in the ninth season, with Laura realizing that she’s been in love with him this entire time. The problem, however, is that Myra is still in the picture. It’s played for laughs how Steve chooses Laura over Myra, and her love leads her to go off the rails and get arrested for stalking, but if this wasn’t a sitcom with a studio audience, this love triangle could have seen Myra as the victim. In The Office, when Jim chooses Pam, he looks awful because of how he treats Karen. We feel bad for her when it’s supposed to be the happy moment we’ve been waiting for.
In Jaleel White’s recent memoir, Growing Up Urkel, he spends the first chapter writing about producers wanting a Family Matters reboot with Steve Urkel and Laura Winslow married with a kid just like him. White wasn’t interested in that. Instead, he wished Michelle Thomas, who tragically passed away in 1998, was still alive because he thought Steve would have ended up with her. In his reboot, they’d be married, and Laura would end up moving nearby, creating some comedic drama. Jaleel White is right. Now, that would be a show worth seeing because Myra Bunkhouse was Steve Urkel’s true love.
Family Matters is available to watch on Hulu in the U.S.
- Release Date
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September 22, 1989
- Seasons
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9
- Cast
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Reginald VelJohnson
, Jaleel White
, Jo Marie Payton
, Darius McCrary
, Kellie Shanygne Williams
, Rosetta LeNoire
, Shawn Harrison
, Valerie Jones
, Joseph Wright
, Julius Wright
, Bryton McClure
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