The WORST episodes of Family Matters

Every episode of Family Matters ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Family Matters!

The Winslows, a middle-class Black family living in Chicago, deal with various misadventures — many of which are caused by their pesky next-door neighbor, ultra-nerd Steve Urkel.

Last Updated: 9/4/2024Network: CBSStatus: Ended
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A Pirate's Life for Me
star
4.63
79 votes

#1 - A Pirate's Life for Me

Season 8 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/9/1997

Steve's time machine sends him and Carl back to a pirate ship.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Watch Now:Apple TV
Le Jour D'Amour
star
4.88
82 votes

#2 - Le Jour D'Amour

Season 8 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/14/1997

Urkel narrates romantic vignettes featuring the Winslows and friends.

Directors: Richard Correll
Watch Now:Apple TV
Deck the Malls
star
5.18
99 votes

#3 - Deck the Malls

Season 9 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/19/1997

Steve gets all wrapped up in the Christmas spirit when he takes a job as a gift-wrapper, but the new gig leaves him little time to spend with Myra; Carl plays Santa at the mall and appoints Laura to be his elf; a disappointed Richie learns that his mom won't be with him for the holidays.

Watch Now:Apple TV
What Do You Know?
star
5.82
62 votes

#4 - What Do You Know?

Season 8 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/28/1997

Eddie's plan misfires when he transforms into Urkel to compete on a game show.

Directors: Richard Correll
Watch Now:Apple TV
Pound Foolish
star
5.85
84 votes

#5 - Pound Foolish

Season 8 - Episode 22 - Aired 4/25/1997

Donna Summer reprises her role as Urkel's Aunt Oona from Altoona, who has put on weight but anticipates taking it off in her nephew's new-fangled fat-compression chamber.

Directors: Jason Bateman
Watch Now:Apple TV
Odd Man In
star
6.08
59 votes

#6 - Odd Man In

Season 8 - Episode 20 - Aired 3/14/1997

Harriette fills a spot at Carl's poker table while Steve does work for Eddie at a ballpark.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Watch Now:Apple TV
Don't Make Me Over
star
6.17
89 votes

#7 - Don't Make Me Over

Season 9 - Episode 19 - Aired 6/26/1998

Myrtle Urkel tries for the last time to get Eddie. This time, Laura and Maxine give her a complete and total makeover. Myrtle comes out looking terrific, but Eddie still does not like her. So she decides to stop chasing him.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Watch Now:Apple TV
Trading Places
star
6.19
93 votes

#8 - Trading Places

Season 9 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/7/1997

When Laura seems distant and distracted, a jealous Stefan cooks up an elaborate plan to swap places with Urkel - the "man" to whom he suspects Laura is attracted. Laura knows something's up when Stefan (as Urkel) is a miserable tutor and Urkel has a heck of a time filling in for Stefan at a fashion photo shoot. Meanwhile, Eddie decides to follow Carl around on "the beat" with a video camera.

Watch Now:Apple TV
Whose Man is It Anyway?
star
6.20
82 votes

#9 - Whose Man is It Anyway?

Season 9 - Episode 16 - Aired 6/5/1998

Cousin Myrtle dukes it out in the boxing ring with Greta to win Eddie for her own. Meanwhile, 3J longs to find his birth mother.

Directors: Richard Correll
Writer: Meg DeLoatch
Watch Now:Apple TV
A Pain in Harassment
star
6.22
96 votes

#10 - A Pain in Harassment

Season 9 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/28/1997

Steve gets a chance at a $1 million basketball shot. Will he end up rolling dough, or will he get "nothing but net"? Harriette's new boss has a reputation for being tough, but his employees are blindsided by his verbal abuse as well. Meanwhile, Urkel tries to win a million dollars with a basketball half-court shot in L.A.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Watch Now:Apple TV
The Brother Who Came to Dinner
star
6.24
83 votes

#11 - The Brother Who Came to Dinner

Season 8 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/2/1997

Carl learns his wayward brother Frank is in trouble with the law.

Directors: Richard Correll
Watch Now:Apple TV
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
star
6.35
92 votes

#12 - It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

Season 8 - Episode 13 - Aired 12/13/1996

Laura finally gives Curtis the old heave-ho now that Stefan is back to stay. Meanwhile, Carl and Steve get lost in the woods looking for a Christmas tree.

Watch Now:Apple TV
Dream Date
star
6.35
62 votes

#13 - Dream Date

Season 7 - Episode 22 - Aired 4/26/1996

The school prom brings one disaster after another for Laura. First, her date cancels; then she's parked with a dateless Urkel at the dance. The group "Immature" performs.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Watch Now:Apple TV
Karate Kids
star
6.47
90 votes

#14 - Karate Kids

Season 8 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/1/1996

As a playground supervisor, Steve has a tough time controlling the bullies.

Directors: Richard Correll
Watch Now:Apple TV
Talk's Cheap
star
6.47
38 votes

#15 - Talk's Cheap

Season 7 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/17/1995

Waldo persuades Steve, Myra and Laura to appear on a talk show to discuss romance. Waldo convinces Steve, Myra and Laura to appear on a talk show to discuss unfulfilling romances. Everyone is surprised when Myrtle comes on and talks about her unrequited love for Eddie. Meanwhile, Harriette tries to inspire passion in a reluctant Carl.

Directors: Richard Correll
Watch Now:Apple TV
Crazier for You (2)
star
6.49
92 votes

#16 - Crazier for You (2)

Season 9 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/30/1998

Urkel is shocked to discover that Myra has been spying on him, but he thinks she's really snapped her cap when she starts dressing like Laura. Meanwhile, Harriette discovers that her wedding ring was originally intended for another woman.

Watch Now:Apple TV
3J in the House
star
6.49
96 votes

#17 - 3J in the House

Season 8 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/11/1996

The Winslows realize their feelings for 3J when he runs away from the group home.

Directors: Richard Correll
Writer: Meg DeLoatch
Watch Now:Apple TV
Grill of My Dreams
star
6.51
95 votes

#18 - Grill of My Dreams

Season 9 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/9/1998

Everyone duck! Urkel begins training to become a master teppanyaki chef at a Japanese steakhouse a part of his journey along the self-improvement highway. Laura surprises Urkel at the restaurant while he's slicing and dicing, and he lives up to the specialty of the house - The Tsunami Supreme. Meanwhile, Commissioner Geiss goes on vacation and leaves his talking pet parrot, Andre, in Carl's care and the bird learns some new words: "Geiss is an idiot."

Directors: Gary Menteer
Watch Now:Apple TV
Beauty and the Beast
star
6.53
55 votes

#19 - Beauty and the Beast

Season 8 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/7/1997

Myrtle Urkel is back, and this time, she sabotages a beauty pageant so she can win.

Directors: Richard Correll
Watch Now:Apple TV
Scammed
star
6.53
90 votes

#20 - Scammed

Season 7 - Episode 21 - Aired 3/29/1996

Eddie and Waldo fall victim to a scam when they saunter into a bar expecting to meet members of the Chicago Bulls ; Urkel's super glue provides Laura with a super-facial. When Eddie and Waldo go to a bar where they think famous basketball players congregate, they are astounded by the expensive bill. Meanwhile, Myra makes an organic facial treatment to help Laura get rid of a pimple. Unfortunately, Myra mistakes Steve's super glue for milk and uses it in the mixture.

Directors: Richard Correll
Watch Now:Apple TV
My Big Brother
star
6.53
86 votes

#21 - My Big Brother

Season 7 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/23/1996

Urkel volunteers as a Big Brother to a touch street kid who's mastered pick pocketing skills but harbors a secret about his reading ability. Through a charity, Steve becomes a mentor for a tough but charming inner-city nine-year-old, 3J. While tutoring him, Steve discovers that, although 3J is smart, he is illiterate. At first, 3J rejects Steve's help, preferring to survive with his natural talents as always. But Steve excites him about the wonderful worlds of imagination one can find in books, and 3J decides to make his life better by learning to read. Meanwhile, Carl finds Harriette's secret savings account book. He is upset that she hid it from him. But later, he regrets arguing with her when she gives him an expensive gift for which she was secretly saving money.

Directors: Richard Correll
Writer: Fred Rubin
Watch Now:Apple TV
Struck by Lightning
star
6.58
33 votes

#22 - Struck by Lightning

Season 7 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/24/1995

Laura and Myra's friendship turns stormy as they compete for the same sales job at Ferguson's; a rainstorm renders Urkel a "human lightning rod" and he refuses to go outside after being struck by lightning three times. Luckily, he finds out the cause: His "boss sauce" that he uses in his transformation machine contains a huge amount of iron. Meanwhile, Laura and Myra compete for the same sales job at a department store.

Directors: Joel Zwick
Watch Now:Apple TV
Chick-a-Boom
star
6.58
90 votes

#23 - Chick-a-Boom

Season 8 - Episode 11 - Aired 11/22/1996

Steve invents some musically-activated gunpowder, but Myra mistakes it for pepper when she uses it to prepare a big dinner for Carl's commissioner!

Directors: Joel Zwick
Watch Now:Apple TV
Paris Vacation (1)
star
6.59
100 votes

#24 - Paris Vacation (1)

Season 8 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/20/1996

Steve does it yet again. He creates the UrkPad which allows him, the Winslows, and Stefan to travel to Paris. All goes well when Stefan learns he likes being a model and can actually speak French. Eddie unfortunately has to work during vacation for causing an accident at a restuarant. And Steve makes a new friend in Nicole. Or does he?

Directors: Richard Correll
Watch Now:Apple TV
Crazy for You (1)
star
6.61
69 votes

#25 - Crazy for You (1)

Season 9 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/23/1998

In the first half of this special two-part episode, Myra spies on Urkel's every move with her elaborate "Stevie-Glasses-cam". She is shocked to learn of his upcoming Saturday night date with Laura. When she tells Stefan about her rival's pending date with "her Stevie," Stefan agrees to help rain on their parade. Meanwhile, Carl tries to control Eddie's trigger-happy finger during police training. Judyann Elder takes over the role of Harriette.

Directors: Richard Correll
Writer: Jim Geoghan
Watch Now:Apple TV