Jaleel White played Steve Urkel in the ABC sitcom Family Matters for nine seasons, but don’t expect the actor to revisit the role if it’s just a “cash grab.”
In a new interview, White revealed that he shot down reprising his role of the annoying next-door neighbor in a possible reboot of the sitcom that was part of the TGIF block of programming.
“I embrace the TGIF legacy, but I’m also careful to acknowledge that TGIF was a sinking ship, and you cannot make shows like that right now,” White said on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live. “I feel like [Fuller House] got away with it because they have a schmaltzy, kind of vanilla thing that they do that’s very Hallmarkish to be quite honest and it benefits Candace [Cameron Bure] and that’s wonderful, but I just didn’t feel like we could get away with that same brand of humor.”
White noted that he “was not offered a direct reboot,” but instead was offered a “bling contract with no script and half the pay” he “made leaving the show.”
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If it’s just a cash grab … I’m not interested in that,” White added. “If I touch anything that’s associated with Family Matters, I want to advance the legacy and I want to help the kids’ careers.”
Family Matters was created by William Bickley and Michael Warren and developed by Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett. The family-oriented sitcom premiered in 1989 and ran for eight seasons on ABC before moving to CBS in 1997 for its ninth and final season.
The comedy series, a spinoff of Perfect Strangers, revolved around an African-American family living in Chicago, Illinois. Intended to be a one-time character, the show introduced nerdy neighbor Steve Urkel half-way through the first season and became a breakout character. White went on to become an integral part of the show through the rest of the show’s run.
Family Matters also starred Reginald VelJohnson, Jo Marie Payton, Telma Hopkins, Darius McCrary, Kellie Shanygne Williams, Jaimee Foxworth, Rosetta LeNoire, Shawn Harrison, Valerie Jones, Joseph and Julius Wright, Bryton McClure, Michelle Thomas, Orland Brown, and Judyann Elder.