Family Matters

It is an interesting paradigm.

Garry Marshall made Happy Days, a nostalgic look at the 1950's. It plodded along until a background character, Fonzie, became the focus of the show. And, Fonzie went from being a motorcycle riding tough guy to a cartoon character.

The same happened with Family Matters. What was originally a Cosby-esquire warm family drama became a surrealistic cartoon starring none other than original one-off character Steve Urkel.

Jaleel White made quite a career for himself in those days. He even had a special that showed off his other talents. However, like Gary Coleman, the joke ran dry and his post Family Matters show failed.

I'm still waiting for Jaleel to return to acting in some type of bad-ass role. He has the talent and the range. He just needs a chance.