How we watch TV may have changed over the last several years, as the dominance of network TV gave way to cable and now streaming, but no matter where we find our favorite shows, what hasn’t changed is the appeal of the crossover episode. They’re fun when done right, as we get to see characters from one favorite show interact with characters from another. Networks love it because it’s an easy way to increase an audience, and while it may have been very popular in the 1980s and 90s, such as whenPaul ReiserfromMad About Youshowed up onSeinfeldor whenRay RomanofromEverybody Loves Raymondappeared as his sitcom character onThe Nanny, it’s still done today. Just last year, CBS heavily promoted the three-episode crossover betweenNCIS,NCIS: Los Angeles, andNCIS: Hawai’i. Still, no matter how many crossovers we see, none will ever matchthe hilarity of one moment that recently went viral when, three decades ago, James Avery fromThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Airwalked in the door at the end of aFamily Mattersepisode, genuinely shocking star Reginald VelJohnson.
‘Family Matters’ and ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ Were Both in Other Crossovers
Family Matterspremiered in 1989 and quickly becamea staple of ABC’s TGIF lineup. Although it started as a spinoff ofPerfect Strangers, where Harriette Winslow (Jo Marie Payton) was an elevator operator, it quickly became the Steve Urkel (Jaleel White) show when the zany dork of a character with his big glasses and suspenders joined the cast early on.The rest of the cast may not have liked it, but Urkel was the star, and with that in mind,he showed up in another ABC series:Full House. In the Season 4 episode “Stephanie Gets Framed,” Urkel arrives as DJ’s (Candace Cameron) cousin. In the episode, Uncle Jesse (John Stamos) tries to teach Urkel how to strut, and our favorite nerd comforts Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) about needing glasses and being afraid of being made fun of.Urkel became such a 90s icon that this wasn’t his only TV crossover. He later would show up in the sitcomStep by Stepas well, crash landing in a jetpack.
Steve Urkel wasn’t the only young, 90s sitcom icon. So wasWill Smith. NBC’sThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Airdebuted on NBC just a year afterFamily Matters, in 1990. Smith played a version of himself. In West Philadelphia is where he was born and raised, and on the playground is where he spent most of his days (you get the picture). He gets sent to live with his aunt and uncle in Bel-Air, creating a contrast of characters.The Fresh Prince of Bel-Airis what launched Smith into superstardom, first with some crossover stops of his own along the way. Will shows up in a Season 2 episode ofBlossomwithMayim Bialik, and in Season 5 ofThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Smith shares the screen with TV legendsSherman HemsleyandIsabel SanfordofThe Jeffersons.
James Avery Appeared in the ‘Family Matters’ Episode “Scenes From a Mall”
Crossovers were nothing new forFamily MattersandThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but when one of the stars of the latter showed up on the former, it was a shock no one saw coming. For one, crossovers are usually meant to build up other series on the same network, but withThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Airon NBCandFamily Matterson ABC, there was no reason for a crossover between the two to exist, except for fun.
In that spirit of fun, with no awkwardness or ulterior motives,James Avery fromThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Airshows up onFamily Matters,makingthe best TV crossover of all time. In the fifth season episode “Scenes from a Mall,” we have subplots of Urkel getting dumped by Myra (Michelle Thomas), Harriette having a job interview, and Carl having to babysit his nephew Richie (Bryton McClure) and his friend Lil' G (Gary LeRoi Gray). None of that has anything to do withThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Airbut then comes the final scene with the credits rolling. What happens next is more of a blooper than anything else, but it’s perfect.
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.
During this scene, we’re back at the Winslow home. Richie and Lil' G walk in, and after taking one look at Carl, Lil' G hands Richie some money and says, “Okay, you win. He does look like the father onFresh Prince.” As the crowd starts to laugh, James Avery, who played Uncle Phil, walks through the door, hands on his hips, looking annoyed by the comparison. When Reginald VelJohnson sees him, you may tell that he had zero clue this would happen, ashis jaw literally drops before he cackles wildly and runs out of the room, all without Avery breaking. After composing himself, VelJohnson comes back into the room and hugs Avery, finally getting the actor to smile and wave to the studio audience as VelJohnson introduces him.
Philip Banks and Carl Winslow Were Two of the Best 90s TV Dads
On the surface, this random cameo might seem meaningless, but it was done to capitalize on a running joke of the time.It’s not just Richie and Lil' G who think that Uncle Phil and Carl Winslow look alike. Many people thought the same thing, with both men a little on the hefty side, going bald, and sporting facial hair.
Not only do they look alike, but their characters are similar.Both are family men but grumpy ones who are put upon by the young men in their lives. For Carl Winslow onFamily Matters, Steve Urkel is the annoying next-door neighbor kid who’s always barging in and accidentally breaking stuff. He drives Carl mad, but Carl also cares about him like he is his own son, which is what Steve needs, as he’s at the Winslow’s so often because his parents are annoyed by him and don’t want him around. Uncle Phil finds himself in nearly the same situation onThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,not only having to raise his kidsbut now this well-meaning but trouble-making nephew who has just moved in under his roof. The two often clash, but Phil loves Will like he is his own.This is seen inThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s most famous moment, where Will breaks down crying, asking why his father doesn’t want him, only for Phil to pull him in tight and give him a hug that he refuses to let go of. It’s impossible to even think about that scene without getting teary-eyed.
So, while there have been countless crossovers in TV history,some great, some cringe-worthy, and others completely forgettable, none will ever be better than Uncle Phil meeting Carl Winslow. Two of the strongest TV dads came face to face for the first and only time, and not only is it heartwarming and wholesome, but the surprise of it all still has people laughing on social media thirty years later.
Family Matters
Family Mattersis available to watch on Hulu in the U.S.
WATCH ON HULU
