Jaleel White explains why he said no to 'Family Matters' reboot and his 'Young Sheldon'-esque idea (original) (raw)

Steve Urkel is frozen in the 1990s, with his suspenders and nerdy voice. But it almost didn't go that way.

Jaleel White writes in his new book, Growing Up Urkel, that he was pitched a reboot around the time that Fuller House, Girl Meets World, and other sequels to Family Matters-era shows were popping up.

In the book he recounts that, in the fall of 2016, he was invited to lunch by Bob Boyett, one of the former TGIF favorite's former producers, who pitched him an idea for a revival, with the premise being that Steve and Laura Winslow (Kellie Shanygne Williams), the girl-next-door he'd had a crush on forever, were now married with a kid, Steve Urkel Jr.

Jaleel White's new book is about his years playing Steve Urkel.

Santiago Felipe/Getty; ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

"Carl and Harriette will stop by from time to time, perhaps two episodes out of the first season order," he recalled the producer saying of Laura's parents, who were portrayed by Reginald VelJohnson and Jo Marie Payton. "But this incarnation of the show will revolve more around you and Laura and your new family, and your son who is so much like you when you were his age."

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White was not a fan. He thought the idea of another Urkel was outdated and so tired, and he "turned it down."

"I was offered the chance to do a reboot of Family Matters," he wrote, "but I turned it down for several reasons. The script would have been the same, and the show’s dynamics no longer work in the world that we live in."

White had his own take on what a Family Matters sequel could look like, and it was much different from the original.

"Instead of a sitcom reboot, 'cause none of them work, quite frankly," he wrote, "we make a single-camera show like Young Sheldon. We cast a good actor and a smart kid to play Jaleel, a twelve-year-old from Pasadena who lands the part of Steve Urkel. We depict all the challenges that came with growing up in the nineties and being the kid who played that character. The show could explore the dynamic between me and my parents, struggling to adapt to fame while trying to live regular lives."

White explained to the pitchman his feelings that the idea had "a better chance of landing with today's audience," but it was a no-go.

In the introduction, White noted that one aspect of his most famous character — Urkel's alter ego, Stefan Urquelle, whom he created a serum to turn into — saved his career. Whereas Steve was annoying, Stefan, was cool, smooth, and even sexy.

Jaleel White and Kellie Shanygne Williams star in 'Family Matters'.

CBS via Getty

"In the afterlife of Family Matters, I could have never known playing Stefan would profoundly shape my public image just enough to protect my future endeavors as an adult," he wrote. "And I do mean just enough, like a sliding baseball player beating the tag at the plate. Dustin Diamond’s fan recognition was merciless — the late actor would forever be seen as Screech from Saved by the Bell, like one of those insects preserved and encased in amber. Paul Reubens, the comedic genius, lived in the shadow of the Pee-wee Herman character until his dying day."

When the cast of the sitcom reunited for EW in September 2017, White's costars said they were interested in a revival.

Payton, who played Laura's mother, Harriette Winslow, said then, "Jaleel and I were talking just a little while ago and he said, 'You know, we can do this.' And I said, 'If they dropped a script at our feet when we walked out of here, we would come back in tomorrow, and the next day we'd have a show shot," Payton said.

Growing Up Urkel is available Nov. 19.