Where Was Family Matters Filmed? An Iconic American Show From 1989!!

Are you looking for an iconic American family show? If you are, then you’ve come to the right place. Today, we are going to talk about the popular comedy series Family Matters starring Jaleel White. Furthermore, I’ll also let you in on where was Family Matters filmed.

The American family drama series, Family Matters, was released on ABC Network channel in the final week of September 1989. This award-winning show continued for 9 successful seasons. However, not all seasons of Family Matters aired on ABC during this time, as the later seasons were released on CBS Network.

Family Matters was created by William Bickley and Michael Warren. Although Thomas and Robert later joined the project and contributed to the show’s making. The basic premise of Family Matters is centered around the Winslow family and their super-genius neighbor, Steve Urkel.

Over the years, Family Matters released a total of 215 episodes, between 9 entertaining seasons. This super-intriguing series won 9 major awards, including a Primetime Emmy, and collected several prestigious nominations. Fans who love watching slapstick comedy shows were mesmerized by the stellar performance of the actors who played the main roles.

Now, before I let you in on other intriguing facts about this iconic series, let’s first take a closer look at where was Family Matters filmed.

Where Was Family Matters Filmed? Let’s Know This Comedy Adventure Series!

The makers of Family Matters worked with several production companies throughout the entire course of 9 seasons. But the common thing about this series is the filming locations which were used for all seasons of the show.

During the initial phase of production, the makers intended to shoot the entire show in and around Illinois. But, after the production members completed the first round of scouting, they decided to only capture the establishing shots in Chicago, Illinois.

The team decided to film the major outdoor sequences of the show in and around the city of Burbank, California. Important to mention that a renowned studio located in the same city was later used to film all major interior shots of the show as well.

The principal photography of Family Matters commenced in the summer of 1989 and continued for 5-8 weeks. The filming schedule was quite long because the production members had to do the sequences of 22 separate episodes.

However, the filming crew also made sure to complete the shooting within the estimated timeline, and thankfully the filming schedule remained the same till the end. As per reports, before any of the sequences were captured by the crew, the cast members had to attend a special workshop, which was arranged by William Bickley.

Now, let us closely follow the filming locations of this comedy series and find out where was Family Matters filmed.

Chicago, Illinois | USA

The show’s opening sequence, where we see Winslow’s family home in Chicago, was filmed in the same city. The production members arranged a medium-sized home, which was located near Hyde Park.

But before the exterior shots of the house were filmed, the production members had to make minor changes to the property. Plus, the scenes depicting the house in which the character of Urkel lived were also filmed near the same location.

Several other outdoor scenes were captured near South Shore Cultural Center and 31st Street Beach. Then finally, the production members moved to California and filmed the remaining sequences of the show.

Burbank, California

As the majority of the events depicted in the show take place inside Winslow’s family home, the production members had to find a suitable house to film the interior scenes. After scouting through a number of properties in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, the makers decided to capture the interior sequences inside a studio in California.

Subsequently, the makers asked the production members to get in touch with the owners of the Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank. 

After the first round of meetings, the makers of Family Matters decided to shoot all remaining sequences inside Warner Brothers Burbank Studios, located at 4000 Warner Boulevard. Throughout all 9 seasons of the show, the same studio was used to capture the interior scenes of Winslow’s home.

And now, let’s take a look at the plot of Family Matters. In the meantime, you can also check out Scorpion, SEAL Team, and The Last of Us.

Plot Of Family Matters | What’s It About

The basic premise of Family Matters revolves around the members of the Winslow family. At the very beginning of the series, we see the characters of Carl Otis and Harriette Bains welcoming Carl’s mom to their home.

As the series progresses further, the character of Steve Urkel emerges. All other members of the Winslow family despise Urkel for his notorious demeanor. However, Steve unflinchingly continues to carry out his science experiments on Winslow without paying any attention to the complaints.

Watch Family Matters to find out more about the Winslows and their half-wit neighbor, Steve Urkel.

Final Words

Alrighty, amigos! Now that we’ve reached the end, I hope you’ve noted all the filming locations of Family Matters. If you have any other questions regarding where Family Matters was filmed, feel free to comment below. We’d be more than happy to answer any questions.

But, if you’re interested in reading other interesting pieces, then do check out other entertaining pieces on Viebly.