How Does Steve Urkel Know DJ Tanner? & 9 Other Questions About ABC’s TGIF Universe, Answered

The 1990s are forever captured in the scenes of ABC’s TGIF programming block. These Friday-night favorites came together under the leadership of then-ABC President Bob Iger, who saw an opportunity to bring families together with quality sitcoms, all on one night. Some of these shows already existed on the network.

After years of reruns and DVD boxed sets and, now, streaming, fans have had plenty of time to relive their favorite funny episodes. There are such great trivial tidbits and TGIF universe connections that it’s time to answer some questions about the storied programming block.

10 What Were The First Shows On TGIF?

An Entertainment Weekly oral history of TGIF confirmed that the programming block “officially launched on Sept. 22, 1989 with the Full House/Family Matters/Perfect Strangers/Just the Ten of Us slate.” This night served as the premiere for Family Matters while the other three shows had already been on the air for varying amounts of time.

9 What Does TGIF Actually Stand For?

1990s sitcom fans might assume that ABC’s TGIF uses the acronym that was already in existence: “Thank God It’s Friday.” While ABC executives were certainly aware of that weekend saying (and of the TGI Friday’s restaurant), their TGIF actually stands for “Thank Goodness It’s Funny.” Some form of “funny” was always going to be in the title, and this is the one that stuck.

8 Which TGIF Shows Were Spin-Offs?

While there were several TGIF crossovers through the years, not many of the shows were actually spin-offs. Family Matters (1989-1998) was a spin-off of Perfect Strangers (1986-1993), and Just the Ten of Us (1988-1990) was a spin-off of Growing Pains (1985-1992), an ABC show that was not part of TGIF. There was also the short-lived Billy (1992), which came from Head of the Class (1986-1991).

7 How Does Steve Urkel Know DJ Tanner?

People who watched both Family Matters and Full House might remember that Steve Urkel makes a delightful appearance in the Tanner household. Season four’s “Stephanie Gets Framed” focused on Stephanie’s apprehension that her new glasses would invite teasing from the kids at school. Enter Steve Urkel.

First, Steve’s cousin, Julie (who is never seen again), comes home from school with DJ. DJ and Julie are hiding from Steve, who is visiting from Chicago. Of course, the cheese-loving Urkel finds them. After a quick lesson in being cool from Uncle Jesse, Steve helps Stephanie feel a little better about her glasses.

6 Who Else Does Steve Urkel Know From TGIF?

Steve Urkel knows many other TGIF characters. In addition to appearing on Full House, Jaleel White guest-starred as Urkel on Step by Step twice. He first showed up in the show’s second episode, “The Dance,” to help Al Lambert “do the Urkel” when she was nervous about her school dance, creating one of the sweetest TGIF moments of all time. Steve even propelled himself from Chicago to Wisconsin with a jetpack in the break between his show and Step by Step to make the event happen. He returned to Step by Step for a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo in the final season’s “A Star is Born.”

It’s also worth mentioning that in Family Matters’ “Beauty and the Beast” episode in season eight (the one with Myrtle and the pageant), Steve shares that he will be sending a chain letter to his friend Cory Matthews in Philadelphia. No Boy Meets World appearances there, but it’s still a fun reference.

5 Did Other Main Characters Ever Star On Other Shows?

To continue with Family Matters, Harriette Winslow is on many episodes of Perfect Strangers, and Carl Winslow is on one episode. In 1992, Michelle Tanner was the anchor of the second episode of Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, “Hangin’ with Michelle.” The youngest Tanner sister meets Mark Cooper when he is her substitute teacher, but Michelle accidentally leads Mr. Cooper to hurt himself, so Uncle Jesse drops her off at the teacher’s Oakland home to keep him company while he is recovering.

In 1997, Boy Meets World had a back-to-back Sabrina the Teenage Witch event. Melissa Joan Hart appeared at the end of “The Witches of Pennbrook,” the same Halloween episode where, two years after Full House ended, Candace Cameron also played a witch! The following Boy Meets World episode, “No Guts, No Cory,” had Salem the cat help the characters travel back to the time of World War II.

4 When Did TGIF End?

TGIF has been briefly rebooted a couple of times, but its main run went from 1989 to 2000. As the 1990s drew to a close, ratings were falling and hit sitcoms like Family Matters and Step by Step were moving to CBS. Television viewing became more fragmented in the home with the rise of separate shows for kids and adults (and with wider access to more than one television set).

3 Weren’t Some Of These Shows On Disney Channel?

All TGIF shows were originally made for ABC, but Boy Meets World and Sister, Sister found a second life through reruns on the Disney Channel in the early 2000s. These and many others also aired in syndication on ABC Family, now Freeform, with some of the TGIF shows going to various other networks through the years.

2 Can All Of These Shows Be Streamed Today?

While most of the forgotten shows of TGIF are unavailable for streaming, many of the more classic or popular ones are on major platforms. Boy Meets World is on Disney+, and Hulu continues to offer Full House, FamilyMatters, Perfect Strangers, Step by Step, and Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper.

One of the biggest victories of 2020 was Sister, Sister’s arrival on Netflix, which has finally allowed fans to revisit the beloved series through streaming.

1 Are There Talks Of Rebooting More TGIF Shows?

After Girl Meets World (2014-2017) and Fuller House (2016-2020), there have certainly been talks of bringing back other hit sitcoms of the 1990s. Where TGIF is concerned, it’s all strictly talk right now. For some fans, it’s best to leave these golden sitcoms as they are, in a unique universe of lovable characters and heartfelt family messages. Other fans would like to see where Tia and Tamera, Steve Urkel and the Winslows, Balki and Larry, the Fosters and Lamberts, and Mr. Cooper and friends are today.

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