Season 9 Highlights

• Family Matters moves to CBS.
• JoMarie Payton leaves the series halfway through the season. She is replaced by Judyann Elder.
• After years of trying, Laura and Steve finally get together and get engaged to be married by the end of the season.
• Family Matters concludes its nine year run with a passionate kiss between Steve and Laura.

Season 9 Episodes

194. "Out With The Old"
     Harriette's new promotion has her making more money than Carl, which Carl does not like too much. Urkel tries to change his image for Laura's sorority kissing aunction. Still outcasted, Laura sympathetically bets on him, but doesn't feel so bad after they kiss...

195. "They Shoot Ducks, Don't They?"
     It's Steve's 20th birthday and no one remembers, so Carl takes him duck hunting along with the Commissioner. Meanwhile, Laura does not tell Harriette she's borrowing her diamond earrings and accidentally loses one at a club.

196. "Dumb Belle Of The Ball"
     Eddie takes Myrtle Urkel to the Debutante Ball. Laura offends Carl by wearing a revealing dress.

197. "Drinking And Jiving"
     Laura, dead drunk, doesn't remember giving Urkel a passionate kiss.

198. "Who's Afraid Of The Big Black Book"
     Eddie and Laura are in a prank war, the biggest of the pranks being Laura tricking Steve to invite all of Eddie's ex-girlfriends to his 21st birthday party. The pranks get out of hand when friends' feelings are hurt. Meanwhile, Carl tries out for position of captain but loses it to the Commissioner's son, who has no idea what he is doing. Eventually, the position goes to Carl.

199. "A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Read"
     Steve Urkel gets his own lab at IOU. He tries to make an invention to expand his memory, but it somehow gives him the ability to read minds. No one likes his new gift, however, so he has to be rid of the power. Meanwhile, Carl starts a scout troop for 3J and Richie.

200. "Stevil II: This Time He's Not Alone" (Special 200th Episode)
     The evil ventriloquist dummy Stevil is back, and this time, he has a partner, a Carl dummy named Carlsbad. They are after Carl and Steve's souls so they can go to Vegas.

201. "Trading Places"
     Stefan is worried when Steve mentions how Laura is attracted to him now, so Steve and Stefan switch roles for a day to find out the truth. Eddie makes a video about Carl for one of his classes.

202. "A Pain In Harassment"
     Harriette's new boss is mean and insulting, so she has to stand up to him to stop it, even if it means losing her job. Urkel wins a contest where he gets to shoot a millions dollar shot from half-court at a LA Clippers game. Mark-Linn Baker from Perfect Strangers plays Harriette's boss.

203. "Original Gangsta Dawg"
     Steve's hoodlum cousin, OGD (also played by Jaleel White), comes to visit and causes trouble when he gives a bad CD to 3J, insults Carl and the police, and makes advances to Laura without Steve or Stefan's approval. But trouble begins when the purpose of his visit is so a thug he owes money to doesn't find him. Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliot guest stars.

204. "Deck The Malls"
     The Winslows get into the Christmas spirit when Carl plays Santa and Laura his elf at a local mall. At the same mall, Myra and Steve really bug each other while being gift wrappers. Little Richie is not happy, however, when he doesn't think his mom is coming home for Christmas, so it is Eddie to the rescue to get Rachel and bring her home.

205. "Grill of My Dreams"
     The first new Family Matters of the new year. Urkel get a job at a Japanese steakhouse to fix his clumsiness and to impress Laura. Meanwhile, Carl has to "bird-sit" Commissioner Geiss' parrot and tries to stop it from saying "Geiss is an idiot!"

206. "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do"
     Eddie decides he wants to be a cop. Steve finally decides he wants to break it off with Myra, but ironically, Myra beats him to it, all in an intricate plot to have Steve crawling back. Myra's plan backfires, however, when she inadvertantly walks in on Urkel and Laura passionately kissing. Johnny Cochran makes a special appearance.

207. "Crazy for You" (Part 1)
     Myra spies on Steve and finds out he plans to go out with Laura Saturday night. She tells Stefan about tries everything from polka to string cheese to get Steve back. When Stefan brings Laura back home while Myra kisses Steve (planned), Laura gets hurt, which means she does have feelings for Steve and still wants to go out with him. Meanwhile, Carl teaches Eddie a lesson about gun control.

208. "Crazier for You" (Part 2)
     Myra will just not take no for an answer. When Steve and Laura finally go out, Myra dresses up like Laura to grab Steve's attention back, especially after Steve has discovered Myra has been spying on him. Meanwhile, romance isn't going so well for Carl either, when Harriette finds out that her engagement ring was originally for his ex-girlfriend.

209. "Whose Man Is It Anyway?"
     Carl and Harriette are faced with a dilemma when 3J wants to find his true mother who may not be ready for him yet. Meanwhile, Greta and Myrtle Urkel fight over Eddie again, this time in a boxing ring.

210. "Polkapalooza"
     Eddie gets a new apartment but Carl overstays his welcome. Meanwhile, Laura goes to the biggest polka fest with Steve only to find out he has done a lot in the community through polka, and has become more attracted to him.

211. "Throw Steve From The Train"
     Laura is a bit skeptical of Maxine's new boyfriend, D'Andre. Poor unknowing Max is caught in the middle of a "package delivery" which proves her new man is a drug dealer. Meanwhile, a bonk on the hand makes Steve stuck with Carl on a train, where Carl feels bad of not accepting a job in D.C. five years ago.

212. "Don't Make Me Over!"
     Myrtle tries her last time to win Eddie's affection by getting a head-to-toe makeover from Laura and Maxine, but learns at the end that if Eddie doesn't want her, then she'll find someone who will. The episode ends with a special tribute to Myrtle showing short clips of her times of "Family Matters." Meanwhile, Carl lies to Harriette, saying his new masseuse is a "big beefy sista" when she is actually very gorgeous.

213. "Pop Goes The Question"
     Laura finally has to choose between Steve Urkel and Stefan Urquelle when they both propose to her. And even though Carl and Harriette thinks she should choose Stefan, when Steve decides to be the better man, step aside, and move to Russia, Laura finds out how she really feels about him and accepts Steve's proposal.

214. "Lost In Space" (Part 1)
     Steve and Laura's plans to get married are put on hold when Steve is chosen to be the first student in space. He gets to try out his latest invention which actually creates gravity in space, but problems occur when a satellite is headed towards the spacecraft. Meanwhile, Eddie finally becomes a cop, but Harriette fears for his safety, so she pulls some strings to get him reassigned as a meter maid.

215. "Lost In Space" (Part 2)
     Urkel has to come to the rescue when a wandering satellite punctures the spacecraft in which he's traveling, preventing him and a team of astronauts from re-entering the Earth's atmosphere. With the two other astronauts on board unconscious, it's up to Urkel to repair the ship -- from the outside. Meanwhile, as Carl tries to help Harriette understand her son's need to be a police officer, Eddie's meter maid duty takes a dangerous turn. Urkel releases the satellite but starts floating away and was really in peril, but was able to use the satellite's thrusters to make it back to the spacecraft and return home to Laura. And the curtain comes to a close.