Family Matters is a television sitcom that premiered on September 22, 1989. It initially aired on ABC, then moved to CBS for its final season. The final episode aired on July 17, 1998. A total of 215 episodes were produced spanning nine seasons.
 Steve learns that a bully, Andre (Lamont Bentley), has become stricken with leukemia, due to smoking cigarettes. Steve does the right thing and puts aside the past and, with Laura's help, stages a bone marrow drive to save his life. When Andre discovers Steve's act of kindness, he is grateful that he gives up being Steve's bully and befriends him. Meanwhile, Harriette wants to get new furniture for the living room, despite the fact that it'll cost $3,000 to do so. Carl, in his usual skinflint form, learns from his boss Capt. Savage that he could get furniture for cheap at a police auction. Harriette is displeased with it and eventually Carl agrees to get their old furniture back.
 Gang member Toni Procopio (Tracey Cherelle Jones) and her friends brutally beat Laura up over her jacket. After being arrested and let out on bail, Toni and her gang tell Laura that she can expect to get shot if she testifies against them again. Scared for her life, Laura decides she needs to buy a gun for self-defense, but Steve begs her to reconsider. Moments before Laura can go through with the gun purchase, Toni shoots her other best friend Josie (Trina McGee-Davis) because she refused to give Toni her shoes. Fortunately, the Winslows and Steve start "Save a Life, Turn In Your Gun" and Steve does a rap about saving your life by turning in a gun or other weapons. 
 Steve and Carl enter a dance marathon hosted by Fletcher (Whitman Mayo, replacing Arnold Johnson) and Estelle, but because the two are so competitive with each other, they both stay up all night dancing until one of them finally gives up. However, Harriette and Myra are sick of their competition and leave them on the dance floor. Soon Steve and Carl realize the consequences of their competitive nature and apologize to each other, even Harriette and Myra.
 Steve's father invents a microscopic camera that lets doctors insert it into patient's brains to search for brain damage. He is asked to showcase the camera in hospitals across Russia, prompting them to move. Steve, not wanting to move away from his friends, tries to think of an idea. Carl, not wanting the nerd to move in with him, convinces Eddie to let Steve move in with him and Waldo. However, when his mutant termites are a little too hungry, they break loose and eat the entire apartment (thanks to Waldo unwittingly dropping the container when trying to get his jacket). Once their apartment is destroyed, Eddie and Waldo are forced to move back home. Meanwhile as a reward for straight A's, Harriette and Maxine shop for a dress for Laura, but Laura dislikes it and learns to compromise with Maxine. When Eddie moves back home, Steve comes for a visit one last time to bid the Winslows farewell. Carl is excited at the prospects of having Steve move to Russia and greedily decides to bid him farewell. However, when Eddie uses the same convincing against him, Carl reluctantly decides to allow Steve to move in with them.
 Carl is once again pressed into service to teach Steve how to do something simple this time: riding a bicycle. The usual hijinks ensue. Maxine ponders cosmetology school and although Laura is against it, she realizes her friend's happiness is more important.
 Steve hosts three Valentine's Day short stories involving various members of the cast going through the three stages of love. At the end of the episode, he gets his own Valentine's surprise in Myra dressed as Cupid.
 Steve gives Carl the opportunity to sail a 1700s vessel through Steve's time travel watch. Unfortunately, the vessel they boarded was owned by pirates. Carl was promoted to captain due to the previous captain's lack of hygiene. However, Steve accidentally drops his time travel watch overboard. Fortunately, Myra (along with Maxine and Laura) comes to the rescue with a copy of Steve's time travel watch. However, the crew turns on Steve and Carl after Carl's rules for the pirates. They all engage in a sword duel and are prompted to walk the plank but escape through the watch at the right time and return home where they are late for dinner.
 Steve decides that he needs to give himself a whole new look, somewhat similar to alter ego Stefan Urquelle, in order to win Laura's heart. The makeover comes just in time for Laura's charity auction, where bachelors' kisses are auctioned. Eddie makes $5,000 because of Myrtle's bids. When nobody bids on the nerd, Laura, reluctantly, makes the one and only bid on Steve's kisses. This ending foreshadows the changing relationship between Steve and Laura as Laura seems to enjoy the kiss much more than she expected. Meanwhile, Carl gets upset when he learns Harriette is making more money than him after a promotion, so Carl takes a second job to become the breadwinner again. However, he once again regrets it when he learns that Harriette had been planning a birthday gift surprise.
 During the Christmas season, the Winslows and Steve get jobs at the mall. Steve becomes a gift-wrapper with Myra (which frustrates him after being pressured by his customers), Carl becomes a department store Santa Claus and Laura becomes an elf (which too frustrates them because of their dorky styles). Meanwhile, Richie is disappointed finds out that his mom, Rachel, is unable to come home for the holiday. When one kid makes a wish to help his father find a job, Carl as Santa, gives him a business card to give to his father to call of himself. The next morning, the Winslows are confused that Eddie is not home on Christmas morning just to pick up a present. When Eddie arrives, the Winslows learn he drove all night to Detroit to pick up Rachel and light up Richie's spirits.
 Steve decides to end his relationship with Myra when he becomes aware that Laura is beginning to gain romantic interest on him and the fact that Myra hates his makeover and wanted him to go back to the sexy nerd she loves. He becomes surprised at dinner that she breaks up with him first. However, Steve is unaware that it was just Myra's futile attempt to try to keep the relationship going by trying to get him to renounce his love for Laura. Myra walks in to find Steve and Laura locking lips and attempts to set Steve straight for his betrayal. Steve becomes frightened and Laura engages in an argument with Myra. After Steve breaks it up, he tells her off to leave and never come back. Meanwhile, Carl attempts to set Eddie straight for his mediocre grades.  Eddie stays up all night to find a way to fix his grades and he decides to dropout of school to make a clear path to becoming a cop.
 Myra begins her attack on Steve and Laura's relationship with the help of her "Stevie-Glasses-Cam" (placed on Steve's glasses unbeknownst to him) and enlists the help of Stefan Urquelle to try to spoil an upcoming Saturday night date. However, Stefan soon feels guilty about the whole thing and stops after realizing how insane Myra really is. Meanwhile, Carl tries to show a trigger-happy Eddie a lesson in good judgment during police training. He uses a cardboard picture of Laura as part of the training and Eddie realizes how his lack of gun control could have negative consequences if he were to accidentally shoot an innocent bystander. Part 1 of 2.