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Shows that feel like Family Matters (1989–1998)

If you loved Family Matters, the closest series we have are Perfect Strangers (1986), The Goldbergs (2013) and Full House (1987). All three share Family Matters' witty and playful feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 11 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and Paramount Plus Premium and others, checked against today's data.

A long-running dramedy centering on the Winslow family, a middle-class African American family living in Chicago, and their pesky next-door neighbor, ultra-nerd Steve Urkel. A spin-off of Perfect Strangers.

6.6 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗9 seasons · ABCcreated by Michael Warrenwittyplayfulwarmcozy
Stream it:HuluTBS
Buy seasons:Amazon see price ↗Apple TV$14.99 buyFamily Matters: The Complete Series · Apple price as of 2026-08-31

If Family Matters hit the spot, these will too

Perfect Strangers poster
Perfect Strangers
1986–1993 · 8 seasons · ABC
7.2comedy

Two things both keep coming back to: chicago, illinois and sitcom

The difference: Missing the comfort of Family Matters

The chronicles of the rocky coexistence of midwestern American Larry Appleton and his distant cousin from eastern Mediterranean Europe, Balki Bartokomous.

Feels alike?
The Goldbergs poster
The Goldbergs
2013–2023 · 10 seasons · ABC
8family · comedy

Both keep coming back to the same thing: sitcom

The difference: 24 years apart, and the 2010s show

Before there were parenting blogs, trophies for showing up, and peanut allergies, there was a simpler time called the '80s. For geeky 11-year old Adam these were his wonder years and he faced them armed with a video camera to capture all the crazy. The Goldbergs are a loving family like any other, just with a lot more yelling.

Feels alike?
Full House poster
Full House
1987–1995 · 8 seasons · ABC
6.8comedy · family

Both land wit and play at once

After the death of his wife, Danny enlists his best friend and his brother-in-law to help raise his three daughters, D.J., Stephanie, and Michelle.

Feels alike?
El Chapulín Colorado poster
El Chapulín Colorado
1973–1979 · 7 seasons · Las Estrellas
8.5comedy · family

Warm and cozy in the same breath

Feels alike?
The Nanny poster
The Nanny
1993–1999 · 6 seasons · CBS
7.2comedy · family

Witty comedy in both cases

That flashy girl from Flushing with the heart of an angel (and the voice of a slighty more nasal angel). The comic misadventures of the sweet and sassy Fran Fine, her sophisticated employer, Broadway producer Mr. Sheffield, his boisterous brood and his wisecracking staff.

Feels alike?
Saved by the Bell poster
Saved by the Bell
1989–1993 · 4 seasons · NBC
7.1family · comedy

Both lean on play more than on family

Lovable schemer Zack Morris leads his pals on adventures at California's Bayside High School. The friends navigate relationships, final exams, school dances, breakups and more while frequently frustrating their principal, Mr. Richard Belding, who does his best to keep them in check.

Feels alike?
The Middle poster
The Middle
2009–2018 · 9 seasons · ABC
7.7comedy

Both are built on the same subject: middle class

The daily mishaps of a married woman and her semi-dysfunctional family and their attempts to survive life in general in the city of Orson, Indiana.

Feels alike?
Dinosaurs poster
Dinosaurs
1991–1995 · 4 seasons · ABC
7.5sci-fi & fantasy · comedy · family

Warm comedy, and it commits to that

The difference: Leans harder into sci-fi & fantasy than Family Matters does

Dinosaurs follows the life of a family of dinosaurs, living in a modern world. They have TV's, fridges, microwaves, and every modern convenience.

Feels alike?
ALF poster
ALF
1986–1990 · 4 seasons · NBC
7.4comedy · family · sci-fi & fantasy

Family with a pulse of comfort, in both cases

A furry alien wiseguy comes to live with a terran family after crashing into their garage.

Feels alike?
Growing Pains poster
Growing Pains
1985–1992 · 7 seasons · ABC
6.6comedy

Comedy built on wit, twice over

Fatherhood has taken on a whole new meaning for Jason Seaver, who has assumed the chores of cooking, cleaning and minding the kids so that his wife, Maggie, can pursue a career in journalism after spending 15 years as a housewife.

Feels alike?
Pinky and the Brain poster
Pinky and the Brain
1995–1998 · 4 seasons · The WB
7.8animation · comedy · family

Common ground: spin off

Pinky and Brain are genetically enhanced laboratory mice who reside in a cage in the Acme Labs research facility. Brain is self-centered and scheming; Pinky is good-natured but feebleminded. In each episode, Brain devises a new plan to take over the world, which ultimately ends in failure, usually due to Pinky's idiocy, the impossibility of Brain's plan, Brain's own arrogance, or just circumstances beyond their control.

Feels alike?
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch poster
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
1996–2003 · 7 seasons · ABC
6.7comedy · family · sci-fi & fantasy

Playful family in both cases

On her sixteenth birthday, Sabrina Spellman discovers she has magical powers. She lives with her 600-year-old aunts Hilda and Zelda as well as talking cat Salem in the fictional town of Westbridge, Massachusetts.

Feels alike?

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The best-reviewed series that share Family Matters’ defining feeling.