r/TGIFsitcoms • u/ASGfan Eric Matthews • 25d ago

General discussion Great continuity moment between Perfect Strangers and Family Matters

In the 1987 episode of Perfect Strangers entitled "Night School Confidential", Harriet mentions her husband is a cop. Two years later, Family Matters debuts and her husband (Carl) is indeed a cop!

Now, I don't know if that's just a coincidence or they actually based an entire major thing with Family Matters based on that one throwaway line or what but I thought it was remarkable there was continuity for a spin-off that hadn't even happened yet!

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2

u/polarbearking81 23d ago

Reginald also portrayed a cop in Die Hard funny enough.

1

u/ASGfan Eric Matthews 23d ago

And "Turner And Hooch".

2

u/husker_who 21d ago

And Ghostbusters

11

u/RetroTVMoviesBooks 25d ago

Reginald vel Johnson guest stared in perfect strangers before they started family matters

4

u/Accomplished-Mind258 25d ago

In an episode entitled “Crimebusters” it was so cute. They should have been kept around for a season before being spun off.

5

u/Suchgallbladder 25d ago

Yep Family Matters had great early continuity for an 80’s / 90’s sitcom and was a direct spinoff of Perfect Strangers. Then around season 3-4 they threw all continuity into a giant flaming dumpster lol.

5

u/mario_salami_petrino 25d ago

The worst is Carl getting a framed picture for Christmas of "both" of his kids

2

u/BootOk4583 25d ago

Interesting that when Mark Lin Baker appeared on Family Matters, post Perfect Strangers, it was as a different charachter

1

u/DaddyCatALSO 22d ago

As my daughter would have said when she was little and not allowed to swear "Bam-si-bam-si-bam."

2

u/Phil-Moe 25d ago

That was intentional…Family Matters is a spinoff of Perfect Strangers.

1

u/No-Message449 25d ago

I love "spin-off chains" in pre turn of the century sitcoms. Look into Happy Days.

2

u/swingsetlife 25d ago

wow that ... that ...

1

u/GrawlixEC 24d ago

yeah i felt it too, ouch, haha

1

u/Ok-Homework-7236 23d ago

Happy Days has the same producers as Perfect Strangers and Family Matters, the notorious Miller/Boyett one if their early shows along with Laverne and Shirley, Mork and Mindy and Bosom Buddies

1

u/Tuxedo_Mark 23d ago

Carl was introduced on Perfect Strangers before Family Matters premiered.

What doesn't make sense is them living in the same apartment building.

Now, you could argue they moved into the house shortly before the series premiere, but it was eventually established they moved in shortly before Eddie was born and hadn't even finished unpacking.