10 Annoying New TV Characters Only Added To Boost Ratings
5. 3J - Family Matters
Family Matters began as a pretty typical sitcom and slowly devolved into The Steve Urkel Show, but apparently that wasn't enough change for these writers. During the eighth season, due to - you guessed it - declining ratings, audiences saw the debut of Jerry Jamal Jameson.
Also known as 3J, this kid was an orphan adopted by Carl and Harriette. He's another precocious young kid with a smart mouth, but audiences didn't really care that much about him, and it was incredibly late into the series' run to suddenly be introducing new members of the family. Really, this was eight seasons in. Shouldn't the cast be pretty set by then?
The writers had a lot more planned for 3J, and he was going to move back in with his real mother in the final season, but they never got that far because 3J didn't exactly give the show the breath of fresh air the writers hoped for. CBS cancelled the show at the end of the 9th season, and now 3J just stands out as a bizarre and unnecessary addition to a show nearing the end of its run.