8 Amazing TV Characters That Were Only Supposed To Appear In One Episode

3. Steve Urkel - Family Matters

Family Matters
ABC

Urkel is one of those characters that completely eclipsed the show that birthed them.

Winning the hearts of Americans with catchphrases, dances and an iconic wardrobe, the geeky kid easily dominated Family Matters' pop culture footprint, and even now decades after the show's cancellation persists as a reference point for people both young and old.

Hilariously though, this was entirely by accident, as Urkel was only written into one episode as an obnoxious joke character. In fact, it was this very reason that actor Jaleel White wanted the role, as he was intending to give this acting gimmick a final hurrah before pursuing an athletic career.

Of course, history had other plans, and after becoming completely smitten with the character, Urkel was written into more episodes, and White was signed up for a role that would make him a household name for years to come.

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Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.