CBS Block Party
The block was similar to, and was intended as direct competition to, ABC's TGIF lineup and aired on Friday nights from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.[2] Jaleel White, who played Family Matters star character Steve Urkel, stated that the producers jumped at the opportunity to jump to CBS because ABC was already shifting the TGIF block toward a much more child- and teen-oriented image, moving away from the whole-family approach it had taken at the beginning of its run (White believed being paired with the likes of The Gregory Hines Show was a far better fit than shows such as Muppets Tonight and Aliens in the Family that had been appearing on TGIF at the time), and that they did not believe Disney would give Miller-Boyett as prominent of a role as they had held with ABC before Disney had bought it.Though the two ABC series were picked up for full seasons, they suffered badly from the network jump, with both series hitting all-time lows in the Nielsen ratings (Family Matters was nevertheless modestly successful enough to beat the show that replaced it in the TGIF lineup, You Wish; the success was short-lived when You Wish was canceled).Family Matters also suffered due to extensive retooling: Steve Urkel was revamped to tone down his nerdiness, several characters were written out or reduced to guest appearances, and Jo Marie Payton left the show midseason after getting into an altercation with White that nearly turned into fisticuffs[3] (her role as Harriette Winslow was recast with Judyann Elder playing her the rest of the season).Kids Say the Darndest Things, however, would continue for two additional seasons, usually paired on Friday nights with a revival of Candid Camera.