6.7/10281 votes#1 - The Mama Who Came to Dinner
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 9/22/1989
Mother Winslow moves in and immediately begins to usurp Carl's authority. Eddie wants to go out with his friends, but he has a strict curfew that complicates things with Carl.
Director: Joel Zwick
Writer: Michael Warren, William Bickley
6.8/10221 votes#2 - Two-Income Family
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 9/29/1989
Hariette loses her job to automation, forcing the family into austerity measures while Carl stews over the family debts.
Director: James O'Keefe
Writer: Robert Blair
6.6/10205 votes#3 - Short Story
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 10/6/1989
Rachel writes a short story with characters that seem all too familiar; Carl becomes obsessed with the family's out of proportion water bill.
Director: Joel Zwick
Writer: Michael Warren, William Bickley
6.9/10207 votes#4 - Rachel's First Date
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 10/13/1989
The Winslows finally get to be alone together when Rachel accepts a date with a man from the church choir.
Director: John Bowab
Writer: Pamela Eells, Sally Lapiduss
7.0/10195 votes#5 - Straight A's
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 10/20/1989
Eddie comes home with straight A's on his report card and the whole family is proud of him. Rodney comes over and tells him that he changed the grades on the report cards on the school computer. Eddie doesn't want to tell the truth because he fears that he will hurt Carl's feelings.
Director: John Bowab
Writer: Geoff Gordon, Gordon Lewis
6.6/10186 votes#6 - Basketball Blues
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 11/3/1989
Carl's efforts to get Eddie psyched for a pro basketball career is enhanced by a visit from basketball star Bolton.
Director: James O'Keefe
Writer: Barry Gold
7.1/10183 votes#7 - Body Damage
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 11/10/1989
Rachel takes an unauthorized spin in the classic automobile that Carl plans to drive in the Columbus Day Parade.
Director: James O'Keefe
Writer: Ken Kuta
6.8/10186 votes#8 - Mr. Badwrench
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 11/17/1989
Self-proclaimed handyman Carl decides to install a shower in Mother Winslow's quarters while she's out of town.
Director: John Bowab
Writer: Alan Eisenstock, Larry Mintz
7.4/10189 votes#9 - Stake-Out
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 11/24/1989
After Carl is on an all-night stakeout with his attractive new partner, Harriette finds a room key to Louie's Love Grotto in his pocket.
Director: Peter Baldwin
Writer: Pamela Eells, Sally Lapiduss
7.2/10192 votes#10 - False Arrest
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 12/1/1989
The Winslows are aghast to discover that their TV idol has been arrested for assaulting a police officer - Officer Carl Winslow.
Director: Peter Baldwin
Writer: N/A
7.1/10194 votes#11 - The Quilt
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 12/8/1989
Laura sells a quilt Grandmother Winslow considered an heirloom.
Director: Peter Baldwin
Writer: N/A
7.4/10217 votes#12 - Laura's First Date
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 12/15/1989
Laura wants to go to an upcoming dance with a good-looking boy. Carl and Eddie try to find Laura a date. Carl asks Steve Urkel to take Laura to the dance, while Eddie asks one of his friends to take her out. When Laura finds out what happened, she is humiliated.
Director: Rich Correll
Writer: N/A
6.9/10176 votes#13 - Man's Best Friend
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 1/5/1990
Carl has a rule he intends to enforce not pets in the house until he meets a big, playful puppy who follows the kids home from school.
Director: Rich Correll
Writer: N/A
7.0/10178 votes#14 - Baker's Dozens
Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 1/12/1990
Thanks to Rachel's brainstorm, Carl could become the "king of tarts" if he shares his secret recipe for lemon tarts, which were a big hit at a local restaurant.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.2/10187 votes#15 - The Big Reunion
Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 1/19/1990
Carl decides to lose weight before going to his high-school reunion.
Director: Rich Correll
Writer: N/A
6.9/10180 votes#16 - The Party
Season 1 Episode 16 - Aired 2/2/1990
A "No Guests" rule spells no fun for Eddie, who's left in charge of the house while the adults are away for the weekend.
Director: Rich Correll
Writer: N/A
7.3/10184 votes#17 - The Big Fix
Season 1 Episode 17 - Aired 2/9/1990
Eddie persuades Laura to date a guy he's indebted to.
Director: Rich Correll
Writer: Pamela Eells, Sally Lapiduss
6.9/10176 votes#18 - Sitting Pretty
Season 1 Episode 18 - Aired 2/16/1990
Laura's babysitting service floods the house with children at a bad time on the night Carl has invited his captain over.
Director: Rich Correll
Writer: N/A
7.2/10172 votes#19 - In a Jam
Season 1 Episode 19 - Aired 3/16/1990
Eddie wants to do the right thing when faced with protecting Steve from a bully who threatens to beat him up, which could get Eddie creamed as well.
Director: Rich Correll
Writer: N/A
6.9/10168 votes#20 - The Candidate
Season 1 Episode 20 - Aired 3/23/1990
Eddie places image over integrity in his class president bid when image-maker Laura offers a thousand points of light to illuminate his campaign.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.1/10169 votes#21 - Bowl Me Over
Season 1 Episode 21 - Aired 4/13/1990
The men vie with the women in a bowling match and Carl's philosophy about accepting defeat gracefully ends up in the gutter when Hariette aces him out.
Director: Rich Correll
Writer: N/A
6.7/10165 votes#22 - Rock Video
Season 1 Episode 22 - Aired 4/27/1990
When Eddie's big ego threatens to disband his group during the making of a rock video for a contest, the rest of the Winslows offer some ideas.
Director: Rich Correll
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of Family Matters Season 1
Every episode of Family Matters Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Family Matters Season 1!
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...
Genres:ComedyFamily
Network:ABC
Season 1 Ratings Summary
"The Mama Who Came to Dinner" is the best rated episode of "Family Matters" season 1. It scored 6.7/10 based on 281 votes. Directed by Joel Zwick and written by Michael Warren, William Bickley, it aired on 9/22/1989. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "Two-Income Family".